“I want –to- be a part of it. New York..” – A group of 20 something men singing the iconic Sinatra song was blocking our way, singing and laughing, a little bit drunk, but mostly high on life. One of them spoke to us in accented English, “it’s a great show, you will love it!” There were other happy faces around. We made our way to the entrance of The Jazz Club. A lanky man in his 40s greeted us. “Good evening!” He had the eyes of someone who had seen history. “We would like to buy two tickets for the Swing show.” I answered. “Sorry, we have just sold out,” he said.
“Oh no!” I was so disappointed.
The Jazz Club we were at, is called Reduta. It is located in Prague, which is the capital city of Czech Republic, and which is where I was exactly one month ago.
Prague, called “Praha” by locals, is not merely a city; it’s a poem written in stone, a melody composed of history and legend. Europe’s art & culture has collided for over a millennia in Prague; its history, art & architecture a rich tapestry of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Neo-classical, and Modern threads. Hilter – so loved Prague, he wanted to save it for himself, so Prague escaped the bombing that befell many other European cities during WWII, its medieval center is still mostly preserved. This didn’t mean Prague escaped heartache. Prague suffered some of the worst Fascism and Communism in the 20th century, most notably after the Prague Spring reforms of 1968 were brutally crushed when Soviet tanks rolled into Prague and quashed all attempts for democracy for the next 20 years.
But Prague endured. Czechoslovakia, as it was then, finally found its freedom through The Velvet Revolution; a non-violent transition of power, one of many inspiring examples of what is possible when ordinary people engage in nonviolent civil disobedience and do not give up no matter the odds.
What also endured is Reduta; The Jazz Club in Prague. It became particularly famous for having hosted an impromptu saxophone performance by American president Bill Clinton in 1994, who had returned to Prague a few days prior to our own visit to mark their 30th anniversary of joining NATO, a day of celebration for the Czech people. Democracy is very new and precious for the Czechs and this is palpable. What is also palpable is their unease about the war Russia is waging on their neighbor Ukraine. The majority of people alive in Prague today personally remember the brutality and oppression of living behind the Iron Curtain as a Soviet satellite state. They see Russian aggression on the rise again and dread losing their hard-earned freedom. They see the NATO alliance as the bulwark against an existential threat.
And they look at America – as the beacon of hope – that many in the world still do, the same hope that immigrants still carry in their hearts. America was the country that helped birth modern Czechoslovakia at the end of World War I in 1918. America was the country that helped bring them freedom from the terror of Nazi Germany in World War II. And while they suffered under the boot of the totalitarian communism of the Soviet Union from the 50s to 80s, America was the country that gave them hope, its music – jazz, swing, blues continued to play in The Jazz Club Reduta & still does.
And now I was standing at the entrance of this very Jazz club and being told that the tickets to the Swing tribute I was there to see had been sold out!
“Oh no!” I was so disappointed.
The lanky man offered a solution. “We do have another Swing concert next Thursday.” “But this is our last-night in Prague,” I answered remorsefully. “I am sorry, where are you visiting from?” he asked with a polite smile. “New York.” I answered. “New York, New York?!!” the man’s eyes grew wider and his smile got warmer. I nodded. “Then we must make sure you see the show!” He walked away into the music hall and after a few moments re-appeared, a big grin across his face. “I can organize 2 extra stools, so you can watch the show, would that be okay?” My husband and I, pleasantly surprised at the sudden VIP treatment, graciously accepted his offer. “Look” the man steered me towards a large sign-in book, flipped one page, and there it was; Bill Clinton’s signature with the words “my third wonderful visit, thank you. March 10th 2024”.
He ushered us into an intimate hall packed with people sitting on sofas enjoying drinks, surrounded with walls decked with photos of the great jazz musicians who had all performed there. We spent the next two hours experiencing 4 phenomenally talented musicians who performed American classics by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. When the lead singer led the sing-along for Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, it was as if the Czech people were singing their own song. And his rendering of “New York, New York” brought the house down. I laughed and cried through it all, it had been a while since I had experienced such unabashed love and joy for America. It was as I had left America to find America.
As I experienced this profound moment, I suddenly realized that America is no longer just a nation – if it ever was. America has become a mythology, an idea, an ember that smolders in the heart of anyone who still aspires to reach a little higher, who still dreams a few impossible dreams and who dares to keep faith in the face of some overwhelming odds. We who live here may fight, bicker and doomsay as much as we want, but the ideal of America is alive and well in hearts all around the world. We who live here may doubt the promise of America; a luxury we can afford, but not those who live outside, their faith still strong, just like those singing their hearts out, in places like The Jazz Club.
Swati Srivastava is an immigrant and a multi award-winning writer, director, and voiceover artist. A filmmaker & storyteller, Swati turns ideas into experience. She is also an environmentalist and an immigrant to the United States. She can be reached via Linkedin and swati@TiredAndBeatup.com
The website for Jazz Club Reduta is https://www.redutajazzclub.cz/en
