Chicago Blues

            Back in the days when I worked for a living I often went to Chicago on business. To relax after a long day, I loved going to a piano bar on Division Street to enjoy the jazz piano of a black artist–let’s call him Johnny–who wore a derby and a perpetual smile as he entertained appreciative listeners like me.

            One evening an elegantly dressed black woman came in and drew up a chair next to the piano so she could look directly at Johnny while he played. That’s when I noticed a change in Johnny. Instead of his customary bouncy, rapid style, his play had become more lilting and lyrical. And the smile was gone. I got off my bar stool and pulled up a chair next to the lady and said, “He’s making love to you, isn’t he?” She turned to me and replied, “Yes, he is.”

            That got us off to a discussion about jazz, long my favorite kind of music. After a while, the lady said, “You know, the best jazz is not played around here (the North Side). It’s played in South Chicago. If you like, I can take you there. But you can’t go there by yourself.” I appreciated the concern for my safety, but I declined. I’ve often wondered what kind of experience that would have been.

            I’m very sad about what’s happening to one of my favorite cities. It’s not just the murders on the South Side, but the little signs that the city and the State of Illinois are on a steep decline.

            I read recently that the infamous Jessie Smolett is suing Chicago for malicious prosecution, because authorities are taking a second look at his case. This is the same Jessie Smolett who staged a sensational homophobic crime to promote his career and escaped with only a slap on the wrist.

            Chicago police superintendent Eddie T. Johnson actually brought crime down in the city after hiring 1,000 new officers and switching to hi-tech policing. The Chicago mayor fired him when he lied about why he was found asleep in his police car in the wee hours of the morning.

            On September 24^th FBI agents raided State Senator Martin Sandoval’s Chicago office and home searching for evidence related to concrete and construction businesses, bribery, and theft of federal funds. On September 27^th Sandoval resigned.

            I read that in an Illinois school, children as young as five can be locked up in a separate room for “isolated time-out.”  And that’s not only for making threats, but for just about any reason, like spilling milk, swearing, or throwing legos. Let’s enforce discipline in high schools rampant with drugs and violence against teachers, but a five-year old serving time in solitary confinement for spilling his milk?

            I’m not likely to revisit Chicago anytime soon. Maybe it’s just as well. I’ll stick to my memory of a piano bar on Division Street and a lady who liked jazz.