The Singer and Her Arranger

The man who walked up the gangway onto the yacht tied up in Marina Del Rey, was not someone who would grab the attention of one of the 'beautiful' people at the party being held on the ship. And not the eye of the rising country-pop fusion star who was the guest of honor at the party.

It wasn't as if he was awful looking. Indeed, she found him handsome. A little under 6 feet tall, slim, well-built, but not one of the over-muscled would-be Arnolds from nearby Venice Beach.

He had a tussle of light brown, almost blond hair, not short but not too long either. His eyes were the one feature that might stand out at a woman, if she was close enough to see them. They were a hazel, but there was a mixture of colors in those eyes, and depending on the surroundings and his mood, they could go from a brown, to a green, to a gray that almost touched blue.

But it was the instant look of intelligence that resided into those eyes that stopped people's thought processes. They would freeze for a short pause before going on with their thoughts or conversation.

That day he was dressed for the warm SoCal beach weather, with a pair of tan cargo shorts, a light blue polo shirt, open at the neck, and a pair of leather sandals.

He stepped confidently aboard and took a quick look around, looking for a particular person.

As he began to step further onto the deck of the ship, he was approached by a couple of over-built, under-brained men, both of whom were well over 6 feet tall, who walked up until they were closer than the normal comfort range of most people. Clearly an intimidation tactic, it didn't seem to affect the smaller man.

"Excuse me mate," said the more articulate of the pair, "but whadoya want. This is a private party."

"I'm here to see Ms. Sidney Barron," naming the rising star, Diva and guest of honor.

The bodyguard's eyes flicked to a face on the upper deck that had been looking down at the man. There was a slight negative back-and-forth of the head, before she turned back to her entourage. He was a stranger to her.

"Sorry, mate. Sid doesn't want to see you. You'll have to leave," the big guy said with a bit of a smirk.

The smaller man showed no emotion other than to shrug his shoulders.

"Her loss."

Then he turned away and walked back down the gangway, back up the dock and up to the parking lot where he climbed into an SUV and drove away.

The two bodyguards were standing there, still congratulating themselves on how well they took care of their client, protecting her from unwanted interlopers, when Herb Eisenstein, the owner of the yacht, and one of the big names in the world of music agents, rushed up the gangplank. His bald head was swiveling around on his head like he was demon possessed.

"Where are Sid and Charlie?" he asked.

"Uh, ah, Mr. E, Sid is up on the second deck," a quick look and motion her way. "But I don't know this Charlie guy."

"Shit. I phoned him to tell him I'm late, but that he could just meet me here and introduce himself to Sid and I would arrive a little late. Thank god, I got here before him."

The two bodyguards started kind of shuffling their feet and were looking anywhere except Herb's face.

Herb didn't reach the level of his profession without being able to read body language.

"Okay guys. Out with it. What's going on?"

"Uh, Mr. Eisenstein, I think we may have kicked him off the boat. Sid didn't know him, so we told him he would have to leave."

"And?"

"He turned around and left."

"Did he say anything to you two morons?"

They weren't happy at being called morons, after all no one had given THEM a heads up about some stranger who would be dropping in, but they knew that Sid would want them to be honest with Mr. Eisenstein.

"He kinda shrugged his shoulders and said something like 'Her loss'"

"Shit'," Herb said again as he turned away from the muscle and hurried to the second deck.

Sid looked up when Herb came flying up the stairs to the upper deck where she had been sitting on one of the deck chairs chatting with other members of her girl band and some of the hangers on that they brought with them.

"Herb!" she exclaimed, "So what's on the schedule today?"

"Well, Sid, you were supposed to be meeting with Charlie Turner, the arranger, to discuss having him add a background orchestra with music, to your group for the album."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Sid replied, almost exploding with excitement.

Sid and her band, 'Precious Jewels' were a country/pop band that had been touring and gaining a reputation for having a different sound. But they were still, in some ways, a basic group with a lead guitar, a bass, a keyboard, drums and Sid, the lead vocalist, who also played guitar. She also wrote their songs.

Herb had gotten them a production contract to do an album, but the producer want to fill out their sound on the album and would probably add background musicians to their tour.

