Not so lit-rary. But, after chorus practice last night, I caught up with Ruth and some old friends at a jazz house in Tokyo named "B-flat." Caught most of the last set by Ping Bongo <http://www.dairo-pb.com>. The five crazy guys in the original band have now been joined by a young, female singer/saxophone player, stage name "Sally"— long legs, black slinky dress and a Red Army cap tilted at what struck me as a Marlene Dietrich angle. The dress and the jewelry worn with it would have been plain fashion-addict. The Red Army cap took the costume to a different dimension, right in tune with the happy insanity that the men in the band project. John -- John McCreery The Word Works, Ltd., Yokohama, JAPAN Tel. +81-45-314-9324 jlm@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.wordworks.jp/