Jazz Man

I have discovered that although I prefer urban living, I most enjoy small town visiting. While on long rides my habit is to find a little town - the more beat up the better - get a room, unload the bike and then wander the streets. I get off the main drag and try to make contact with local folks and my ventures never go unrewarded in some way.

I was in Ely, Nevada - a cool little town though pretty beat up - and after getting settled at the Hotel Nevada ($40 a night for a great room in what back in the day was at four stories the tallest building in Nevada) I set off a-wandering.

Like so many small towns in America, there was a lot of sadness in this place. It had been a boom town with a couple of mines in the late 19th and early 20th century (hence the Hotel Nevada) but those days were long gone. The little cracker-box houses which had no doubt seemed palatial to mine workers a hundred years ago are now pretty decrepit. But even with run-down buildings and for sale signs, there are a good number of folk who call this town home and have happy lives. I got to become acquainted with a couple of them.

As I wandered off the beaten path I suddenly heard some pretty good jazz licks. SoI headed towards the location of the music and saw a fellow clad in only his pajama bottoms, smoking a cigarette and leaning up against a car, just listening. I figured "when in Rome" so headed over to say howdy. We got to chatting and I learned the author of the music was a jazz musician who was re-habbing the place across the street and every now and then he would just stop the construction work and pick up his trumpet. Whenever the Jammy Man heard the Jazz Man he would step outside and just listen.

After a bit Jammy Man asked me if I would like a beer (to which I responded in the affirmative - wouldn't want to be rude!) and we leaned up against his car and drank just like at any good jazz club. The weather was beautiful, the company was interesting (although it did take me awhile to get over my companion's attire), the jazz was great, and it was all for free.

So find those little towns, turn off the electronics and wander off the main drag ... like the man said, there are a million stories in the city (even little cities) and even if I can't collect all of them, I'm going to get a lot of them!