"For me to lose my parents at a young age, it was one the biggest challenges I've had to face in my life, " he said.

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The way I viewed school, even at a young age, was that its importance in my life was for social interaction and athletics.

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Mr. RIZZO: OK. When I started coming up as a young jazz pianist in the '50s--and I'm giving my age away here--Bill Evans was the only guy on the scene who did not play in the tradition of the prevailing trend, which was hard bob gospel weird stuff.

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"Seriously, I hope that you're not disappointed that there won't be a big coming-out speech tonight because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age, very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family, co-workers and then gradually, proudly to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met, " she continued.

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