# 19 - Girl From Ipanema

Hamming it Up at age 6

The song Girl From Ipanema came out when I was 6 and for some reason I loved it. It was 1964 and my family was living in a "Mad Men" sort of world, in New York. I remember hamming it up with an imaginary microphone at one of my parents' gatherings. The apartment was filled with cigarette smoke and clinking cocktail glasses and I was over by the record player, singing along.  

 "...the girl from Ipanema goes walking and when she passes, each one she passes goes...Ahhh!" I loved exaggerating the sigh. I could usually get at least one adult to laugh.

Jazz Quartet

Recently I enjoyed an evening at the Brown Palace in Denver with old college friend, Martha. A jazz quartet played in the Atrium and we left our martinis with our husbands.

​Making a Request

The piano player of course knew the Grammy winning Brazilian bossa nova song. What a hoot, when he recognized Martha. Last December, he spotted her (and her talent) in the audience during a holiday performance and invited her to sing White Christmas. The season was wrong, or I would have demanded a repeat performance. Instead we did a little dancing to my song request.

Another Hotel Bar

The very next night, Don and I stayed at The Armstrong in Fort Collins, CO. The basement bar was hopping with a somewhat retro, cocktail lounge vibe. Once again, I was feeling like I'd stepped into that world of 1963-64.

​Ace Gillet's Lounge

There was no saxophone in this trio, but the sound was smooth and sweet!  I once again made my request. I didn't ham it up with a fake mic, but I did quietly sigh at the right part.  It wasn't nearly as much fun without Martha, but I felt pretty delighted celebrating the song, 2 nights in a row!