Chance Traveler文档格式.docx
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Chance Traveler文档格式.docx
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shappenedtohim.ThetopicIbringupislikesomuchwaterflowingdownthewrongchannelandbeingsuckedupinanamelessstretchofsand.Noonesaysanythingforawhile,theninvariablysomeonechangesthesubject.
AtfirstIthoughtIwastellingthestorywrong,soonetimeItriedwritingitdownasanessay.IfiguredifIdidthatmaybepeoplewouldtakeitmoreseriously.ButnooneseemedtobelievewhatI'
dwritten."
you'
vemadeitallup,right?
Idon'
tknowhowmanytimesI'
veheardthat.SinceI'
manovelistpeopleassumethatanythingIsayorwritemusthaveatouchofmake-believe.Granted,myfictioncontainsmorethanitsshareofinvention,butwhenI'
mnotwritingfictionIdon'
tgooutofmywaytomakeupmeaninglessstories.
Asakindofprefacetoatale,then,I'
dliketobrieflyrelatesomestrangeexperiencesI'
vehad.I'
llsticktothetrifling,insignificantones.IfIstartedinonthelife-changingexperiences,I'
duseupmostofmyallocatedspace.
*
From1993to1995IlivedinCambridge,Massachusetts.Iwasasortofwriter-in-residenceatacollege,andwasworkingonanovelentitledTheWind-UpBirdChronicle.InHarvardSquaretherewasajazzclubcalledtheRegattabarJazzClubwheretheyhadlotsofliveperformances.Itwasacomfortable,relaxed,cozyplace.Famousjazzmusiciansplayedthere,andthecoverchargewasreasonable.
OneeveningthepianistTommyFlanaganappearedwithhistrio.MywifehadsomethingelsetodosoIwentbymyself.TommyFlanaganisoneofmyfavoritejazzpianists.Heusuallyappearsasanaccompanist;
hisperformancesareinvariablywarmanddeep,andmarvelouslysteady.Hissolosarefantastic.Fullofanticipation,then,IsatdownatatablenearthestageandenjoyedaglassofCaliforniaMerlot.Totellthetruth,though,hisperformancewasabitofaletdown.Maybehewasn'
tfeelingwell.Orelseitwasstilltooearlyforhimtogetintheswingofthings.Hisperformancewasn'
tbad,itwasjustmissingthatextraelementthatsendsusflyingtoanotherworld.Itlackedthatspecialmagicalglow,Iguessyoucouldsay.TommyFlanagan'
sbetterthanthis,IthoughtasIlistened-justwaittillhegetsuptospeed.
Buttimedidn'
timprovethings.Astheirsetwasdrawingtoaclose,Istartedtogetalmostpanicky,hopingthatitwouldn'
tendlikethis.Iwantedsomethingtorememberhisperformanceby.Ifthingsendedlikethis,allI'
dtakehomewouldbelukewarmmemories.Ormaybenomemoriesatall.AndImayneverhaveachancetoseeTommyFlanaganplayliveagain.(InfactIneverdid.)Suddenlyathoughtstruckme:
whatifIweregivenachangetorequesttwosongsbyhimrightnow-whichoneswouldIchoose?
Imulleditoverforawhilebeforepicking"
Barbados"
and"
Star-CrossedLovers."
ThefirstpieceisbyCharlieParker,thesecondaDukeEllingtontune.Iaddthisforpeoplewhoaren'
tintojazz,butneitheroneisverypopular,orperformedmuch.Youmightoccasionallyhear"
Barbados,"
thoughit'
soneofhtelessflashynumbersCharlieParkerwrote,andIbetmostpeoplehaveneverheard"
Star-CrossedLovers"
evenonce.Mypointbeing,theseweren'
ttypicalchoices.
Ihadmyreasons,ofcourse,forchoosingtheseunlikelypiecesformyfantasyrequests-namelythatTommyFlanaganhadmadememorablerecordingsofboth."
appearedonthe1957albumDialJJ5wherehewasapianistwiththeJ.J.JohnsonQuintet,whileherecorded"
onthe1968albumEncounter!
withPepperAdamsandZootSims.OverhislongcareerTommyFlanaganhasplayedandrecordedcountlesspiecesasasidemaninvariousgroups,butitwasthecrisp,smartsolos,shortthoughtheywere,inthesetwoparticularpiecesthatI'
vealwaysloved.That'
swhyIwasthinkingifonlyhewouldplaythosetwonumbersrightnowit'
dbeperfect.Iwaswatchinghimclosely,picturinghimcomingovertomytableandasking,"
Hey,I'
vehadmyeyeonyou.Doyouhaveanyrequests?
Whydon'
tyougivemethetitlesoftwonumbersyou'
dlikemetoplay?
Knowingallthetime,ofcourse,thatthechancesofthathappeningwerenil.
Andthen,withoutaword,andwithoutsomuchasaglanceinmydirection,TommyFlanaganlaunchedintothelasttwonumbersofhisset-theveryonesI'
dbeenthinkingof.Hestartedoffwiththeballad"
Star-CrossedLovers,"
thenwentintoanup-tempoversionof"
Barbados."
