I’m getting ready to play a short run of “Evita!” and was thinking about the last time I played it…in 1995.
That made me think of my dear friend, Jim Soluri, who we sadly lost a few years ago.
Jim was a Musical Director, Producer, and Musician of the highest caliber. He is on the short list of the people who have had the largest impact on my life, both as a musician and a person. (What’s the difference?) Jim and I spent thousands of hours in orchestra pits and rehearsal studios. I’ll never forget one minute of those hours.
For all the years that I played for Lakeside Dinner Theater, I had a dream the night before we opened. In the dream, Jim and I had a fight and he fired me. I had the dream once every year, and haven’t had it since he passed away.
My most cherished memory of Jim, will always be putting his bow tie on him before a show. Ten minutes before curtain, he’d find me with his tie in his hand. I’d put it on him, and say, “Ready, skippy?”
Whenever I’m faced with a challenge on a gig, or anywhere else for that matter, I often think, “How would Jim handle this?” His answer always comes back quickly. He’d run his hand through his hair and say, “It’ll be fine.”
It always is…
Jim Soluri