BEST BET

We were in our jazz phase the other day at home. Shucked our identity, rolled it up and threw it in the back of the closet. Put it back on later. We were going to coast for a while.

We slid on the Ray Bans.

Our walk was slow and purposeful. The voice was mellow. Throaty.

The Formidable Companion called us by name. We didn’t answer.

“Call us Buddy or Red or Miles or Coleman or Lester or Thelonious,” we said, finally.

“Hush Mouth is more like it,” she said.

Hush Mouth. We liked that. This woman had potential.

She watched us for a few minutes make a fool of ourselves playing air saxophone to the record player, then told us that versatile reed man Buddy Collette would be leading a quintet in an evening of jazz at the Beverly Hills Library on Saturday at 8 p.m. Vocalist Cheryl Conley would also be on the bill. Admission would be $15. Would we want to go?

“Solid,” we said.

“Idiot,” she replied.