good talk

Pat Pace (Pasquale Pace, Feb. 19, 1930 to Jan. 6, 2006), was considered by some to be a musical-genius, appearing at "7" on the highly-popular radio-show "Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour" (...I've been saying my prayers all day, so I know I'll play good...), little Pat's Accordion won in a landslide of call-in votes (...the little boy on the accordion...) over the other contestants.  Akron's Own (his much-younger brother, Tony, was my older brother, Bob's, best friend at St. Sebastian's), could play many instruments, his favorites were the organ and piano, his forte was jazz-piano.  At "16", Pat auditioned for acceptance to Juilliard, and went-there on scholarship (Ed took piano-lessons for 4 or 5 years as a child, when I gave it up at "13", my instructor didn't say ...you can't, it would be Music's loss...).  Pat did very-well at Juilliard, graduating in 1950, leaving with a degree and a heroin-addiction.  Pat returned to Akron, and was a huge regional-success, selling-out intimate venues, but throughout the 50's he was constantly in trouble with the law over his drug-use, finally in 1959, Pat was arrested for breaking into a pharmacy, appearing before Judge Mancini, also Italian, who had seen Pat perform as a child  ...I never thought as I watched those little hands move over the keyboard that you'd be standing before me for sentencing...  Pat went to prison and hospitals for 5 years, and came out fully-recovered, he told his hometown newspaper ...There's 2 things I know real-good, drugs and music...  Pat further enhanced his acclaim (he was married to the ex-wife of Mike Nichols), being there-on highly regarded as a person, musician, and teacher, his 1978 "Pacific" is a most-valued collectible, one cut is "Lusty Angel"