Yunding Ranch

Chapter 192 The Jazz Bar
Jazz bars have almost disappeared in contemporary society.

Once upon a time, in the 60s and [-]s at the peak of jazz, although there were Broadway and movie theaters, people still liked to go to jazz bars on weekends, dress up and attend, enjoy jazz style, and then dance to the rhythm.In that era, jazz stars were the most shining existence, they could respond to all kinds of calls and call the wind and rain; in that era, jazz bars were places where the middle class and the elite established social relations, even the gangsters were no exception; in that era, jazz bars It represents the luxury and purity of the golden age.

Someone once said that jazz is a special kind of music, and it cannot be beautifully displayed on records, even vinyl records, because it is born to be performed live.Trumpets, drums, saxophones, pianos and other musical instruments, each musician has his own style, and each musician has different moods on different days, and the musical notes played will naturally produce Changes, so every scene is unique, and in every performance, the musicians are confronting, merging, competing, and harmonizing. That kind of tension and sparks endow jazz live performance with a unique taste.

It is a pity that the contemporary crowd is too impetuous and anxious, and there is no way to calm down to appreciate the graceful music and beautiful creations.

Not to mention Los Angeles, even in New York, there are very few jazz bars left, and the few remaining bars are barely making a living.

Lu Li studied journalism, not art. He doesn't know how to appreciate jazz.

It was a coincidence that he discovered this bar at the beginning. He was researching a topic, interviewing those entertainment cultures that are gradually disappearing, including Broadway and jazz bars.The owner of this bar is called Stanley Charleson, who stubbornly supports this bar. He does not seek to reproduce the glory of jazz, but he is eager to stick to the music he likes, so that those listeners who really love jazz can still find a party. paradise.

Lu Li appreciated Stanley's persistence, and also liked the atmosphere of this bar. If Olive Garden was on vacation and he wanted to find entertainment, he would come here.The number of visits is not frequent, but the clerks in the bar can recognize him. After all, relatively speaking, Asian faces are relatively rare in jazz bars.

If the column about craftsmen can be launched in the future, Lu Li thinks that Stanley is a worthy interview subject, and he still lives in New York, where every inch of land is expensive.

Walking into the bar, you can clearly feel the traces of the golden age. There is a small round dance floor in the center, and small round iron tables are arranged in a disorderly manner around the dance floor. Each small round table can only accommodate The two guests even sat knee-to-knee, very intimately; behind the small round table, close to the wall were leather sofa booths, allowing eight to twelve people to sit at the same time.

Right in front of it is of course the stage that attracts the most attention. The small stage is only an inch in size. It seems that the whole band will be crowded after standing on it. The whole space has a kind of crowded intimacy and excitement. For contemporary young people, it is too outdated and too crowded.

However, as soon as Lu Huaijin and Song Lingyi walked into this space, they exclaimed again and again, obviously they couldn't be more satisfied with the atmosphere here.

Lu Li didn't disturb the two of them. He raised his hand to summon the waiter. He first ordered three glasses of aperitif, then ordered dinner with red wine, and asked in a low voice, "What's the show tonight?"

As a jazz bar, performances every night are naturally indispensable.There will be a two-hour performance here every night, attracting a large number of fans. If it weren't for Lu Li and the others who came here before seven o'clock, and missed the eight o'clock dinner peak period, they would not be able to find a seat.

"The hot show is folk songs, then there are two jazz shows, and the last one is country." The waiter introduced skillfully.

Lu Li returned the wine list and menu to the waiter, "Thank you."

"Hope you had a nice evening," the waiter said with a smile before turning to leave.

"Lu Li, is there a performance here tonight?" Lu Huaijin asked curiously.

"Yes." Lu Li introduced, "And they are all live performances. However, unlike other music restaurants, the performers here are all professionally selected, and sometimes even singers who have released albums come to perform .”

"This is really rare." Lu Huaijin looked around again, and said to herself, "I want to find a book about New York in the golden age. These histories and memories are really great. Yes. Do you know where I can find it?"

Song Lingyi immediately remembered, "There is an old bookstore across the street from where we live, isn't it? I don't know if it is closed at night."

"The bookstores are usually closed." The latter sentence was asked to Lu Li, and Lu Li answered naturally, "However, we can find time to go shopping tomorrow. The graduation ceremony will only take place in the morning, and we will have time in the afternoon." .”

