Page 101 - The Jazzsipper Novel

100

THE JAZZ SIPPER

bet 9, 1, 7 in the 7th race, I feel good about that number and they both started
to laugh. After hanging up the telephone Vance just set back in the chair and
took a long drag off his cigarette and began smiling thinking about Aunt Jessie
and Uncle Frank, they were two peas out of the same pod as Aunt Jessie
would say. He also thought about Regina and how she was dealing with her
father’s illness. He decided that when he got back to the ship he would sit
down and write her a long letter. And get off his chest what he had been
holding in for so long, that he still loved her in some way.

As Vance sat there his mind started drifting back to Dino and “The Cat” and
how slick the “The Cat” came across. It reminded Vance of a song entitled
The Cat by Jimmy Smith off his 1964 album released by Verve Records name
The Cat. It featured the sound of Smith's Hammond B-3 organ with big band
arrangements by composer Lalo Schifrin. It just had a very slick sound to it,
like they knew what was coming next on the cut and you did not. Vance could
hear the sound of the organ screaming in his ear and Jimmy Smith making
his organ stand and talk.

Vance was startled by the sound of the telephone ringing in his room. It was
Larry. Yo, Vance I’m downstairs boss, come on let’s go and checkout Naples.
That was Larry, he called everyone boss and at times. Vance, found himself
calling guys he greeted boss as well. He liked the sound and the use of the
word; it was hip, kind of jazzy Vance thought. They had it all planned out, try
some Italian food and get a bottle of brandy to sip on, do some shopping and
checkout the nightlife. They would do that and more, but shopping more than
anything. Vance bought a couple of Canali wool 2-button suits off the rack, a
black and a navy blue, along with some casual pullover sweaters. He ordered