At eighteen I was the youngest staff
songwriter for Hello There! Publishing. In 1967 I was assigned by the company
to work as lyricist with the famous jazz pianist and composer, Jimmy Rowles.
When I showed up at Jimmy’s house in Burbank, he was visibly surprised by my
youthful appearance but once we got down to work, our dramatic differences in
age became meaningless. He played a number of his compositions and one in
particular struck a chord with me, a slow, melancholy waltz. My favorite book
as a girl was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Jimmy’s melody reminded me
of heather covered moors in the mist. I took a tape of the song home and wrote
the lyric that evening and when I called Jimmy the following morning, telling
him the lyric was complete, once again he was surprised. I sang the lyric as he
played and when the song ended he was silent for a few moments. I wasn’t sure
how to interpret his silence and worried that he didn’t like what I’d written.
He looked at me and said that I had just perfectly described the place where he
grew up. I think he titled the song LOOKING BACK. Many vocalists, including
Diana Krall, have recorded and continue to sing LOOKING BACK. I have the very
first recording of the song with Jimmy playing and me singing.
We kept in touch over the years and on my
twenty-first birthday I went to hear him play in Hermosa Beach. Sarah Vaughn,
Jimmy’s old friend and one of my musical idols, was sitting in with him and when
the set concluded Jimmy introduced me to Sarah and bought me my first legal
drink. The last time I saw Jimmy was in 1993 at Capitol Records. He was
suffering from emphysema and walked on the arm of an assistant and dragged an
oxygen tank. But even in his fragile condition he had the same raspy laugh and
could still play with verve.
In 1996 Bones Howe called me and told me
Jimmy had passed. That night I wrote a lyric titled I’VE BEEN MEANING TO CALL
in honor of my old friend.
