Life, Death and Jazz - in 2 Acts by G. F. Mlely

Cast of Characters and Musicians
•
and Setting

THE TRIO

THE TRIO consists of a PIANIST [performed by pro jazz pianist perceived as Lennie], DOUBLEBASSIST and PERCUSSIONIST, requiring skilled jazz musicians in the mainstream style, capable of featuring in performance and accompaniment.

ACTORS

LENNIE (American male) [performed by actor perceived as musician] this is Lennie’s story, a White jazz pianist with career challenges that have sent him from New York to San Francisco, and now from Los Angeles to Amsterdam, TN.
*CARRIE (female) journalist with major Amsterdam newspaper, interviews Lennie for article.
MARGARITE Lennie’s wife (soprano), sings play’s signal song (and may also be FEMALE JAZZ SINGER).
*DHL CLERK (female) unintentionally comic.
**AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN expatriot American jazz musician (and may also be MALE JAZZ SINGER).
*BIMHUIS ASSISTANT (female) Af-Am Man’s girlfriend resents what results of Lennie’s presence in Holland.
**CAB (African male from Ghana) owner of “Cab Kaye’s Jazz Piano Bar,” former Ghanian Minister of Culture under Nkrumah.
***GLENN STONES (African-Surinamese male) musician, provides shelter for Lennie in his fixer-upper of an apartment.
***KENNETH (African-Surinamese male) lives in Stones’s fixer-upper, vocally anti-White.
*ERIC (Male) editor of “Jazz Nu” major Dutch jazz periodical.
*HUUB (BIMHuis Secretary) books all performers into BIMhuis, Holland’s major concert venue for jazz and improvisational music.
*STAGE MANAGER (male) employed at BIMhuis.
*FRITZ (male) music critic/journalist, influential.
*JARON (male) artist agent.

SPECIAL FEATURES (may be doubled)

FEMALE JAZZ SINGER (any ethnicity) featured jazz scat performer, possibly Margarite.
MALE JAZZ SINGER (any ethnicity) featured jazz scat performer, possibly the African-American Man.

ETHNICITIES:
*Characters where asterisked are Dutch.
**Characters where double-asterisked are Black.
***Characters where triple-asterisked are Black Surinamese
Lennie is White.
Characters not otherwise specified are of any ethnicity.

“Amsterdam” Cafe CUSTOMERS (4) are drawn from the ENSEMBLE which is drawn from available characters, including the AMERICAN and the *DUTCHMAN.

Setting is in Los Angeles and, mainly, in Amsterdam, TN.

Demo Vocals of the Songs

Contact William Rocker at

jazcraft@jazcraft.net