“Un Euro? An Evening at the Rome Jazz Festival” — a true jazz story, by Dan Morey

July 29th, 2020

 

 

.

.

 

 

The author’s mother at Rome’s Piazza Barberini

.

.

 

Un Euro?

By

Dan Morey

 

.

…..Mother and I took the metro to the Piazza del Popolo, then boarded a northbound tram for the Parco della Musica, where the Rome Jazz Festival was being held.

…..We arrived early, and went into the bar. It was hip and colorful with mod plastic chairs and a smattering of foodstuffs under a glass counter. We picked out two panini and asked for them calde, or hot. The bartender put the sandwiches in a griddler for a couple minutes, then placed them, steaming, on plates. Mother found a table, and I handed the man a twenty-euro bill.

…..“Un euro?” he said.

…..I thought he was asking to keep a euro tip, so I replied, “Si.”  He didn’t move. “Si,” I said again. Still he waited, his hand hovering over the till.

…..“Un euro?” he repeated.

…..“Si,” I said.

…..This went on for an embarrassingly long time, until he finally put the bill in the register and gave me my change. From that change I deposited a euro into the tip jar. He responded with a look that implied he’d rather put a handful of cat droppings in his pocket than my coin. It was only after I’d finished half my sandwich that I realized he’d been asking me for a euro to make the change an even ten-euro bill.

…..As an American, I found this behavior to be highly abnormal. I’m used to bartenders intentionally overloading me with dollar bills in hopes of getting a few of them back in tips. In Rome, cashiers abhor the very notion of uneven or exorbitant change and will gladly forego personal profit in favor of soothing their mathematical neurosis.

…..As the café at the Parco della Musica was my first Roman change incident, I foolishly imagined that I had somehow enlightened the bartender—that my euro tip had started a mental chain reaction that would end in a light-bulb moment: “Ah!” he’d think. “So this is why I never get any tips—I don’t give them any small change!”

…..Thanks to me, this humble panini-slinger’s yearly income would increase by fifteen percent. I was quickly disillusioned, however, when we passed by the counter on the way to the auditorium. A woman was standing there, digging in her purse, and I distinctly heard the bartender say, “Un euro?”

…..I’d been told that jazz was still big in Europe, and it’s true. The show sold out (on a Thursday night) and the seats were full of young people. The last American jazz festival I’d attended was the “Sweet and Hot” in Los Angeles. Besides the hired swing dancers, I was the only one under sixty in attendance. Between performances, I hung out in the lounge at the airport Marriott and chatted with single ladies over Manhattans and Sidecars.

…..“These bands are okay,” one of them confided to me. “But I miss Paul Whiteman.”

…..In Rome, I witnessed an apparently normal eighteen-year-old girl stand up and whistle at an alto-saxophonist.

…..Francesco Cafiso, the Sicilian saxophone phenom, blew through stellar renditions of “Mack the Knife” and “Autumn Leaves.”  By the time he got around to “What is This Thing Called Love,” I was smitten with the entire continent. When the concert was over, I drifted, insensibly, into the street with Mother in tow.

…..“Hey,” she said. “Nobody’s at the tram stop.”

…..I ambled along, humming “Perdido” under the Roman moon. She asked me where I thought I was going.

…..“Tram,” I said.

…..“I told you, there’s no one there.”

…..I went over and read the schedule.

…..“Well?” said Mother.

…..“Apparently, the last tram is at nine o’ clock.”

…..“It’s eleven-thirty!”

…..“Yes.”

…..“Well, what do we do?”

…..My jazz-jarred brain attempted to formulate a solution, but all it could come up with was “Perdido. Perdido, perdido, perdido.”

…..“What about the bus?” said Mother.

…..Before we reached the stop, a bus pulled up, sucked in all the people, and barreled away.

…..“Whoops,” I said.

…..“Whoops?” said Mother. “Whoops? Didn’t you plan this out? Didn’t you know the trams would stop running?”

…..“There’s no reason to get excited. We’ll just catch the next bus. I think they run until midnight.”

…..“You think they run until midnight? You think?”

…..“Stop saying everything twice. It isn’t helping.”

…..Mother paced around while I squinted at the timetable.

…..“I’m asking this lady,” she said, striding towards a defenseless woman unlocking her car.

…..“Excuse me,” said Mother. “We need to get back to the Piazza del Popolo. Will this bus take us there?”

…..“I don’t think so,” said the woman, in perfect English. “But I can check.”

…..She came over and stared at the schedule with me.

