And All That Jazz....

Last night I went to see a massage therapist. I've been to her before but not very often.

Her massage room is an extra room away from the house. You walk under the carport and back to a separate room there. Last night, as I passed her side door off the carport on my way to the massage room I noticed three airplanes hanging on the wall by the door. Well that got my attention. So I asked her, "Who flies?"

:)

Her husband did.

I had never met her husband before, but I got to last night. And what a wonderful treat that was! His name is Charles and he's 75 years old. He flew in the Navy and also was a Navy photographer. He had to photograph things like airplane crashes, etc.

They invited me into the house where they have several large model airplanes and RCs hanging from the ceiling. Wow! My kind of house!

Charles has also flown since leaving the Navy, including flying some of the old WWII planes in airshows. He's flown at Ellington too. But he voluntarily grounded himself a couple of years ago when one day after take-off he just didn't feel right. Last month he had a stroke.

But, you'd never know it. The man is sharp as a tack, and, there's more interesting stuff about him. While in the Navy he had his own Big Band jazz band, The Top Hats. He played clarinet. So last night I also got a private concert (after my massage), as Charles is gearing up for a performance in about a week at the historic Cactus hotel in San Angelo, the fourth hotel built by Conrad Hilton.

Charles played his clarinet solos for me on "Misty" and "Blues in the Night", along with an outstanding recording of a full band to back him up. When he plays next week it'll be with a live band.

This was such a treat, as he has so much in common with my dad, who would have celebrated his 83rd birthday just two days before. Dad also had a band and played clarinet, was a photographer in the Navy, and flew.

After our private concert I got to look through his scrapbook and photo album and some really cool pictures, some that were more than 50 years old. He told me several fascinating stories about flying. He's even designed airplanes and buildings and is now re-building an old WWII Jeep.

Just two years ago Charles wrote and produced for stage performance, a remake of a radio show from May 8, 1943, the day the war ended, when Hitler, in Africa, admitted defeat. I didn't get to see the production, but it played to a sell-out crowd, standing room only. He even included the old singing commercials of the time. My dad would have loved it.

I'm trying to convince him to do that production again. I'd love to see it.

What a treat last evening was.