For Lu Li, accompanying Lu Huaijin and Song Lingyi is the most important task of this trip to New York, even the graduation ceremony cannot be compared.Whether it is work or a ranch, it needs a long flow of water, and there are still 20 or 30 years to run slowly in the future; but the time for family gatherings is irreplaceable.

"I still want to visit that antique shop." Song Lingyi also made a rare request, "I saw a lot of weird gadgets in it, there is a small box that looks like a music box; there is also a small doll, The one with a wind-up on the back looks really cute..." After finishing speaking, Song Lingyi suddenly cut off her words, "Of course, if you don't have time, forget it, there are many places to see in New York, Haven't you already arranged your itinerary?"

Lu Li couldn't help showing a smile, "We have time, of course we have time. We don't have any itinerary, it just depends on your preferences. If possible, Dad will spend an afternoon at a second-hand bookstore, and you will spend an afternoon at an antique store. No problem."

Song Lingyi couldn't help laughing, "Where do you want an afternoon, a while, a while is enough. I also want to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then there is the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building... Time It will be too late."

"It's in time, of course it's in time." Lu Li gave Song Lingyi a comforting smile, "If you like, you can stay in New York for a few more days. I'll just give Cole a call."

"Really? But, the return ticket..." Song Lingyi showed a surprised expression.

"I will call to change the date." Lu Li said patiently.Compared with Los Angeles, there are indeed more sights worth visiting in New York. Even if it is just heard, there are countless rumors about the world's first capital. "Just relax and have fun."

"I like New York better, in fact." Lu Huaijin finally looked back and said in amazement, he couldn't believe that he had made such a judgment, "The cultural atmosphere here is obviously stronger, and Los Angeles...is too flashy .”

Song Lingyi also nodded repeatedly to express her agreement, "Although the traffic here is really terrible. But even if you just walk in these small alleys, you can feel the traces of history and the atmosphere of culture, which cannot be seen in Los Angeles. .In comparison, Los Angeles is really…”

"Too shallow?" Lu Li gave the answer, and Song Lingyi's eyes lit up immediately, agreeing, "That's what I said, you can find 1 reasons to hate New York, but you only need one reason to love it .Because, she's New York."

While talking, the aperitif was served.

Song Lingyi glanced at the aperitif nervously, then moved closer to Lu Li, and asked in a low voice in Chinese, "Will this be expensive?"

Before going to the ranch, Song Lingyi and the others didn't have a clear idea, and thought that if Lu Li inherited the inheritance, life would become more prosperous; but after living on the ranch for a period of time, they understood that running the ranch requires constant investment. The ranch is still a stage where the expenditure is higher than the return. If Lu Li continues to squander like this...

Not to mention Lu Huaijin and Song Lingyi, in fact, even Lu Li himself still hasn't fully adapted to the life of a multi-millionaire, let alone them?Before coming to the United States, they were still honest office workers, and they were still worrying about their livelihood.

Lu Li patted the back of Song Lingyi's hand, and said comfortingly, "Don't worry, Mom, I ordered the cheap one, it won't be very expensive. If it's not enough, I'll tell you, and you should remember to help me a bit. "

Those witty words made Song Lingyi laugh dumbly, and she gave Lu Li a reproachful look, but she couldn't hold back her smile after all, picked up the wine glass in front of her, took a sip, and then nodded slightly, "This taste is more delicious. It's light, but it's really more appetizing, do you want to try it?"

Lu Huaijin also picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and smiled slightly, "Where did you learn how to choose wine?"

"Working in a restaurant." Lu Li said in a relaxed tone, "Although Westerners like to drink red wine, for Americans, beer is actually more their appetite. Red wine is too formal and too European. So , The guests of the restaurant often need us to help them choose red wine.” Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant, and many Italian dishes need to be paired with corresponding red wine. "We also have special wine tasting training, but it's just some basic knowledge, after all, it's not a high-end restaurant."

"It seems that living independently in a foreign country has learned a lot." Lu Huaijin nodded slightly in affirmation.

"After a while, you can taste the red wine and enjoy tonight's performance. This kind of petty bourgeois life is a very typical New York style. If you really understand life in New York, you will choose a Broadway play to watch." Lu Li introduced, and then Shrugged, "But for me, Broadway is still aloof and not suitable for me."

That disgusted expression really made people laugh.

(End of this chapter)