That was where Charlie Turner, AKA 'The Arranger' came into things. He was known for taking a piece of 'good' music and by adding instrumentation, tweaking the tempos, raising or lowering the keys a couple of steps, that is, doing his magic on the music, making it a brilliant piece of music. The kind that made it onto the top of the charts.

"It would be, except that you and your goons booted him off the boat!"

"Sorry, Mr. E. I didn't think he would show up early and alone. I thought he was coming with you. But, hey, it's no big deal. Call him up and tell him were sorry and to come back. It was just an innocent mistake."

Herb looked at his talented newbie, a somewhat condescending look.

"Sid, sorry kid, Charlie was on his way out of the country. He was going to stop by for an hour or so as a favor to me. He won't be coming back for I don't know how long. We'll have to wait until he gets back, and then hope that he will actually speak to you. Me? Me, he will forgive, I give him too much business. You? He don't know you, and like he said — it's your loss not his."

"Well, shit," Sid posited, "There have to be other guys in town who can arrange the music."

"Of course there are 'other guys'! This is Hollywoodland. There are guys who worked with John Williams, for Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, Randy Newman. Some of the older guys even worked with Lalo Schriffin and some of the old-timers!

"But none of them are as good, as current or as talented as Charlie Turner.

"Have you heard the music that is used in the introduction of that new series, "Twin Worlds"?

Sid brightened up, "Yeah, you told me to at least listen to the first two minutes of music. Then I could turn off the series. I didn't. I thought it was a kind of cool show.

"The music was really great — unusual, but I just had to listen to it all the way through. I think that I may have even downloaded it."

"Well, the music for the series was written and arranged by Charlie Turner," Herb continued.

"And even more important: the producer, you know the guy who is paying for this album to be cut, wants — no, insists that Charlie do the work. In simple terms — we got no choice, capice?"

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Sid asked, her voice revealing her irritation.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll get your band local gigs around here until Charlie shows up again to keep you busy."

Sidney did her imitation of a growl at the delay but was happy that the band could make a few bucks and not just sit around spending money. Sidney had a work ethic, and she was understood the value of have some savings in the bank.

The girls were not all happy about it — weren't they supposed to be cutting an album — but at least they were hanging around L.A., the beaches, the clubs (when they weren't playing) and the guys.

It was a couple of weeks later when Herb finally called Sid.

"Sid? You there?"

"Of course. Who did you expect when you call my phone?"

Herb laughed, "Well I got some good news. Charlie is back."

"Great! When do we get together with him?"

"ASAP. There is one small detail: he is working for a client in Vegas, getting things ready for her show up there. Can you pack and be ready to run up there for a couple of days?"

"Give me an hour!"

Herb picked her up in a limo and by the time they had reached Barstow (for their first fuel/pee break) Sid was already tired of driving through the high desert.

By the time she saw the giant thermomotor in Baker she was getting impatient.

"Herb?"

"Yeah, I know. Did you see the temperature? 100 degrees. And that isn't even terribly hot for out here. I've driven by here when it registered 121!"

"Herb! Stop.

"When are we going to get there?"

"Oh. About another hour and a half."

"Oh god. This is the most boring drive. There is nothing out there but dirt, dust and truly ugly plants."

"Sid, did you know that we have a bar in this limo? Why don't you have a drink. Only one — we don't want to have to stop again before Vegas. Anyway, there some herds of wild horses and burros we will probably see. And the big solar generating plant. Lots of mirrors focused on a big tower. They say the mirrors literally roast hundreds of birds!"

"Tell ya what Herb. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when we get there. Vegas, not the stupid generating whatchamacallit."

~~** Unforgettable, that's what you are... Las Vegas **~~

Herb nudged the sleeping Sidney as they came down the hill leading into Las Vegas.

"Sid, wake up and take a look! You can see the Strip from here."

Sid did struggle to come back to life, taking a couple of swigs from her water bottle.

Herb continued, "You used to be able to see the Luxor, this huge pyramid shaped hotel and casino as you came down the hill, now, it's been mostly blocked by newer places."

"Sid, we have a quick decision to make. Do we check into the hotel first, or should we drop in and watch Charlie at work?"

