The Asagaya Jazz Festival(and other matters)

My wife, Chiaki, and I both like jazz. Or rather we both like SOME jazz, but not necessarily the SAME jazz, She's a big bossa fan, so she likes Cuban jazz. I'm a blues fan so love anything that's blues - based. We both love Miles Davis, but in fact what we really love is 'Kinda Blue' Miles. You get the picture?

Anyway.... Last Thursday Chiaki told me there was a Jazz Festival in Takadanobaba (walking distance from here) on Saturday and Sunday. Would I like to go? 'Sure' I said.
Saturday was quite busy. I had to meet two new students (Saori and Yohei) as well as doing some regular teaching. Chiaki had her usual Saturday morning cleaning blitz, followed by a stressful visit to the hairdresser's. By 6.00, I had 2 FANTASTIC new students, (I have to say that, because Yohei reads my blogs) the flat was again spotless and Chiaki's hair looked great, but we were both a bit tired. A quick beer at the Thai restaurant, then off to Baba for a yakitori and some jazz. On the way, Chiaki revealed that the festival wasn't actually IN Baba but 2 stops away on the Chuo line. Eventually we ended up in a whisky bar,exhausted, and decided to go to the festival the next day.

However,on Sunday, first we had to PUT THE IKEA TABLE TOGETHER. We started, happily, at around 12.00 and when the fourth leg finally agreed to become part of the table, and we'd managed( with the help of about 25 friendly neighbours) to lift the table into an upright position, realising in the process that, without moving most of the existing furniture into the garden, we didn't have enough room for the table, it was about 4.00, and we hadn't eaten anything!!!! Exhausted, (again) we managed to crawl to 'Freshnessburger' and then, finally, decided to hear some jazz. 'Actually' Chiaki said 'It's in Asagaya, it's four stops from Baba.' Only 10minutes. It was. But it wasn't.

After about an hour we got there. We walked around Asagaya for about two hours (it seemed to me) asking people with increasing desperation "Where's the Jazz Festival'? There were posters everywhere but not one note of music to be heard. Finally, a conversation in which the word 'kino' kept cropping up. 'Kino'?? Kino' ??????. Yes, folks 'yesterday' The ONE DAY Asagaya Jazz Festival had finished on Saturday, at midnight.

As we trudged home, in a silence punctured only by the occasional 'gomen nasai' from my wife. I vowed to cheer myself up by buying something jazzy from I-Tunes. And I did! 'Striking it Rich' by Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks. Just recently re-released. A wonderful semi-acoustic mixture of jazz, blues, and country with some superb guitar, violin and double bass. And some very funny lyrics. Dan must be in his sixties now, but I saw him live a couple of years ago, and he was brilliant. Probably better than anyone at the Asagaya Jazz Festival. I hope so.

By the way, Chiaki and I are now talking again, and the table looks good. And if you look on I-Tunes, you can see a small, but perfectly formed, review of 'Striking it Rich' by Steve-chan!