From a New Yorker profile of Alan Greenspan, by
John Cassidy -- 4/24 and 5/1/2000
"Music was another passion, which he
inherited from his mother. At family gatherings, Greenspan was a star
attraction. His unclewould give him a dime to sing the Depression song
'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'"
"When Greenspan finished high school,
he applied to Juilliard and spent two years there, studying the saxophone and
the clarinet. In 1944, at the end of his sophomore year, he dropped out
and decided to try to make some money by playing
professionally.
"It was the beginning of the
bebop era. Jazz orchestras, featuring virtuosos like Dizzy Gillespie, were
starting to emerge; and some of the old swing bands were forced to update
themselves. One such outfit was the Henry Jerome Band, which played
regularly at the Childs restaurant in the Paramount Theatre building, in Times
Square. The band's manager, who also played in its horn section, was a
young law student named Leonard Garment - the same Leonard Garment who went on
to become President Nixon's counsel during Watergate."
"Greenspan enjoyed the show-business life, but soon realized it wasn't a
viable career. 'I was a pretty good amateur musician, but I was average as
a professional'During his time in the band, Greenspan had started reading
books about business and finance and he found them fascinating. In 1945,
he quit and started taking classes at New York University's business
school"
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