RIP Frank D'Rone

[Mark Stryker]

Is there a vaccine for that?

I hesitated to post, actually, because I'm not necessarily sure I want folks posting my own 35 year old reviews, though, in fairness, I was only 16 in 1979 (smile)

[Mark Stryker]

I've been wondering who the musicians are with Frank on those Playboy clips. Was talking the other day with John Campbell (who has not actually seen these clips) but said the pianist could be Marty Rubenstein, a jazz & commercial (studio) player in Chicago, who was also the pianist on the Nicolas and May LP "Improvisations to Music." Hefner in fact makes a quick reference to "Marty always being ready to help out" before Frank sings "Let There Be Love."

Any of you Chicago guys have any experience with Marty? Seems to have died young in 1991 at 66.

[Mark Stryker]

After years of looking, I broke down and bought Frank's last Mercury LP "In Person" (1962) via eBay. Listening now for the first time. Fantastic fucking LP. What a singer and musician ...

Question: The record was recorded at the Hungry I in San Francisco. There's a piano-bass-drums rhythm section here, but no personnel is listed on the jacket and some Internet/discography searching leads no clues. Anybody know who they are or a guess as to who they might be? I wondered if the pianist could be Don Asher, the house pianist at the club in that era, but I don't recall any mention of this in Asher's memoir "Notes From a Battered Grand."

So, any guesses?