Why I had such a strong desire to go to New York as for the first trip abroad ??
It was VILLAGE VANGUARD, clearly.
I had a trip to New York by myself for the first trip abroad when I was an university student.
At that time, for me, Jazz is New York. All the albums Live at the Village Vanguard were informed to us through monthly magazine, SWING JOURNAL.
The most impacted one is “THE GREAT JAZZ TRIO LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD (1977)”
Especially, most powerfull drumming of Tony Williams made me crazy not to sit calm.
(of course we got an enough information of so many awesome live recordings like Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans and John Coltrane………)
It was my first trip abroad,of course not familiar in New York at all. All of my friends asked me “why alone ??”. Maybe only “primitive brave”. We all know New York is dangerous city. Furthermore I took a most economic hotel, YMCA, on 43rd street, west. Unbelievable my myself !! Again, primitive brave. And, to be frank, TIMES SQUARE was an alluring area for a stupid young person !!!
Just I got as insurance that I asked somebody to go together to Village Vanguard, because even for me, too nervous to go there at night. It was long time ago, when there was a system, pen friend (through Swing Journal), and I got such a Japanese friend in New York.
Then, it was lucky, SAFE !!
Even I felt dangerous, sometimes, however, in total much enjoyable.
That was a story of long time ago. Nowadays subway is clean, I heard. Not as below.
Of course SAFE is one of most important.
However, even though, still, I think of the relationship between “FASCINATING AND SAFE”.
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