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Back in the day, the CHICAGO THEATER located in this city's famous loop district was not only a place where movies were shown but where artists would perform live on stage between pictures, and this is where I saw Count Basie and Duke Ellington and their orchestras also Nat "King" Cole and Billy Eckstein who I forgot to mention. . Charlie Parker I saw at a black show lounge on Chicago's south side. He was in decline when I saw him, and it was obvious he was high. People like Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Sara Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae just to name a few, would appear in Chicago's loop at intimate little jazz clubs where you sat at tables, and smoked and drank, but never danced. The first Playboy jazz fest, was held in Chicago's Civic Opera house and was a 3-day extravaganza and this is where I saw Ella, and Billie Holiday, and Dizzy Gillespie who I also forgot to mention.There were too many greats at this affair to even list. The only place where I'd dance would be at the local America Legion Hall, where they'be be playing R&B And Blues music. We'd be doing the Bop, the Twist, the Watusi, the Funky Broadway, the Bump and the Chicken. By the time the Running Man and Twerking came out, I'd retired from the scene. I did try and keep up with line-dancing for a minute but every time i'd learn the latest one, a new more complicated one would come out. Now I am a content to just watch. The Jitterbug was still popular when I was in high school and we'd do it at "Quarter" parties, held in basements. Fun times.

Yeah it is great to see talented singers and musicians perform. I also saw Dizzy play. It was at a Jazzy club called the Blue Note in Greenwich village. I was close enough to touch him. He even winked at me--a very charismatic guy. The Blue Note was the club where I saw Ray Charles. Again, I sat at a table next to the stage. Ray was some performer too; He had 25 people on the stage, which for the Blue Note is a ton of people. It was a terrific show! The Bue Note is tight, but one of my favorite venue for catching a show. Moving away from Jazz Recently Cuba Gooding Sr. passed (RIP), I saw him perform at a small club in he city. Sharon Jones (RIP) and the Dap KIngs were very entertaining too. Hey, Del that concert where I ran into you when the Ohio Players were playing for free in the park. That was one of my favorite concerts. I'd seen the Ohio Player perform before but they did not have a horn section and used a keyboard instead. But that funk concert in Prospect park, sitting on blankets, drinking beer and listening to my favorite tunes performed live by musicians was sublime. I'm glad I remember a time before boasting over looped samples while pacing back and forth across the stage became so popular.