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Letter from Alex Hassan

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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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