Sam Bauman: Merry May Jazz night at Comma Coffee

The Mile High Jazz Band swung away last Tuesday night at Comma Coffee. As usual, seniors dominated in the audience, knowing a good thing when they hear it.

Admission to these monthly swing nights is just $5, and the beverages are modest and the snacks are unusual and good. Among selections were “But Beautiful” with Cindee LeVal on vocals. A rip-snorting “Night in Tunisia” set the tone for classic big band music, David Bugli furnishing the downbeat from the piano for the 19 musicians. There’s a bass trombone player in the group, but not named.

The band plays the second Tuesday of the month at Comma Coffee. Come early for good seats.

The band will play Tuesday, June 14, at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall in “Jazz & Poetry,” a tribute to local poet Bill Cowee. Tickets at the door are $10.

Seeing Texas by bus

The Silver Sierra Adventurers meets the second Tuesday of every month at 2 p.m. at the Carson Nugget, and a friend of mine just returned from a 13-day, 4,000-mile Silver Sierra bus trip to the Texas Hill Country with overnight stops in Tucson, Carlsbad, San Antonio, Albuquerque and Flagstaff.

You might think all that time sitting on a bus would be boring, but each day was filled with sightseeing and excursions to national parks, historical sites and museums, she said.

The group of 44 travelers rode in a luxury motor coach where the hosts served drinks and snacks and kept them informed about the areas they visited. On long stretches of road travel DVD movies helped pass the time. The highlight of the trip was a three-night stay in San Antonio at the Embassy Suites Hotel on the River Walk, and a boat ride on the river. Hosted cocktail parties, lunch and dinners allowed time to engage in conversation, share stories and make new friends.

Leisure group travel is a wonderful way to go places, meet people and enjoy traveling with all the planning done for you. If you are new to Carson or want to do some leisure traveling, this club is perfect for seniors.

Check out the website at frontier traveltours.com, or come to one of the meetings to hear all about the upcoming tours and cruises scheduled for this year.

Out of the past

A friend recently returned my old 9-inch VCR-player TV, and after learning again how to use it I enjoyed an old tape movie, “The Andromeda Strain,” a two-hour-and-10-minute color science fiction film.

It is a movie I had long forgotten about. It’s an aged film, and it is without the computer generated violent scenes of today’s fare. There’s a lot of talk as America’s Wildfire team (a group of scientists serving the government in moments of crisis) studies the town and all the victims.

The crisis is the landing of an asteroid in a small town in Arizona. All the townsfolk are dead, with the exception of a baby and a drunk. How they survived whatever killed everyone else is what the Wildfire scientists puzzle over.

Almost all the action takes place in the final minutes as one scientist climbs the Wildfire tunnel to head off a nuke attack by the U.S. Air Force which would spread the virus around the world.

This was a 1971 film, and it shows computers of the time period.

The actors are all middle-aged or older and there is no star power to move things along. But the cast is excellent and direction by Robert Wise is taut, taking few liberties with Michael Crichton’s novel.

You’ll probably be able to rent the film from an online organization.

I’ll be going through my old TV tapes with recommendations in the future. Next up will be the classic, “The Incredible Lightness of Being,” a European film of a country ruled by a group of dictators. If memory serves, it’s a racy R-rated movie.

Musical comedy time in Carson

I took in the comedy, “42nd Street,” Saturday to see what magic the Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company and director Stephanie Arrigotti have come up with. And it was great fun with the stage overflowing with singers, dancers all over under Stephanie’s skillful direction. Orchestra in the pits was fine, costumes and sets colorful and the audience cheering every scene.

Arrigotti has done fine things for Carson City, bringing bus loads of visitors to the city, expanding our city’s name. Stephanie has been doing this for years and it’s about time the city named some theater facility for her. Any takers?

Sam Bauman writes about senior affairs, among other things, for the Nevada Appeal.