…..“Hello,” I said.

…..“Hello.”

…..“We missed the tram.”

…..“Yes.”

…..After a period of intense scrutiny, the woman put her finger on a route number and said, “Take this bus four stops.”  She moved her finger. “And then transfer to this one. It will drop you at the Piazza del Popolo.”

…..“Thank you,” said mother.

…..“Sure,” said the woman, smiling. “Ciao.”

…..Before we could board the bus, I had to walk over to a tobacco shop and buy tickets. I told the cashier what I wanted and gave him a ten euro note.

…..He looked at me with eyes full of hope and said, “Un euro?”

.

.

___

.

.

Dan Morey is a freelance writer in Pennsylvania. He’s worked as a book critic, nightlife columnist, travel correspondent and outdoor journalist. His writing has appeared in Hobart, Harpur Palate, McSweeney’s Quarterly, decomP and elsewhere, .and he’s been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Find him at .danmorey.weebly.com.     

.

.

Listen to Enrico Rava and Paolo Fresu play “Doodlin'” from the 1999 album Shades of Chet

.

.

.

 

Share this:

Comment on this article:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A Letter From the Publisher

An appeal for contributions to support the ongoing publishing efforts of Jerry Jazz Musician

In This Issue

The Modern Jazz Quintet by Everett Spruill
A Collection of Jazz Poetry — Summer, 2023 Edition

A wide range of topics are found in this collection. Tributes are paid to Tony Bennett and Ahmad Jamal and to the abstract worlds of musicians like Ornette Coleman and Pharoah Sanders; the complex lives of Chet Baker and Nina Simone are considered; devotions to Ellington and Basie are revealed; and personal solace is found in the music of Tommy Flanagan and Quartet West. These are poems of peace, reflection, time, venue and humor – all with jazz at their core. (Featuring the art of Everett Spruill)

The Sunday Poem

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
“Fledging” by John L. Stanizzi

Interview

photo courtesy of Henry Threadgill
Interview with Brent Hayes Edwards, co-author (with Henry Threadgill) of Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music...The author discusses his work co-written with Threadgill, the composer and multi-instrumentalist widely recognized as one of the most original and innovative voices in contemporary music, and the winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Poetry

painting by Henry Denander
A collection of jazz haiku...This collection, featuring 22 poets, is an example of how much love, humor, sentimentality, reverence, joy and sorrow poets can fit into their haiku devoted to jazz.

In Memoriam

Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
A thought or two about Tony Bennett

Podcast

"BG Boogie’s musical tour of indictment season"...The podcaster “BG Boogie” has weaponized the most recent drama facing The Former Guy, creating a 30 minute playlist “with all the latest up-to-date-est musical indictments of political ineptitude.”

Interview

Chick Webb/photographer unknown
Interview with Stephanie Stein Crease, author of Rhythm Man: Chick Webb and the Beat That Changed America...The author talks about her book and Chick Webb, once at the center of America’s popular music, and among the most influential musicians in jazz history.

Community

FOTO:FORTEPAN / Kölcsey Ferenc Dunakeszi Városi Könyvtár / Petanovics fényképek, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
.“Community Bookshelf, #1"...a twice-yearly space where writers who have been published on Jerry Jazz Musician can share news about their recently authored books. This edition includes information about books published within the last six months or so…

Short Fiction

photo vi Wallpaper Flare
Short Fiction Contest-winning story #63 — “Company” by Anastasia Jill...Twenty-year-old Priscilla Habel lives with her wannabe flapper mother who remains stuck in the jazz age 40 years later. Life is monotonous and sad until Cil meets Willie Flasterstain, a beatnik lesbian who offers an escape from her mother's ever-imposing shadow.

Poetry

Trading Fours, with Douglas Cole, No. 16: “Little Waltz” and “Summertime”...Trading Fours with Douglas Cole is an occasional series of the writer’s poetic interpretations of jazz recordings and film. In this edition, he connects the recordings of Jessica Williams' "Little Waltz" and Gene Harris' "Summertime."

Playlist

photo by Bob Hecht
This 28-song Spotify playlist, curated by Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht, features great tunes performed by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Lester Young, Stan Getz, and…well, you get the idea.

Poetry

photo of Wolfman Jack via Wikimedia Commons
“Wolfman and The Righteous Brothers” – a poem by John Briscoe

Jazz History Quiz #167

GuardianH, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before becoming one of television’s biggest stars, he was a competent ragtime and jazz piano player greatly influenced by Scott Joplin (pictured), and employed a band of New Orleans musicians similar to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band to play during his vaudeville revue. Who was he?

