Nat Hentoff’s public profile is that of a strident left-wing columnist and first amendment crusader, but privately, he’s always dreamed of being a jazzer. “Starting when I was eleven, jazz musicians were the adults I most admired, even more than Ted Williams and some of his colleagues on the Boston Red Sox. Their music so lifted me up that at times I’d shout in pleasure and surprise, even though I was a relatively proper Boston boy who did not ordinarily disturb the public peace… And I measured the other adults I knew against these musicians’ resilience of spirit. They made their living as improvisers, taking chances in public every night. Challenging themselves was their natural way of life.”