Bud Rubin grew up in a middle-class house in Brownsville, PA in the 1930s and 40s, attended Brownsville High, won a state-wide soloist competition in his teens and performed on Pittsburgh radio. He was also the 1946 Brownsville High valedictorian. He also ran track and set a Pittsburgh area record in the 400, which remained unsurpassed for many years.

He was a multi-talented prodigy and neurologically cross-dominant. Writing with his right hand and batting left, he always had music playing and spoke out loud when he wrote.

The only obstacle was his extreme humility.

That prevented him from claiming the musical stardom that everyone told him he should own.

After graduating from Yale Law School in 1953, my maternal grandfather, PA Attorney General Herbert Cohen, hired my father as a Deputy AG when Dad was only 27.

My Dad instantly became a legal and political leader in his 20s. The Harrisburg Press and Capitol Hill called Bud Rubin the "Boy Wonder."

He worked seven days a week purely because he loved it, not because he had to. At night, after work, he played his clarinet — never tiring — and, as people at his law office always said to me:

"Your father never ages!"

Briefly, incredibly — after his long work day, he would drive to Baltimore once a week, where Ignatius "Iggy" Gennusa, first clarinetist of the Baltimore Symphony, was his coach.

However, one night he returned home and announced that Iggy had resigned from coaching him, telling my father "I have nothing more to coach you on. You have better tone than a number of recorded professionals. You should go perform."

And I cheered him on!

But my father — while he was flattered by what Iggy said — was overly self-effacing about his own unusual, multiple talents and quietly said "no."

He did peform with Iggy in Baltimore. They gave a chamber music performance. He also played with the York Symphony when their first clarinetist was not around.

Also, my Dad was not a stodgy classical music person — not at all!

He listened to everyone from Brahms and Poulenc to Dizzy Gillespie and the Talking Heads.

He wanted me to fulfill his music career for him — as a pianist — I inherited his talent — but I could not stand playing any type of music by anyone — and as I am first and foremost a dancer, I disliked sitting on a piano bench for more than 5 minutes.

It would be amazing if he were still alive to record this music with me — as my own Dad is the only clarinetist talented and sensitive enough to play this duet when completed.