The time is sundown more ways than one and the sax man is at his street corner. He pulls it out, feeling the instrument and hits that high E-flat. The sound flows through the air, the note being held for an eternity. Then, when you think you can't take it anymore, he flows into a song. The man captures your soul in music. Like an artist who paints in broad strokes and slathers of color, Dikon, the sax man, will play life in all its pain, sorrow, and lonliness. This night, he will meet Virgil who will lead him on the strangest journey, cool cats, and become the herald of the up and coming.
What makes this short story sooooo sweet is the writing of Bruce Memblatt, a native New Yorker, who paints with every word in perfect place the sensitivity of Dikon. He paints the music, which is hard to do. He paints the streets and the people. He paints the strange journey of Dikon to the end of the story. For those who wonder what it takes to use the notes of music, the ultimate use of words, and combine them into a masterpiece of short fiction, read Music Man. Get a taste of the streets of New York, the people, and the music flowing through the air like a sweet harmony.
I cannot praise Music Man enough. If you have never downloaded a short story before, this is the one to start you off. 'Nuff said.