The drive from L.A. to Vegas had only been a little more than four hours, and she had slept part of that time. She had plenty of energy.

"If we can, let's go watch him for a while. This is exciting! I mean, after all, we've waited like forever!"

Herb laughed but opened the window between them and the driver.

"George, drive us up to the entrance closest to where Maddi is performing and drop us off."

"Sure, boss, whatever you say."

Herb and Sid got out at a side entrance of the casino and walked into the casino, ignoring the noise of the slot machines and the excited players as they walked across the main gaming floor and up a staircase that led to the stages where the well-known Vegas acts performed.

At the door to the main stage, they were stopped by a security guard.

"Sorry — you can't go in there."

Herb looked at the guy and smiled.

"Is Ross working today?"

The guard nodded his head.

"Then could you give him a quick call and tell him that Charlie Turner asked Herb Eisenstein to meet him here."

The guard stood back a little (never taking his eyes off Herb and Sid lest they sneak in behind his back) and spoke into the walkie-talkie/phone that was strapped to his jacket at his shoulder. In a minute, the guard stepped back — this time with a much more polite attitude.

He opened the door, "Yes sir. Ross said you can go in and he hopes that you can stop by and have lunch with him while you're in town."

"Thank you. I'll give Ross a call, but I'm afraid that this will be a short business trip. But if I don't see him this time, I'll catch him the next time I'm up."

They passed through the doors and walked a short distance where there was another set of doors. They could vaguely hear music, but the soundproofing in the main stage area kept it muffled. When they passed through the inner door, then the volume of the music increased to what you would expect to hear in a theater during a performance.

Herb turned to Sid and put an unnecessary finger to his lips to make sure she kept quiet. They walked down about a third of the way down the theater and moved into two of the plush seats towards the middle.

Sid was almost jumping in her seat: Maddi had been one of her favorite performers when she was younger. Now she was seeing her up close, practicing for a Las Vegas show, singing her old hits.

Maddi wasn't really dancing, but she was moving around the stage to where her marks on the floor were, singing but also practicing the dancing moves, moving her feet and arms, in her head.

Once Sid got over the shock of seeing Maddi in person, she started listening to the music.

The music was not quite the same as the old original Maddi songs. For one thing, there was an orchestra playing that gave the accompaniment a rich and deep texture, the kind that a normal rock band didn't have.

But there were also other differences. Sid knew these songs, but the chords weren't all the same as what she had learned. And there were musical lines that repeated the melody, but not at the same time as the singer. They were filling the gaps where the singer wasn't singing. Sid was amazed at the sound.

It wasn't that the songs were better, per se, but they were very good and seemed to fit in the theater for a performance thirty years after they had originally debuted. And Sid realized that Maddi's audience would be made up of folks who had heard the originals but were older now. The music would work for the audience and that was the goal.

As Maddi finished the song, Charlie stood up from his seat just in front of the orchestra.

"Hey Lee? Could I run the orchestra through that last number one more time?"

The conductor smiled.

"Of course, Charlie! Help yourself."

Charlie came up to the podium.

"Okay guys. I don't think that we need to go over the entire piece. Let's start at measure 60."

He looked around and made sure that everyone in the orchestra had found measure 60 in their scores.

"Okay? Let's go."

Then he moved the baton in front of him three times to get the tempo, and on the fourth beat, he raised the baton up and, on the downbeat, the orchestra started, like a well-oiled machine.

Then, as he conducted, he also called out to the musicians:

"Sax section, don't be afraid of this phrase. Play it up!

"Harpist! You are doing that SO well. Remember how important it is to get it right with the singer. Make sure that you listen to her and stay RIGHT with her.

"Percussion? Don't get too loud through that last section. Loud, but not overwhelming.

"Strings? Are you all clear on what the bowing should be through measures 150 to 170? First violin? Are you satisfied with it?"

He would stop and restart the orchestra as he felt necessary. But in about 15 minutes they were finished.

"Great! Ladies and Gentlemen, you have this down and you are going to do great tonight. And remember: if this is the hit that we all expect, you may have a steady job for the next two or three years!"

The members of the orchestra clapped, and Charlie thanked them before leaving the podium. Then they began putting away their instruments.

At that point Herb and Sid stood up and moved to the aisle that Charlie was walking up.

"Herb, glad you could make it," Charlie said.

"Charlie, I'm glad that you could make the time for us. By the way, this is Sidney Barron."

"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Barron," Charlie replied, extending his hand.

"Please, call me Sid," she replied as she took his hand. She was startled, his hand felt so warm and smooth. She looked into his face, into his eyes, and his warm smile. It wasn't a 'love at first sight' moment, but Sid had an immediate impression that she would like to know Charlie Turner better. Both as a musician and as a man!

Right then Maddi came out from backstage and walked towards them up the aisle. She was still dressed as she had been on stage but had thrown a light robe over her costume.

When Maddi arrived close to the group, Charlie introduced her to Sidney. She had known Herb for decades — he was key in bringing Maddi and Charlie together to do this show.

Maddi was gracious towards Sidney after Herb explained who she was and why she was there. Thank god Sidney was also gracious, praising Maddi's music without mentioning how young she was when she first heard them. Not nice to remind older artists how much older they are!

After the pleasantries were done, Maddi turned to Charlie and asked if she could speak with him for a minute. They excused themselves and walked a short way away, while Herb and Sid turned their backs and walked a couple of steps in the other direction.

It turned out that the distance didn't help — the acoustics of the room bounced the sound of the voices right across to where Herb and Sid were standing.

First Maddi tried to kiss Charlie on the mouth. He turned slightly so she landed on his cheek, not his lips.

"Now, Maddi, stop that, you naughty girl," he said with a smile, pulling her in and hugging her close.

"Charlie, can't you come up with me to my suite? You know that I need you!"

"Maddi, you know that you are so desirable that you can have any man you want. But you also know that I do not get involved in relationships with my clients! Anyway, aren't you still married?"

Maddi made a face, "James. But we've been separated for six months!"

Charlie gave out a quiet laugh.

"And James was what? Number five?"

Maddi had a sly grin on her face.

"What can I say? I like being married. It's just that I'm also a lousy judge of men!"

"So what does that say about you trying to pick me up?"

They both laughed at that.

"Anyway, Maddi love, I have an appointment this afternoon with Herb and Sidney to see if I want to work with her and her band on a new album."

"Yeah, yeah. A new, pretty, young face and us old broads are abandoned like yesterday's news!"

The words sounded bitter, but she wasn't really that upset. She knew that Charlie was in great demand, and she had his services for most of the previous four months getting the music for her Las Vegas show ready. She knew he had to move on to other jobs.

They let go of their embrace and stepped away from each other.

"You will be here tonight, won't you?" she asked.

"You think I would miss your opening show? Come on!"

They gave each other a gentle kiss and went their separate ways.

When he got back to where Herb and Sid were standing.

"I'm sorry about that. Just her normal, pre-show jitters. Shall we go up to my suite and talk some business and music?" he asked.

As they ascended in the elevator, Sid noticed Charlie's very subtle odor. She didn't recognize it, but it was both manly but not overwhelming. It reminded her of walking along the beach. Maybe sandlewood?

The casino hotel had 20 floors, but the levels from 15 and higher required a key to access the elevator that serviced those rooms. And the key would only allow you to get off on your designated floor. They reached the 18th floor and the doors opened.

They exited into a hallway that bisected the building, but only had about eight doors on the entire floor. The rooms also weren't numbered, they were 'named' with golden looking plates that could be changed depending on the person staying in that room.

Charlie's room was the 'Maurice Ravel' room.

"One of the finest composers and arrangers in musical history," he explained as they entered the room.

Sid was taken aback. The room, actually a suite, was huge! There was a baby grand piano at one end of the open floor plan (in a place where the sun never shone, to keep it cool and from going out of tune, as Charlie explained.) There was a living room, a small dining room, a bar and kitchenette, as well as two bedrooms, each with a king-sized bed, closets and an in-suite bathroom, in addition to the powder room off of the shared living area.

She was amazed. When she was young, she and her family had never lived in a house as big as this hotel suite.