My Lunch with Clint Holmes

Yesterday I had lunch with Clint Holmes, the Harrah's headliner, at Green Valley Ranch. Holmes' show is closing in the fall and I am probably as sad about it as anyone in Las Vegas. Actually, his musicians are probably sadder than I am. There is a long-standing conflict between the Holmes' show musical director, Bill Fayne, and unions. But the odd result is that Holmes apparently pays far more than the union requires. Holmes never told me this, by the way. I learned it when I interviewed a union official while reporting a story on a conflict between the union and Wanye Newton's show.

The point is typical of the overwhelming respect Holmes accords his band, which is universally acknowledged to be the best on the Strip. And, there is no show as musically sophisticated and adventurous as Holmes'. His sweet, user-friendly personality obscures just how musically sophisticated and wonderful his show has become over the years as it has gravitated away from pop and into corners ranging from jazz to opera. Currently, PBS is running a special of Holmes show. It is airing in Las Vegas on Sunday night.

Anyway, back to our lunch. Holmes is not exactly going gently. He has been working on a Broadway musical with collaborator Larry Moss called "Breathe!" It has autobiographical elements and Holmes read me a little from it. The scene he chose was a jaw dropper from his time in the army. As a young man in 1967, Holmes recounts how he wound up in a military choir and was quickly given the honor of singing a solo in front of General Westmoreland. He was particularly proud because he was the only black man in the choir (Holmes' mom was a white British opera singer and his father an African American jazz player). Of course, the horrible reality turned out to be that he was singled out to sing a few racist lines for the general's amusement. I look forward to a reading with actors that Holmes invited me to witness in coming weeks. In the meantime, I would urge everyone coming to Las Vegas who loves music and wants to be entertained in the old Vegas sense to get to Holmes' show before it closes.

If you are staying in Los Angeles this weekend you can still see Holmes perform on Sunday alongside Jack Black and Ben Vereen in "Jesus Christ Superstar" for a charity event at the California Youth Theatre.

(Photo: Anacleto Rapping / LAT)