Lo and behold, many had commented that they had been there because of Murakami’s story. Isn’t that a truly beautiful way to go, with a melody playing in the head? I searched for the piece on YouTube and browsed through the comments section while listening to it. The author writes: ‘If you love jazz, or have any love for music at all, then you absolutely must listen to this charming record, the fruit of a passionate heart, and a cool mind…’ Death comes into focus when Parker comes in the narrator’s dream and speaks of humming a Beethoven melody, Piano Concerto No. The bewilderment at finding a nonexistent record is real as is Murakami’s love for jazz. Fast forward to the adult narrator entering a music store and spying the Parker album there. The narrator, a college student, writes the review of an imaginary Parker album, as a prank. There are three stories in the collection which has a good dose of music, starting with ‘Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova’. In fact, reading First Person Singular will get even the non-musicals among us hold our own in a drawing room discussion on Western Classical music. Likewise in this, the author’s relationship with music is reinforced, almost to the point of being didactic. In Murakami’s book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, we get to understand his passion for running. There are eight stories in all and the magic unleashed is a testament to not only Murakami but also his polyglot translator Philip Gabriel.
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