Goro Natsuhara's Days / Episode 101: Let's Go with 'All the Things You Are' (2)

Meditations (Prestige)                          ELMO HOPE

Episode 101: Let's Go with 'All the Things You Are' (2)

“This might be a difficult one, you know.”
Natsuhara returned to the counter with a challenging look on his face. The piano played, rhythmically weaving the theme. It was delightful to watch the jazz lovers listening so intently. It was the first time he had hosted such an event, but for Natsuhara, it was an unexpected joy.
Even after the song ended, no one raised their hand. Natsuhara shouted in his heart, "Isn't it Elmo Hope?"
“No one?”
“Master, give us a hint.”
Hige-mura spoke up for everyone.
“Let's see. How about this: a pianist who was talented but rarely recognized, and who only received evaluations that were the polar opposite of Bud Powell's. Meditate on it slowly and think.”
“I got it. It's Elmo Hope, right?”
Mazi-mura answered.
“I kind of figured it out from the keyword 'meditate,' but I couldn't tell from the performance itself, so I can't give you a passing grade.”
It was a remark that showed his serious nature, just as his nickname 'Mazi-mura' (Serious-mura) suggested.
“That's just like Mazi-mura.”
When Sumi-chan said that, everyone laughed. Ushio, the happy-go-lucky lady, was laughing too. Her face seemed to say, "If only it were Enka." Natsuhara, who had been setting up the next record, returned.
“It's 'Meditations,' after all. You got it right, so that's fine. Alright, moving on.”

Following a light piano intro, a crisp, rough, and thick-toned tenor sax groaned. Masaki nodded silently. When it finished, Hige-mura and Masaki raised their hands almost simultaneously, but Natsuhara pointed to Masaki.
“That's Booker Ervin, from 'The Song Book', right?”
“Yes, Booker Ervin is correct.”
Hige-mura looked frustrated. It was a record that the owner of a certain jazz cafe used to play often back when Masaki used to frequent jazz cafes. Natsuhara had heard that story, and just now, he remembered it.
“Alright, let's keep going.”
A rhythmic alto sax played the theme. Then the piano took over, accelerating the flow.
“Isn't it Lee Konitz?”
As soon as it ended, Bike-mura raised his hand and said.
“You missed it again, Hige-mura. Anyone else?”
Natsuhara looked around with a wry smile, but no one else did.
“Then, give us a hint, Master.”
“Close your eyes and think about it carefully.”
“Ah, Tristano. Lennie Tristano. Closing your eyes leads to the image of blindness, right?”
It was Mazi-mura again. Natsuhara was surprised by Mazi-mura's associative power.
“It's the 'genius Tristano,' Lennie Tristano. You're right that it was Lee Konitz playing the alto. Konitz is Tristano's beloved disciple.”
“It's Mazi-mura's one-man show, this turn of events.”
When Hige-mura said that, Mazi-mura made a complicated face.
“Now, who will guess this one?”
Natsuhara said suggestively.
A piano playing the role of the opener played the intro, followed by an alto sax overflowing with youthful breath singing the theme. Despite the not-so-great sound quality, it was a very pleasant-sounding 'All the Things You Are'.
An unexpected person raised her hand. It was Ushio, the happy-go-lucky lady.
“Um, Art Pepper?”
“Correct.”
Everyone looked at Ushio in surprise. The person they thought was just participating had guessed it.
“It was half a guess. Actually, my friends are mostly into Enka, but I have one jazz-savvy friend, and when I told them I was coming to this, they said they'd give me a jazz crash course. So, I listened to various jazz records at their house. They told me to listen carefully and remember Art Pepper and Bill Evans, as they might come up. I got it right, but well, it was a fluke.”
Everyone smiled and applauded in unison.
“It must be Art Pepper from the Xanadu album 'The Early Show'. So, the crash course paid off.”
Natsuhara said while showing the jacket to everyone. At that, Ushio blushed slightly, despite her age.
“Hige-mura, you're done for. An unexpected dark horse has appeared. Don't let Ushio-san beat you. Alright, next.”

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