was a good pianist, but he worked at a corporation, doing another kind of work. my mother was very musical, she sang. and i took piano lessons, because my mom wanted me to take piano lessons. i lived in a little levitt house on a quarter acre, and we had an old lester upright piano, which was not a very good piano and i was taking lessons. to what end? i didn t know. when you look at it now, do you think people have a gene for music and musical talent? because your father was a great pianist. your half-brother is a great conductor. he s an opera conductor. your daughter now is an accomplished performer. alexa, yes. or was it the hard work of all those years at the piano, and then later with the bands? i think it s a combination of the two. i think there must be something genetic, which is inherent to be musical. you don t just pick up a guitar and stoke a bang, and then