Robert, Her Billionaire Widower

“Alright,” said Vanessa. “Let’s talk about music. Do you enjoy music?”

“Yes!” said Robert, brightening up immediately. “That’s an excellent choice of topic. Mostly because Marie had never really been into music. She had never really cared much for it which I found odd. What kind of music do you like?”

“My favorite genre of music is jazz,” said Vanessa. “What about you?”

“Jazz is one of my favorites too!” said Robert. “It’s really cool that you feel the same way about jazz. It’s truly an incredible genre of music. The way the melodies shift and change, it’s like being on a busy street in the middle of the day and trying to get a taxi. Yes, I think jazz personifies and exemplifies life in the city perfectly, I think it is the absolutely perfect example of how life can be translated into sound and thus turned into music.”

“That’s a beautiful way to put it,” said Vanessa. She was starting to get excited. She had never really met anyone who liked jazz as much as her, and from the way Robert was describing it, it was clear to her that he had a real passion for this musical genre as well. It made her feel good. It was a connection of sorts, the kind of connection that she had, in all honesty, been craving with this wonderful man that she had started to like more and more as time had passed.

“I honestly would never have been able to describe jazz in such beautiful language,” said Vanessa. “It’s such a wonderful thing. I always thought that it was indescribable, if I’m being very honest. I thought that jazz would always be this thing that would remain undefined. I thought that its mystique, its allure, could never be put into words but you have described it with such perfection that I’m blown away. That description… it was almost literary, Robert. I can’t believe you just said that, I’d like to quote you on it if that’s alright.”

Robert threw his head back and laughed, saying, “Yes, you are more than welcome to quote me on it. I’m really glad that you liked my description of jazz, I have poured my heart and soul into my jazz collection. It just makes me feel so normal, you know? In the chaotic symphonies of jazz I find myself. I find a sense of understanding, a sense of brotherhood even, and this is a very beautiful thing to feel indeed. I feel like I would understand a lot more of the world if I just listened to jazz all day. What is your favorite artist? Your favorite album? Your favorite song? I’m sorry I’m bombarding you with questions like this, it’s just that I have honestly never met anyone with a passion for jazz that matches mine, and based on how excited you were at my description of jazz, something tells me that you are an enthusiast that is equally excited about this genre of music.”

Vanessa laughed and said, “No, that’s quite alright. I feel exactly the same way that you do. I have never found anyone that loved jazz as much as I do and your description excited me because it was proof that you were just as enthusiastic about this genre of music as I am! My favorite musician is probably Miles Davis. He had such a smooth playing style, it was like this delicious swirl of chocolate that was all over the inside of your mouth as you lick it off. I feel like he was probably one of the best trumpet players of all time. I think my favorite album is Kind of Blue, by Miles Davis of course. As for a favorite song, I don’t think I can tell you that. There are simply too many to count! I don’t think anyone that picks a favorite song is a true lover of music because how could you possibly pick a favorite when there is so much choice? It’s simply impossible.”

“I feel exactly the same way,’ said Robert. “I sometimes listen to people talking about their favorite songs and I am utterly baffled. How can you possibly have a favorite song? How does that even happen? What even is a favorite song? It’s so odd and I am glad that you feel the same way about it. As for Miles Davis, I do agree that he is one of the best trumpet players of all time. I do agree that he is probably one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. However, is he my favorite? No, I wouldn’t say that. He was far too… safe for that. I don’t mean to say that he didn’t take risks I just mean to say that he didn’t take as many risks as other people did, such as Thelonious Monk who, by the way, is probably my favorite Jazz musician. He had this way of bringing chaos and discord into song, it was what I loved about jazz in the first place and no one exemplified this characteristic more than good old Thelonious. He was a true master.

“My favorite album is probably Blue Monk, and I think my favorite song would be Epistrophy but that’s only because it’s what I have been listening to on repeat for quite some time. I think that he has a lot of brilliant songs and I don’t think I can choose a single song that would be my favorite forever. I think there are too many songs for that. If I’m being honest, I’d say that my favorite song changes pretty much every day. I don’t think I’d ever be able to pick just one song as my favorite but yes, for the time being, Epistrophy is the song that I am playing on repeat so I think it would be fair to say that that is my favorite song at present.”

“I honestly don’t like Thelonious Monk that much,” said Vanessa. “I think that he would be extremely good if he wasn’t so fussy all of the time. I mean, he is brilliant, of course he is, I just wish that he didn’t focus so much on percussive piano techniques and impossibly complex chords all the time. Sometimes you just want something super smooth. Sometimes you just want something that will calm you down, you know? Not to say that I don’t like Monk, I do. He’s a brilliant pianist, one of the finest in jazz history, but I just think that he is too fussy for my tastes. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just my personal preference.”

“Of course,” said Robert, “Everyone has a preference. Everyone wants to listen to the kind of music that would allow them to feel the way they want to feel, isn’t that the whole point of music to begin with? I think I like the chaos of Monk because it calms me by showing me the chaos that I feel inside of me so often and makes me feel like this chaos is a normal thing, it’s a thing that everybody in the world feels and that makes it okay. I really like that, it makes me feel normal. What do you think about Charles Mingus?”

“Oh my God I absolutely love Mingus!” said Vanessa. “He’s an absolute genius! He’s the kind of jazz player that people were afraid of, you know. He was the kind of jazz player that goes out of his way to make something that no one has ever heard before. I think he combined the aesthetics of big band jazz with hard bop in a very tight quartet setting, and that is so impressive, don’t you think?”

“I do!” said Robert, leaning forward excitedly, “it’s so incredible because I feel the exact same way! I love Mingus, and I love that he always left room for his players to play incredible solos. I think his biggest talent wasn’t his bass playing, which was phenomenal, or even the fact that he was able to compose such intricate and complex melodies, which is formidable to say the least. I think his biggest and most important talent was his ability to find incredible players to join his band. I think that’s what sets him apart from everyone else. I think that’s what makes him the greatest player in my opinion, that’s what makes him the guy that everyone still remembers. Have you listened to Pithecanthropus Erectus?”