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Margaret
("Maggie") Case Harriman, daughter of the Algonquin's
owner Frank Case, gave Richard Rodgers a Liberty Music Shop
recording of Cy playing Rodgers' music. Having never
heard Cy's playing or arrangements, Rodgers penned a 6 May 1940
letter to Maggie in thanks, stating,
Dear Maggie,
Who are these Cy and Walter fellows? For
you're certainly not going to stand there and tell me that
one man plays all that piano. I resent the whole experience,
anyway. Here I've been yelling with pain at the way
the 'stylists' kick hell out of the original harmonies and
you have to send me a record that stinks with style and still
manages to leave all the harmonies intact. Further,
I have never heard better taste. Why don't you leave
a man and his hates alone?
Many thanks, Maggie. My love
to you and a deep, grateful bow to Messrs. Cy and Walter.
Dick.
So began a lifelong friendship and partnership between
Cy Walter and Richard Rodgers, with Cy publishing numerous
arrangements of Rodgers' songs, and releasing an LP of those
arrangements entitled "Rodgers Revisited".
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