And All That Jazz

I had heard about a recurring jazz concert series in my neighborhood before COVID hit. I didn’t know much about it, except that it was free (donations encouraged) and it was held in the basement of the local VFW hall. Then COVID happened, and I didn’t give it another thought for years.

A month or so ago, someone in a local Facebook group mentioned going to “Post Underground” and enjoying the show. I checked out the website and was happy to see that there were shows scheduled for November and December. So, Allen and I walked the five minutes to the VFW hall the other night to check it out.

Each show has an opener that plays for an hour. Then the main band plays for 2.5 hours. We arrived soon after the opener started. There were about 15 other people in the audience. Drinks were flowing at VFW prices, the lights were dim, and the walls around the stage were covered with American flags and posters of jazz greats. I noticed that the clock above the band read 3:00.

The opener was a jazz band consisting of five older men and one woman. They were a little rough around the edges, but their enthusiasm was so infectious that it didn’t matter. I believe they played all covers. As the band approached the end of its set, some young people and families started filing in. Suddenly, there were very few seats left and the place was hopping.

We were surprised to see some of the young people start setting up instruments after the opener cleared the stage. We inferred that the main band’s band leader was the coordinator of the event. He and three other middle-aged men played various horns, and the pianist, bass player, drummer, and lead singer and guitarist all looked to be high school age. They also played covers, but in a different genre of music: funk and R & B. They sounded really good and also exuded enthusiasm and charm.

We left after their first set because we’re fuddy duddies and needed to get to bed. I truly appreciated being part of this community for the evening and look forward to another night at the club soon…where the band leader assured us, “It’s always 3:00 at Post Underground.”