Isatthere,wineglassinhand,speechless.Jazzfanswillunderstandthatthechanceofhispickingthesetwopiecesfromthemillionsofjazznumbersouttherewasastronomical.Andalso-andthisisthemainpointhere-hisperformancesofbothnumberswereamazing.
Thesecondincidenttookplacearoundthesametime,andalsohadtodowithjazz.Iwasinaused-recordstoreneartheBerkleeSchoolofMusiconeafternoon,checkingouttherecords.RummagingaroundinoldshelvesofLPsisoneofthefewthingsthatmakeslifeworthliving,asfarasI'
mconcerned.OnthatparticulardayI'
dlocatedausedcopyofPepperAdam'
srecordingforRiversidecalled10to4atthe5Spot.ItwasaliverecordingofthePepperAdamsQuintet,withDonaldByrdontrumpet,recordedinNewYorkattheFiveSpotjazzclub."
10to4,"
ofcourse,meanttenminutestillfouro'
clock,meaningthattheyplayedsuchahotsettheywentontilldawn.Thiscopyofthealbumwasafirstpressing,inmintcondition,andwasgoingforonlysevenoreightdollars.IownedtheJapaneseversionoftherecordandhadlistenedtoitsomuchitwasallscratched.Findinganoriginalrecordinginthisgoodshopandatthispriceseemed,toexaggeratealittle,likeaminormiracle.IwasoverjoyedasIboughttherecord,andjustasIwasexitingtheshopayoungmanpassedmeandasked,"
Hey,doyouhavethetime?
Iglancedatmywatchandautomaticallyanswered,"
Yeah,it'
stentofour."
AfterIsaidthisInoticedthecoincidenceandgulped.Whatintheworldisgoingon?
Iwondered.WasthegodofjazzhoveringintheskyaboveBoston,givingmeawinkandasmileandsaying,"
Yo,youdigit?
Neitheroneoftheseincidentswasanythingspecial.Itwasn'
tlikemylifeturnedinanewdirection.Iwassimplystruckbythestrangecoincidences-thatthingslikethisdoactuallyhappen.
Don'
tmisunderstandme-I'
mnotthesortofpersonwho'
sintooccultphenomena.Fortune-tellingdoesn'
tdoathingforme.Insteadofgoingtothetroubleofhavingafortune-tellerreadmypalm,IthinkI'
mbetterofftryingtorackmybrainforasolutiontowhateverproblemIhave.NotthatIhaveabrilliantmindoranything,justthatthisseemsaquickerwaytofindasolution.I'
mnotintoparanormalpowerseither.Transmigration,thesoul,premonitions,telepathy,theendtimes-I'
llpass.I'
mnotsayingIdon'
tbelieveinanyofthese.Noproblemwithmeiftheyreallydoexist.I'
mjustpersonallynotinterested.Still,asignificantnumberofstrange,out-of-left-fieldkindsofthingshavecoloredmyotherwisehumdrumlife.
ThestoryI'
mabouttotellisoneafriendofminetoldme.Ihappenedtotellhimonceaboutmyowntwoepisodes,andafterwardhesatthereforatimewithaseriouslookonhisfaceandfinallysaid,"
Youknow,somethinglikethathappenedtome,too.Somethingthatcoincidenceledmeto.Itwasn'
tsomethingtotallyweird,butIcan'
treallyexplainit.Atanyrate,aseriesofcoincidencestookmesomewhereIneverexpectedtobe."
I'
vechangedsomeofthefactstoprotectpeople'
sidentities,butotherthanthatthestoryisjustasherelatedit.
Myfriendworksasapianotuner.HelivesinthewesternpartofTokyo,neartheTamaRiver.He'
sforty-one,andgay.Hedoesn'
tespeciallyhidethefactthathe'
sgay.Hehasaboyfriendthreeyearsyoungerthanheis.Theboyfriendworksinrealestateandbecauseofhisjobisn'
tabletocomeout,sotheyliveapart.Myfriendmightbealowlypianotunerbuthegraduatedfromthepianodepartmentofamusiccollegeandisanimpressivepianisthimself.HIsforteismodernFrenchcomposers-Debussy,Ravel,andErikSatieandheplaysthemwithadeepexpressiveness.ButFrancisPoulencishisfavorite.
Poulencwasgay,"
heexplainedtomeoneday."
Andhemadenoattempttohideit.Whichwasaprettyhardthingtodointhosedays.Hesaidthisonce:
'
Ifyoutookawaymybeinghomosexualmymusicwouldneverhavecomeabout.'
Iknowexactlywhathemeans.Hehadtobeastruetohishomosexualityashewastohismusic.That'
smusic,andthat'
slife."
vealwayslikedPoulenc'
smusictoo.WhenmyfriendcomesovertotunemyoldpianoIsometimeshavehimrunthroughafewshortPoulencpieceswhenhe'
sfinished.The"
FrenchSuite,"
the"
Pastoral,"
andsoon.
He"
discovered"
hewasgayaftere
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