my pal jerry wexler passed this week.

i am lucky to be able to call him my pal. 

he went loudly- which is exactly how he was. jerry went out like a lion.

jerry and i got together again last year when i discovered "amazing grace" footage. 

the story goes like this- me, unable to sleep because of impending fatherhood- went to youtube to see if there was any footage of "amazing grace"- the landmark aretha record that jerry produced with aretha, arif and tom dowd in 1972.

so there it was... right there on youtube... the title track.

and i am watching.

and there's a second camera angle.

and a third.

and a fourth...

and so when i wake up the next morning, i call jerry (i met jerry when i used to work as a staff producer at atlantic in the early 90's)... as always, he picked up and we started in.

me: "boss, why didn't you tell me you filmed 'amazing grace?'"

jerry: "ah... we got warners to give us some money- they had had a hit with 'woodstock' so i figured we should film it. we got this director... i can't remember... sydney... sydney somebody..."

me: "sydney (gulp) pollack?"

jerry: "yea, that was it."

me: "jerry, you are saying that there is a film of 'amazing grace' that was directed by sydney pollack?"

jerry: "yea. i never saw it. i don't know whatever happened to it. you're the don quixote type... why don't you go find out. maybe we can get it finished."

and with that...

we were on our way.

later that day, i called my now partner herb jordan- a smart guy who knows his music... and knows business and invited him to come on the adventure...

and later that day i called alan bergman to ask him to introduce me to sydney pollack (sydney was not yet sick with the cancer that ultimately would take his life a few months later).

soon thereafter, sydney and i spoke:

me: "jerry wexler tells me that you filmed 'amazing grace.' um... whatever happened?"

sydney: "honestly, i don't know. i always wanted to finish it... it always seemed to have an issue that we couldn't overcome- i tried to get it going a few times after we filmed it- i think the last time was in like 1986... hold on (sydney yells at someone to find out if they have any records/footage)... sheesh, i dunno. it was a beautiful piece. there was always something with the rights i think."

sensing an opportunity... i don quixote'd myself into the equation...

me: "if i were to be able to do all the detective work, could i produce it?"

sydney: "sure."

it was that easy.

i then reached out to doug frank, warners' films music macher. he got me in touch with kurt galvao, warners' head of post production- and the guy who actually has to find the film... if it existed. kurt found the film... in the warner vaults at norad.

not kidding.

later that week ari emanuel and i went to the lakers game with steve spira, warners' legal big man in the low post. steve is the man you want down on the low block- because it's not personal. it's business. and he understands that if you have a passion... maybe you will make the company some money and make yourself some too... and that's not bad as far as steve is concerned.

so ari went to warners and they got a deal done for us to buy the film... and we were off.

the point of this whole story today... was to write about jerry and how i got to spend some wonderful time with him in trying to get the film made.

at a certain point early in our conversations, i started taping the calls (jerry was cool with it)... because as we made the movie... i hope we can find a place in the dvd extras or whathaveyous that i can share with everyone how absolutely IN LOVE with the music jerry was- how proud he was to have been helpful (and to a great deal, responsible) to make this project.

we got to go through a lot of stuff in our time together. he got to have a last conversation with aretha and tell me about it- there relationship is one of the great love affairs in music history- an unspoken sympatico that was not ebbed by time and distance.

and in the end, jerrys last project was with me... and i feel honored to get to spend the time with my producer... jerry wexler (he deserves a single card).

and whenever i'd ask jerry about something... aretha, ray, donny... he'd cut right to the heart of what made it for him:

"oh did we have fun."

i know i did.