On March 22nd, I had the honor of opening for John Oates and Guthrie Trapp at Sony Music Hall in New York City. My 92-year-old grandfather, Myron Kandel, took the bus down from his Riverside Drive apartment to see the show. As a lifelong journalist, he couldn’t help but write a few words on the night. Here they are:

My past and present coincided in a very pleasant way the other night in an unlikely venue. Seventy years ago, in 1952, I was working the night shift as a copy boy at The New York Times. When the first edition rolled off the presses one of my tasks was to fetch a heavy load of papers and distribute them around the newsroom. Then I got 45 minutes for dinner.

I knew that Frank Sinatra, approaching the peak of his bobby-soxer stardom, was performing at a nightclub called Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe on 46th Street just east of Eighth Avenue. Foregoing dinner, I dashed out of the Times building on 43rd Street and managed to squeeze into a spot at the bar, about 60 feet away from the stage where Frankie was singing. I bought a beer for two bucks -- a lot of money for a guy earning $29.50 for a full week's work. But worth it for a chance to see him in person. I'll never forget his sound, as well as the yells of the woman standing next to me who kept screaming, "Frankie, take me!"

That was a long time ago, but it's still a vivid memory. Much more exciting was Tuesday evening, March 22, when my grandson Theo Kandel, a Hollywood-based songwriter-performer, made his Broadway debut at the same theater, which now carries the Sony name. He was the opener for a concert by the noted rock-pop composer-singer John Oates. In his opening remarks, Theo even gave a shout-out to his 92-year-old grandfather in the audience and mentioned my attendance at Sinatra's gig 70 years earlier. And Theo, at age 25, gave a knock-out performance of his own compositions to an appreciative dinner-theater audience. He was great. Talk about grandfatherly pride. 

Theo even gave a shout-out to his 92-year-old grandfather in the audience and mentioned my attendance at Sinatra's gig 70 years earlier. And Theo, at age 25, gave a knock-out performance to an appreciative dinner-theater audience. He was great. Talk about grandfatherly pride.