Andres Ramos has an incredible musical talent that takes the best of jazz, rock, salsa and hip-hop and fuses it into something that is unique and pure. He has huge dreams of being a star, but mostly he wants to be remembered for making a lasting contribution to music. Glory Martinez, ultra-sensitive and fearful of failure, has her own dreams of Olympic softball medals. Somehow, she is calmer and more proficient when Andy comes to practices and games and plays his trumpet just for her, and Andy plays with special intensity at performances when Glory is in the audience. Ritter has crafted a work that is far beyond the ordinary. It’s about music and softball, dreams and passion, courage and loyalty and mysticism. The characters are eccentric and dynamic, as is the Ocean Beach, Calif. community in which they live. Even the language is multi-layered, mixing music, sport and street talk with soaring imagery. Three of “Andy’s” songs are added as a special gift at the end of this truly remarkable work. (Fiction. 12-16)
