GB’s brilliance as a singer, composer and arranger is nearly unparalleled in contemporary music. He utilized every tool in the book, borrowing from classical, blues, rock, gospel, and spoken word genres to write timeless songs of mystery, humor, darkness, and victory. I was intrigued and enchanted from the start by songs like “Homburg” “Conquistador” and AWSOP to my first PH concert in 1968 and live orchestral and choir performances at the Hollywood Bowl and most recently the London Palladium. What moved me as powerfully as the works of Bach and Wagner were tunes like “In Held,” “Whaling Stories” and “A Salty Dog,” all resolving themselves from doubt, struggle, and fear to ultimate triumph. “The captain cried, we sailor’s wept/our tears were tears of joy!” Who couldn’t be moved by those words? I can’t help thinking the Commander slipped from this mortal world into the spiritual one to a cathartic chorus of trumpets and an angel choir singing “Shalimar” for a life well-lived and the promise of a more perfect world of harmony and perfection. Peace be with you, Gary. You have touched more lives than you could ever have imagined. Dennis