Short Fiction

photo via PIXNIO/CC0
“The Sound Barrier” – a short story by Bex Hansen

Short Fiction

back cover of Diana Krall's album "The Girl in the Other Room" [Verve]
“Improvised: A life in 7ths, 9ths and Suspended 4ths” – a short story by Vikki C.

Interview

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
Long regarded as jazz music’s most eminent baritone saxophonist, Gerry Mulligan was a central figure in “cool” jazz whose contributions to it also included his important work as a composer and arranger. Noted jazz scholar Alyn Shipton, author of The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets, and Jerry Jazz Musician contributing writer Bob Hecht discuss Mulligan’s unique contributions to modern jazz.

Photography

photo by Giovanni Piesco
Giovanni Piesco’s photographs of Tristan Honsinger

Poetry

Maurice Mickle considers jazz venues, in two poems

In Memoriam

David Becker, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“Tony Bennett, In Memoriam” – a poem by Erren Kelly

Poetry

IISG, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ella Fitzgerald, in poems by Claire Andreani and Michael L. Newell

Book Excerpt

“Chick” Webb was one of the first virtuoso drummers in jazz and an innovative bandleader dubbed the “Savoy King,” who reigned at Harlem’s world-famous Savoy Ballroom. Stephanie Stein Crease is the first to fully tell Webb’s story in her biography, Rhythm Man: Chick Webb and the Beat that Changed America…The book’s entire introduction is excerpted here.

Feature

Hans Christian Hagedorn, professor for German and Comparative Literature at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real (Spain) reveals the remarkable presence of Miguel de Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote in the history of jazz.

Short Fiction

Dmitry Rozhkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
“A Skull on the Moscow Leningrad Sleeper” – a short story by Robert Kibble...A story revolving around a jazz record which means so much to a couple that they risk being discovered while attempting to escape the Soviet Union

Book Excerpt

Book excerpt from Easily Slip Into Another World: A Life in Music, by Henry Threadgill and Brent Hayes Edwards

Short Fiction

photo via Appletreeauction.com
“Streamline Moderne” – a short story by Amadea Tanner

Publisher’s Notes

“C’est Si Bon” – at trip's end, a D-Day experience, and an abundance of gratitude

Poetry

photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress
A Charlie Parker Poetry Collection...Nine poets, nine poems on the leading figure in the development of bebop…

Contributing Writers

Click the image to view the writers, poets and artists whose work has been published on Jerry Jazz Musician, and find links to their work

Interview

Photo of Stanley Crouch by Michael Jackson
Interview with Glenn Mott, editor of Victory is Assured: The Uncollected Writings of Stanley Crouch (photo of Stanley Crouch by Michael Jackson)

Interview

photo of Sonny Rollins by Brian McMillen
Interview with Aidan Levy, author of Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins...The author discusses his book about the iconic tenor saxophonist who is one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time – a lasting link to the golden age of jazz

Art

Designed for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance: “Outtakes” — Vol. 2...In this edition, the authors Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder share examples of Cha Cha Cha record album covers that didn't make the final cut in their book

Pressed for All Time

“Pressed For All Time,” Vol. 17 — producer Joel Dorn on Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s 1967 album, The Inflated Tear

Photography

© Veryl Oakland
John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana are featured in this edition of photographs and stories from Veryl Oakland’s book, Jazz in Available Light

Coming Soon

An interview with Judith Tick, author of Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song; A new collection of jazz poetry; a new Jazz History Quiz; short fiction; poetry; photography; interviews; playlists; and lots more in the works...

Interview Archive

Eubie Blake
Click to view the complete 22 year archive of Jerry Jazz Musician interviews, including those recently published with Richard Carlin and Ken Bloom on Eubie Blake (pictured); Richard Brent Turner on jazz and Islam; Alyn Shipton on the art of jazz; Shawn Levy on the original queens of standup comedy; Travis Atria on the expatriate trumpeter Arthur Briggs; Kitt Shapiro on her life with her mother, Eartha Kitt; Will Friedwald on Nat King Cole; Wayne Enstice on the drummer Dottie Dodgion; the drummer Joe La Barbera on Bill Evans; Philip Clark on Dave Brubeck; Nicholas Buccola on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley; Ricky Riccardi on Louis Armstrong; Dan Morgenstern and Christian Sands on Erroll Garner; Maria Golia on Ornette Coleman.

Site Archive