Jazz Fiction
Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
Elvin's Waiting

by Michael J. Williams
This article was originally published in Turbula.net in 2004. Behind the Viking Lounge Is there a swimming pool and a garden where they hold summer fish fries Families living in the building know and love each other They have parties year round just among themselves ...
read moreJazz Night At The Oceanic Brew Pub, Part 3: How You Loved Me On Mars

by Dan McClenaghan
The Oceanic Brew Pub's waitress, Rafaela, told the owner, Roy Leahy, not to hire that dumb ass pianist and his chihuahua again to play on Jazz Night. But Roy ignored her. The place had gotten a lot of publicity out of the duo's previous engagement, when pianist Sinbad Rindowski's howling vocal accompanist chihuahua, Sweetie Pie, damned near got eaten by a python that had set up shop inside the house piano. The snake--at the Rindowski's first touch of the keyboard--lunged ...
read moreJazz Night At the Oceanic Brew Pub, Oceanside, California, Part Two: I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You

by Dan McClenaghan
Juanita Diaz-Johnson haunted the house piano at the Oceanic Brew Pub. The baby grand had been hers, when she was alive. But when she passed in December 2020, at age 79, another victim of the Coronavirus, her older daughter Evangeline penciled the piano in for a spot at the estate sale. But Rafaela, Juanita's younger daughter, intervened. She wanted that piano to take up residence in the Oceanic Brew Pub, down on Old Highway 101, for use in the newly-established ...
read moreJazz Night At The Oceanic Brew Pub, Oceanside, California, Part 1: I've Got A Crush On You

by Dan McClenaghan
Nobody seemed to know how the python got into the piano. Or if anybody did know, they weren't talking. But the how of it didn't matter; this is what happened on that Jazz Night at the Oceanic, February 27, 2021. The Oceanic Brew Pub seats sixty, but the current Covid-19 restrictions limit the house to twenty. In fact, only six people showed up to listen to the artistry of pianist Sinbad Rindowski and his vocalese accompanist, Sweetie Pie, ...
read moreCarolina Shout and Whisper

by Jakob Baekgaard
Edward Fox was introduced as the pianist in saxophonist Cory Dextrose's quartet in the short story Last Song for Valentine. This is his own story. The thudding sound on the floor was followed by a piercing voice Edward Fox knew all too well. Stop that damn noise, will you!" Old Mr. Grayson had taken a broomstick and hammered away at his own ceiling, competing with the hammers on Edward's battered piano. He had been deep in a dream ...
read moreLast Song for Valentine Part 4-4: My Funny Valentine

by Jakob Baekgaard
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The first thing Cory heard when he stumbled into Café Picasso was the familiar voice of his drummer, Pearl, getting into an argument with two other musicians. They were all laughing loudly, but he could tell by the tone that it was also serious. Pearl caught his eyes and exclaimed: Cory! Just the man I need. Come on over here! These rookies are trying to school me ...
read moreLast Song for Valentine Part 3-4: Blue in Green

by Jakob Baekgaard
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 When Cory came home to his apartment, he could see lights shining in many of the windows. He felt good knowing that he was not the only one awake, and as he walked up the stairs, he heard people pacing, a baby crying and the sound of muffled voices. He could smell garlic and spices and remembered that he was still hungry. Inside his apartment, ...
read more