He's with the band

Jazz in an intimate setting. Three very talented jazz musicians were brought to town to perform at the Piano Institute last night. It's an elegant but comfortable setting that holds fewer than 100 people, and the performance was kept to a small enough number that it felt like they were performing just for you.

It was a full length performance, which we knew would be a stretch in terms of sitting still, so we let Calvin bring a book. We asked him to watch as well as listen to at least the first two songs, and after the third song he sat relatively still and quietly read his book. But later, in the car on the way home when Jon and I were discussing the music and sharing details about some of the songs, he surprised us by piping up with tidbits like song names and instrument details, proving that he'd been listening all along after all.

He put the book down of his own accord for the last three songs, too, and enjoyed the music well enough that he asked us to buy a CD and then politely requested their autographs. Then while Jon and I helped clean up the snacks, he proceeded to chat with the trio, and before we knew it he was hamming it up with them at the piano and they were requesting photo opportunities. It was hard to tell who was having more fun.

Visit Jeremy Siskind's blog (and see Calvin's guest spot), or listen to the Finger Songwriter trio. We recommend it.