In Fall 1986, I saw Sun Ra and His Arkestra at a third-floor venue in Oakland, California, with room for about seventy-five people, including twentyish performers in the band. The place was crowded, the music was hot, the crowd was sweaty, and it was magnificent. Yet it seemed sad that Sun Ra was playing in such a small place. I remembered that tonight while listening to the Fabio Gouvea Quintet at Beclys in Basel: a five-piece band and an audience of about 30 people. But now it seems joyful to spend an evening in a small community of listeners and great musicians (Jorge Rossy, Charlie Rose, Thiago Duarte, and Mauro Martins). (Andrew Shields, #111words, 6 March 2026)