Showtyme Jazz Duo's Run-In With a Super Fan

I’m a jazz musician living in Atlanta, ½ of the Showtyme Jazz Duo. I’ve performed in upscale supper clubs and jook joints where the power had to be run from a house next door. Like I’ve performed everywhere, I’ve seen some of everything while performing. This is a story that I wouldn’t have believed myself, if I had not seen it.

I was opening for a national at a Jazz Club in Atlanta. His name shall remain nameless, cause he said if I even hinted at his name, I’d be one step closer to death’s door. Well anyway Sei – the other half of the duo – and I were on the stage and we were rocking some standard jazz song. When we noticed a very heavily pregnant women come into the place escorted by a concerned husband. You know how pregnant women lean back to balance the weight of their belly, well this lady was leaning so far back, I was concerned that her back would break. Her male companion escorted her to a small, white linen-covered table right down front.

We continued working our musical magic, the crowd was clapping and moving with the music, when through the headphones I had on, I began to hear a low pitched hum. I thought it was the ground hum on the stage that had returned, so I made some adjustments to my equipment and kept playing, but the sound got louder and this time it was clearly no hum but a groan.

I looked across at the pregnant lady at the table. She was splayed out in her chair holding her stomach grimacing and groaning. Her friend, whom I assume was her husband, was trying to pull her up out of the chair. Apparently he figured it was time to leave. She kept shaking her head – indicating that she was not ready to go. I think she was telling him that she wanted to stay and see the headline act. He had one of her hands – the other was holding her stomach. I could barely pay attention to what I was supposed to be playing, so interested was I to see the outcome of this contest.

Finally he pulled her so hard she came out of the chair onto the floor, dragging the table clothe with her. The maitre d’ came running. The owner came running. They tried to upright her and get her back on the seat. It was like handling some strangly shaped package. She kept slipping back to the floor. They finally got her back in her seat where she again began to groan and hold her belly, only this time she’s rocking to and fro. I don’t know what to think. If she’s delivering, why don’t they leave now or call the paramedics. Sei is whispering to me – "what’s the next song" – I’m so enthralled – I’m just playing and looking.

Somebody apparently had some common sense, cause eventually I hear the siren coming up the street and stopping just outside the club. Our set is finished, but clearly nobody is paying attention to us as they haul her outside to the ambulance. I keep expecting to hear the siren and the ambulance heading off with her inside, instead I can see through the front window that the ambulance is still there. Patrons are whispering that she’s about to give birth right outside the door in the ambulance.

The headline act has come on and is making small talk to calm the crowd down and get their attention back on the stage and on him. About that time the owner comes upon the stage to inform us and the rest of the audience that the lady has just delivered a son and is requesting a dedication before they drive her off to the hospital to be checked out. So the main act smiles and says of course. They open the door of the restaurant and the back door of the ambulance. My man steps down off the stage and goes to the front door and begins to sing Welcome to My World, but he changes the lyric to Welcome to the World. There was not a dry eye to be found anywhere in the restaurant.

I thought to myself "God what a Fan." That’s an uber fan. On top of everything else, I heard she named her son after the musician.