Carl Anderson: “Let the Music Play!”

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Today is the 75th anniversary of the birth of the late, great American singer and actor Carl Anderson (1945-2004), whom I've been honoring throughout February – the month of both his birth and death.

This honoring concludes today with beauty and wisdom from Carl himself in the form of a quote and a song, connected thematically by music. Enjoy!

I am still thinking that music is the means by which God speaks on the level of our humanity. We should all sit down and listen to some real music! Let it play! Let the music play! Let the music play – and loudly! And may peace reassert itself in our world. Love, Light, Power and Music!

– Carl Anderson
April 27, 1999

How do you keep the music playing?
How do you make it last?
How do you keep the song from fading too fast?

How do you lose yourself to someone
And never lose your way?
How do you not run out of new things to say?

And since we know we're always changing
How can it be the same?
And tell me how year after year
You're sure your heart won't fall apart
Each time you hear his name?

I know the way I feel for you is now or never
The more I love, the more that I'm afraid
That in your eyes I may not see forever, forever

If we can be the best of lovers
Yet be the best of friends
If we can try with every day to make it better as it grows
With any luck than I suppose
The music never ends

– “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” (1982)
by Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman

NOTE: Carl's version of “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” is from his 1997 album Why We Are Here! Live, released under the Abu Khalil label, Carl's own production company named after his son. The album was recorded at the Agape International Spiritual Center, of which Carl was a member. It was produced by John Potoker, Freddie Ravel, and Carl.

Freddie Ravel: Musical Director, Piano, Synthesizers and Vocals
Michael Paulo: Alto and Tenor Sax, Flute
Alphonso Johnson: Bass and Vocals
Bernie Dresel: Drums
Fred Schleuders: Guitar
Leslie Smith: Percussion and Vocals
Anjani: Keyboards, Percussion and Vocals

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For previous installments in The Wild Reed's February 2020 Celebration of Carl Anderson, see:
• Carl Anderson: On and On
• Carl Anderson and The Black Pearl
• Carl Anderson in The Color Purple

The Wild Reed's February 2019 Celebration of Carl Anderson:
• Remembering and Celebrating Carl Anderson
• Carl Anderson: “Pure Quality”
• Carl Anderson's Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar: “The Gold Standard”
• Carl Anderson's Judas: “A Two-Dimensional Popular Villain Turned Into a Complex Human Being”
• Carl Anderson: “Artist and Vocalist Extraordinaire”
• Playbill Remembers Carl
• Remembering the Life of Carl Anderson: “There Was So Much Love”

For more of Carl at The Wild Reed, see:
• Carl Anderson: “Like a Song in the Night”
• Carl Anderson: “One of the Most Enjoyable Male Vocalists of His Era”
• With Love Inside
• Carl Anderson
• Acts of Love . . . Carl's and Mine
• Introducing . . . the Carl Anderson Appreciation Group
• Forbidden Lover
• Revisiting a Groovy Jesus (and a Dysfunctional Theology)

Related Off-site Links:
A Profile of Carl Anderson – Part I: A Broadway Legend with Lynchburg Roots – Holly Phelps (LynchburgMuseum.org, May 12, 2015)
A Profile of Carl Anderson – Part II: The Legend Lives On – Holly Phelps (LynchburgMuseum.org,June 10, 2015)
Carl Anderson – Jazz Legend: The Official Website
Carl Anderson Memorial Page
Carl Anderson at AllMusic.com – Ron Wynn (AllMusic.com)
Carl Anderson Biography – Chris Rizik (Soul Tracks).

Opening and closing images: Screen-caps of a rare video of Carl performing in 2002 at his friend Willy's place in New Orleans. Carl was performing for his fellow Jesus Christ Superstar cast members on what would be his last tour with the musical that first established him in 1973 as a vocalist and actor of international renown.