Jazz, Once in a Blue Moon

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Given that we only had an evening back in the city, we should at least get a sense of what the soul of Seoul is like, right? Since we arrived in the afternoon, most of the tourist destinations were (we assumed) already closing. And so we opted to just take a walk into the city... This is one of my favourite ways to explore: no concrete planning; just let our feet bring us to where we'd end up (the other one? Drive and drive and drive). 

Anyway, our long and winding winter walk (in the rain, if I might add) led us to a jazz club named Once in a Blue Moon. What we didn't know is that this bar is actually one of the most famous places in Seoul as it is often a film shoot location. According to a blog post I've read after our vacation, many marriage proposals have been proposed in Once in a Blue Moon. In fact, a proposal must have been taking place stage left because the couple there was uber sweet with each other. 

Matty really has a nose for finding really good places!


We wanted to listen to really good music and we definitely got what we wished for. The band playing that night was great! I only like listening to jazz (thanks, Dad!) but Matty has studied it; listening to the live performances with him in the club gave me a deeper appreciation of jazz... within all that improvisational work, there is still structure. Order in chaos, if you will. I immensely enjoyed sitting there, watching the band play. And then the singer performed a few standards... it was so good! 


The music in Once in a Blue Moon brought me back to that one afternoon that I was exploring New Orleans' French Quarter with Casey and Elaine. Jazz music had filled the air that summer afternoon. This time, it's winter. The music made me forget that it was cold and raining outside!


The band's set ended and the club continued with music from George Benson. Now his songs I'm a bit familiar with, as I've grown up listening to his music. 

I lost track of time in Once in a Blue Moon. Since I wasn't wearing a watch, I learned much later that we left the club past midnight. Good luck on our early start in the morning.

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