When both kids started driving, my husband and I had more free time on evenings and weekends than we’d had in 18 years. We relished this freedom. We began going out to eat again. We went to nice restaurants, shared a bottle of wine, ordered appetizers, entrees, dessert, and coffee. We had such fun!

After a while, going out to eat became routine. It was the only thing we did with our evenings when we wanted to get out of the house. We’ve been married more than 25 years, and we’d sit across the table from each other like, welp, here we are again. What will we talk about at tables for two for the next 25 years?

On trips out of town, we started adding jazz shows to our evenings. On a trip to New York, we saw Ezra Collective at Blue Note and the Jean-Michel Pilc Trio at Smalls. In DC, we saw Julian Lage at the Lincoln Theater. In Montreal, we saw the Taurey Butler Trio at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill. Each ensemble had a different vibe, each venue unique in personality.

As I wrote about in a recent post, I never thought we’d be able to find something similar near home. I thought we’d always have to travel to be able to enjoy live jazz. My husband searched anyway. A couple of years ago, he saw that Cécile McLorin Salvant was coming to our local performing arts center and got us tickets. He found another performing arts center in nearby Roanoke where we saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Christmas, and Flutes Wine Lounge slightly further away in Lynchburg where we took the kids for a local Flat Five Jazz band’s Christmas show.

This past week was a treat for us, jazz-wise, after a long week with snow and ice and a power outage. On Thursday night, we saw the G. Thomas Allen Quintet at the Jazz Club at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke. If I closed my eyes and listened to the singing, I’d have thought G. Thomas Allen was a woman. He is the first man to have won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. His voice is rich and sweet and beautiful. The bassist, Julian, was dapper in his white turtleneck and blazer, and the pianist (Dennis) with his Irish flat cap. They played “My Funny Valentine” and several tributes to women in jazz. The crowd swung and shouted “yeah!”, and a woman behind us, who herself had a gorgeous, sultry voice, sang along to “Wouldja Couldja“.

Then Friday night, we stayed closer to home, where Grammy nominated saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin played at our local Moss performing arts center. WOW. Like all of the shows we’ve seen, I knew nothing about the musician, and she was exactly what everyone needed at the end of a long, hard week. She brought huge, unleashed energy, messages of hope and love, mixed hip hop, jazz, blues, played “My Favorite Things” and “Amazing Grace.” She and her band showed no restraint, and their vitality and sound filled the large hall.

I love this new addition of live jazz to our lives. Since I don’t know the musicians ahead of time, I never know what to expect, which makes it even more fun for me. Every night is a new experience. In addition to the music and the spaces it’s play in, the instruments are works of art, with their beautiful shapes and textures: the brassy gleam of the horns, the luster of the piano, the rich wood curves of the upright bass, the glitter of the drums, the blur of the drumsticks. The instruments have their own personalities that come to life when a musician starts playing them.

Sharing space and experience with other people who are there to appreciate the music, listening to the creation of art, and the musician’s personalities, talent, and love for their craft fill my cup. I’m so happy and grateful we can enjoy this in our own community.