Health & Fitness
A BART System Service Employee Who Loves Jazz
Ernest Shiloh, a Richmond-based BART service worker was selected for my first man in the street interview. He shared aspects of his working life and after hours love of jazz.
I decided to take the plunge and do a Man in the Street Interview like the ones Steve Allen nailed down with Tom Poston and Howard Morris on 50's TV.
And since I'd been a weekly commuter to Richmond Amtrak, slipping in and out of the Bart station, I singled out a spry man to corner, who swept the premises with an eternal smile. He always extended a cordial handshake to passengers who seemed to know him.
Ernest Shiloh, a BART "system service worker" had been assigned to the Richmond station after decades of working in various related locales.
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His very first job was in the Concord Yards 36 years ago.
"I was a car cleaner," the 63-year old said proudly with a robust smile.
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It was the right moment to share a tidbit about my grandpa, who worked the South Bronx freight yards for the New York Central Railroad.
The information put us on an equal footing.
"What was your most fulfilling assignment over a span of nearly 4 working decades?" I inquired.
"It was definitely the Rockridge BART," he shot back. "It had the best atmosphere with its quaint shops, restaurants, aromas, and interesting people."
He was so articulate, I conjectured that he'd been raised in a cosmopolitan area of the country.
"So what were your roots? Were your folks from California?"
"Well my people way back in time came up from Louisiana and Arkansas," he admitted.
Louisiana rang a musical bell. Did his family reside in the heart of jazz country, the hub of rhythm and blues?
"No, not too close to New Orleans," he answered, "but still, I'm a big jazz lover!"
I steered the conversation to music, my home turf.
"So what are your jazz favorites?"
He jumped back with a quick reply.
"I like straight ahead style music played by Wynton Marsalis, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, and Satchmo.
"For vocals, I dig Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone."
"What about jazz pianists?" I asked.
"For me it's about Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson!"
I wooed him back to Satchmo just as I recalled a duo on You tube with Ella Fitzgerald. But the song title eluded me.
"Yeah, I know that one. It's fabulous! 'They can't that away from me.'"
He spared me an agonizing memory loss!
Suddenly, the music swirled around my head, seeping through a whoosh of BART trains.
"So what about RAP?" I asked. "What's your take on it?"
"Well, I really don't like the dirty lyrics and all. But then again, it's a sign of the times."
"Sign of the times?" That was the perfect segue way to Richmond's economic and social problems.
"How have things changed in this city?" I inquired.
"Well, things were different back in the 50's when I was growing up. Schools were better. Less crime. Neighbors looked after each other. Now it's dangerous to walk in the streets."
It was a day following the Chevron refinery fire, and Richmond folks were revved up and angry. They were venting at a town meeting.
Ernest hadn't attended any over the years but said he wouldn't rule out an active pitch-in for reform.
***
Time was passing and he needed to excuse himself.
I glanced down at my clock and made a mad dash to the Amtrak platform just as Ernest gracefully resumed sweeping a large BART station space. He definitely had the swagger of a man who liked his work.
