Constellation, on the north side of Chicago, just might be the finest jazz club in America that I still haven't visited. I'm looking forward to rectifying that.

Mike Reed, a drummer, composer, bandleader and organizer of boundless vitality and bright ideas, is the owner of Constellation. And he has not only graciously agreed to open the club's doors; he will take part in a conversation with me about the book and its themes. Reed will also offer a tantalizing preview of The City Was Yellow: The Chicago Suite, which he's presenting the following night at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival.