JW: The arrangements for the new album were finished, but we didn’t have a pianist for the upcoming recording session. How did you connect with him? Are there OC-based musicians you’ve worked with in the past? Most of us SoCal-based jazz fans bow at the feet of Tamir Hendlemann. He grabbed on tight, and now the dream we had as kids has come true. When I finally took to the stage, after years in other careers, I held out my hand to my brother. But we never lost our deep and abiding desire to perform. Bill and I both imagined we’d have a life in musical theater, but I got married young and had two children, and Bill was expected to go into the family business. We loved listening to his stories about working with Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and all the old “song and dance” stars. Our grandmother had been a professional pianist, and our grandfather was first violin in the MGM Studio Orchestra during the golden age of movie musicals. JW: Bill and I were raised in a musical environment. It sounds like your brother Bill Grubman followed a similar, that is, non-linear path to cabaret performance. How would they know the lyrics or the dance routine when the orchestra appeared? My big concern centered on my fellow classmates. I knew the lyrics to a hundred songs, and I knew dance steps. So, by 3 rd or 4 th Grade, I was ready and waiting for the orchestra to appear on the playground or in my classroom. It all seemed so normal to me, I thought that would happen in real life. JW: When I was in grammar school, I watched an endless number of old Hollywood musicals on TV, where orchestras materialized out of thin air and people would start to sing and dance. How did you relate with your classmates in those early years? Were you quoting Cole Porter when your schoolmates quoted from the top 40? I read about your music and dance immersion at a young age. I always love what I’m doing, so it never really feels like work. This personality trait combined with my nature to be a goal-oriented workaholic–and I mean that in a good way–made it possible for me to have a variety of careers. I’ve always enjoyed change and adventure. JW: Thank you for the “multi-hyphen” moniker. Stage Right Secrets calls you a multi-hyphen talent. Judy Whitmore was kind enough to answer some questions I submitted to her via email: Accompanying them will be a 15-piece band conducted by John Sawaski, a composer-keyboardist who has appeared just about everywhere. Judy Whitmore and her brother Bill Grubman will be performing selections from The Great American Songbook at The Samueli Theater on October 15.
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