Prague Journal

Tuesday, October 26, 2004.

Despite the fact that my absentee ballot has still not arrived, Rick and I went to the American Embassy to mail his (which arrived last Friday) via diplomatic pouch to the U.S. I’m still hoping to get mine in time to vote in the Colorado elections, but if not, I have a federal write-in form to turn in tomorrow.
This evening, we had planned to go to the Reduta Jazz Club, renowned both here and in the U.S. for the time that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Václav Havel jammed together in 1994. This week marks the 28th year of the International Jazz Festival, and there are bands from around the world playing each night.
Before heading downstairs to Reduta, we went next door and up the stairs to the famous Louvre Café, which has been regarded as a crowning jewel of Prague café culture since 1902. This café would do well anywhere in the world. It is open from 8:00 o'clock every day. Morning newspapers are available, together with a broad selection of breakfast dishes, coffee and other beverages. The restaurant serves inexpensive Czech, American, and European entrées and side dishes, including vegetarian meals and an assortment of desserts, teas, and coffees. The “side parlour,” which seats about 30 people, serves as a non-smoking area of the restaurant when it hasn’t been reserved for press conferences, meetings, company training sessions, receptions, wedding and graduation banquets, or other such occasions. One of the more charming rooms of the café is the billiard room, with seven pool tables. After an extravagant and leisurely dinner, we strolled downstairs to Reduta. I doubt that Reduta’s interior has changed since its founding in 1958. It’s a smoky cellar with “reassuringly ugly Commie interior and hard bench seating” that still feels fairly subversive. This may be the only place in town with American-beer prices (a bit of a hit, since there is also a rather high cover charge for the festival). I had arranged to meet John Carey there to celebrate his birthday, since he, like us, likes good jazz. Sadly, the program was a disappointment. The first set was Kodac Harrison, a "Beatnic-blues" guitarist from the USA with a mediocre voice, flat personality, and boring set of dull songs. Our conversation was more interesting than Kodac’s singing, so the three of us retired to a sideroom to chat instead of listen to the music. We were compelled to move back to the main room for the second set, the Metropolitan Jazz Band, one of the better known traditional jazz and Dixieland bands of the Czech Republic. It was only a chance glance at my watch that signaled us to leave shortly before midnight to catch the last bus home.

posted by JWinn @ 7:50 PM