‘Can I ask you something now?’ I say after a moment.
‘What about?’
‘Your accent. When you speak to me, you sound English, but you went full-on Jamaican when you were talking to Raphael.’
‘Yes,’ he says simply. I wait for a moment to see if he’s going to elaborate, but it seems not.
‘Which are you?’ I ask.
‘I guess I’m probably a bit of both,’ he tells me after another pause. ‘I’ve spent time in both places.’
That’s as clear as mud then. I’d like to press him for details, but I get the impression he’s said all he wants to on this particular subject, so I decide to change tack.
‘Do you play in other hotels, or just the Elixir?’
‘I play all over the place.’ His eyes are sparkling with something that looks like mischief as he speaks, and I get the distinct impression that he’s toying with me in some way. ‘Tell me something,’ he continues. ‘What sort of music do you like?’
‘All sorts, really,’ I reply. ‘Well, I’m not massively into classical, actually, and jazz just winds me up, but most other types.’
‘Why does jazz wind you up?’
‘It just comes across as incredibly pretentious to me, and the music never seems to go anywhere. It’s like they’re making it up as they go along.’
‘Hm. That sounds like you’re describing modern jazz. What about the more traditional stuff? Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington?’
‘I’ve heard the names, but I don’t know their music,’ I admit.
‘What about Gershwin? You must have heardRhapsody in Blue.’
‘It rings a bell, but I can’t remember it.’
‘“Summertime”?’ He begins to sing softly, and I immediately recognise the song.
‘I do know that,’ I tell him.
‘Do you like it?’
‘It’s OK. I guess I’m probably more of a pop person. What about you?’
‘Pretty much all kinds of music have their merits,’ he says. ‘Although I’m not a fan of songs where the backing is obviously a computer-generated track, which I’m afraid rules out a lot of the latest stuff.’
‘I’m not sure I’d know the difference.’
‘Oh, I think you would. Take Queen as an example of how to do it right. There are plenty of other bands in the same boat, but I’ll use them. Everyone agrees that Freddie Mercury had an incredible voice, but all of them were superb musicians. Brian May could make an electric guitar dance on the head of a pin, Roger Taylor was a maestro on the drums, and John Deacon’s bass playing was right up there as well. In comparison to that, a lot of what’s being produced now feels soulless, like it’s just being pumped out of a pop factory somewhere.’
I smile at him. ‘Queen is kind of retro though.’
‘Fair point. I guess I picked them because my dad liked them, so they were the soundtrack of my childhood. If you want more modern examples, you could take someone like Imagine Dragons or Bastille.’
‘Still a bit retro,’ I tell him.
‘Which kind of backs up what I was saying about a lot of the modern stuff, doesn’t it?’
Evidently satisfied that he’s made his point, he takes a mouthful of his beer and leans back in his seat. I’m trying to think of ways to prolong the conversation as I sip on my rum punch. It may be refreshing but it’s also seriously strong, and I can feel my normal British politeness starting to slip.
‘Tell me more about your childhood,’ I blurt suddenly, immediately cursing myself silently for being so invasive.
‘What?’ Thankfully he looks puzzled rather than offended.
