| He indicated that he thought Skitch was an 84 year-old youth. Herb, besides being an established name in the
advertising and broadcast business, is also a respected Cantor and, in this latter capacity, he intoned more than a few notes to musically salute Skitch.  Friars Kitty Carlisle Hart and Skitch Henderson An extremely capable violinist, Christina Sunnerstam, glided over the strings with an inspiring interpretation of "Intermezzo," the haunting melody from the movie of the same name that starred Leslie Howard and Ingrid Bergman. Michael Amante, an operatic tenor, reminiscent somewhat of Mario Lanza, parked his arias in the corridor and went on stage to deliver two pop favorites in English.  Friar George Shearing The word was used to introduce her but I know of no other semantic expression that tops "class" to describe Friar Kitty Carlisle Hart.
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She not only spoke glowingly of Skitch, but at age 90+ offered a couple of songs to give added variety and stature to the evening. Kitty scored with her rendition of Just One of Those Things and she followed it up with a spirited version of Here's to Life.  Skitch Henderson Jazz Quartet Friar Dick Capri, who can always be counted upon to supply laughs, did just that. He sprayed the room with clever one-liners and then surprised many people with his ability to perform pantomime. The personable Ann Hampton Callaway, singing and playing the piano, presented a quick tribute to Ella via a rousing interpreting of Mr. Paganini. Her finale was fetching and original. She proved she was an instant songwriter by taking word suggestions from the audience, setting them to music, and offering a song as a valentine to Skitch. His presence at any function is a joy to behold; and at this salute, he was magnificent. This is by way of mentioning Friar George Shearing, who was super generous in his outpouring at the keyboard. He gave new appeal to Misty. Then came bars for Out of Nowhere and his long time signature, Lullaby of Birdland. Naturally, there was encore time and George supplied that with a Kurt Weill melody, My Ship.  Friar Herb Strauss Every show needs a big finish. This nifty night had two. First, Lillias White sang Skylark with Skitch accompanying her at the 88s. Nobody in the room had heard it done better. For the finale, the coda, the musical exit, there was a Skitch Henderson Jazz Quartet with outstanding mallet tapping at the vibes from Peter Appleyard, and terrific skin beating, light and polite at times, by drummer Sherie Maricle. Jeff Carney plucked the bass as basses should be plucked and Mark Patterson made mellow trombone sounds.
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Skitch joined in with the foursome and everybody had a good timethe musicians and the people out front.  Friar Skitch Henderson shares dinner conversation with Friar George and Ellie Shearing An evening where everything worked just right. Buses were lined up to take the well entertained crowd back to the Clubhouse
This being accomplished, many of the unsatiated put in another half hour having coffee and cake.  Friar Dick Capri Skitch Henderson received due honors, deservedly. A truly memorable, fascinating guy, Skitch Henderson, whose visage at times appears to have fallen out of a painting by Van Dyke or Hals.
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