From Christmas Eve at noon until Christmas night, Evening Melancholy will be playing exclusively classic Christmas jazz and vocal tunes. Tune in and have a Happy Holiday.

James Bain received a life sentence in prison at the age of 19 for the kidnapping and rape of a nine year old boy. 35 years later, he is released when DNA evidence reveals that he was not the perpetrator of the crime. His statement to reporters upon his release? “I’m not angry”.

Probably the most productive and rich part of his life was snatched away from him and he was allowed to rot in prison for 35 years for a crime he did not commit, and he’s not angry? I can’t imagine ever being so at peace with myself and God that I wouldn’t curse the world and everything in it for the rest of my days.

Of the 245 people in the United States whom DNA testing has exonerated, none has spent more time behind bars than Bain, according to the Innocence Project, a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through such testing.

The man sent four handwritten motions for an appeal, all denied, before he was given a new hearing after his fifth motion.

There isn’t a check big enough that could give this man back what the justice system stole away from him.

If jazz music is my home, classical music is the next door neighbor I like but don’t know enough about to have drinks or discuss politics with.

I was sitting at home this evening, listening to the sleep inducing combination of raindrops pelting my windowpanes and a heady mixture of classical piano when Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 began to play. Upon hearing the song, I immediately sat up and said, “That’s ‘Till The End of Time’!” I did. I said that. Out loud. Ask my cat. He heard me. He stared at me annoyingly before licking his hindquarters and haughtily sashaying out of the room.

I know that this little tidbit has probably been known by classical music lovers and Perry Como lovers for quite some time — that the composer of Till the End of Time, Ted Mossman, basically sampled Chopin’s song to create the melody for the 1945 hit song. Of course, people probably thought it was a brilliant “emulation” back then, whereas today, people refer to such a move as theft.

Anyway, perhaps you didn’t know, and you found this bit of information just as enlightening as I did. If you did, you’re welcome. If you didn’t, here’s the part of the blog where you haughtily sashay (click) away from this posting.