In 2005 Ann and I moved to New Orleans and wound up buying a house in Algiers Point, 420 Alix St. to be exact. I especially loved the “420” part from the start. Good thing because, little did we know, Hurricane Katrina hit four months after we got there, but that’s another story. A few weeks before Ann and Jaxin showed up in late April, I had already moved in and started getting as much ready around the house as possible for their arrival. On my second night there, I strolled down to the Old Point Bar just a few blocks away. There was live music, so I found a place at the bar and ordered a beer. I can’t remember the name of the band, but I loved their sound. I sat there sipping my beer and listening to the music, and all of a sudden, the guy sitting next to me – at the bar – started playing his trumpet, kinda’ just like this (see Short Clip). Yes, he started playing his trumpet from his seat at the bar right next to me! I remember thinking, “live fucking music!”

That man’s name was Jack Fine. Look him up! He’s a legend. I’m not the one to tell you who he is or who he was. I just know he’s been all over. We talked during a break, and every time I’d see him after that, on a regular basis here and there, we’d greet each other and continue the same conversation. I got to meet the man before the legend.

I was thinking about Jack Fine earlier today, so I searched Google for a photo so I could sped some time with him, drawing him from a reference photo from this source. Ladies and gentlemen, Jack Fine:

Jack Fine

If you know Jack Fine or of you’re familiar with his music/life, please use the comment section to share your two cents. Here’s the more recent piece I’ve found on Jack, age 91 (Aug. 2020). Thank you.

Technical; I drew the image free hand using the photo at the embedded link above on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil using the Sketch Club app along with a tweak or two in a cool iPad app called iColorama.