Jam Session with Lazy and Co – 4th Chapter from SHE AND THE BLUES - an original short story by @shemZee

n this chapter, Stan and Stella embark on a mysterious journey that leads them to a villa zone, guided by a confident taxi driver. They arrive at a large gate, where they are greeted by Lazy, a small man in a red football jersey, and introduced to a group of musicians. The setting is a sprawling yard filled with musical equipment and instruments.

As the evening progresses, they are joined by various guests, including Mr. Dimo D, Petko the Flutist, Mims, Rosen, and the enigmatic Don Pedro. A spontaneous jam session ensues, starting with a blues improvisation led by Stan, weaving through various solos and musical interludes contributed by each musician.

The highlight arrives when Rosen, initially silent, mesmerizes everyone with his extraordinary talent, capturing the spirit of the blues in his performance. The night continues with more musical collaborations, creating an unforgettable experience for Stella.

Jam Session with Lazy and Co

They were silent in the taxi. Stella noticed they had left the city and entered the villa zone. The driver clearly knew exactly where he was taking them, confidently navigating through the alleys between the villas. After about ten minutes of silent driving, he stopped in front of a large black gate and said:
• 'We've arrived.'
• 'Do I owe you anything?' - asked Stan.
• 'No, everything's paid for. Goodbye.'
• 'Goodbye.' Stan dialed someone on the phone and said, "'Shazam, open up!'" Stella chuckled. However, after two minutes, the door indeed opened, revealing a small man in a red football jersey with a Union Jack bandana on his head.
• 'Oh, welcome!' - he turned to Stella and, extending his hand, introduced himself - 'Svetlozar, better known as Lazy.'"
• "Im Stella, pleased to meet you..." she said softly, barely audible, but smiled and didn't shift her gaze. • Lazy nudged Stan's shoulder as they greeted each other and said to him: • "Come on, my man, come help us set up the gear. We unloaded everything a little while ago." • Stan and Stella followed him and found themselves in a large, well-maintained yard. A massive amount of cables, speakers, amplifiers, and microphones were piled up on the trimmed grass. On the side, leaning against the house, Stella saw several cases of acoustic and electric guitars with colorful stickers on them. After a while, other guests appeared, and Lazy introduced them colorfully: • "Mr. Dimo D, an amazing guitarist, bluesman, and my friend. Also, our host tonight. This house is his, and tonight we are his guests," he announced as a smiling man with glasses and a checkered shirt emerged from the house. • Mr. Dimo D introduced himself to Stella and Stan, then they began setting up the equipment. Lazy and Stan placed the speakers while Stella took charge of arranging the drinks. There was a large garden table and various chairs stacked next to each other, some even on top of each other. Stella tried to organize them as best as possible. Soon, the other guests arrived - Petko the Flutist (as expected, a flutist and a musician in the local philharmonic, a huge Jethro Tull fan), Mims (a beautiful mulatto from Cuba, a singer), and Rosen with his shy smile and ever-present baseball cap that he never took off while playing because he believed it brought him luck. "Last to arrive was Don Pedro - a nearly two-meter giant with blue eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Lazy mentioned he was an artist by profession, but music always drew him in. His face resembled a clone of Lars Ulrich, but with short hair and sideburns, and in beliefs - a mix of Beatles with a bit of rockabilly and jazz. Drinks were poured, the main cocktail being gin and tonic, but some had mojitos (Stella) and vodka with cola (Mims). Everyone settled in a semicircle, and Stan set the first theme for improvisation - a blues in B minor. Stan played the bass notes on his semi-acoustic guitar, and by the second beat, everyone recognized ZZ Top's 'Blue Jean Blues.' Lazy aimed his camera at Stan, then at Mims, who kept the rhythm with a djembe, then at Stella, who ignited with excitement while barely shaking a maraca, afraid to disrupt, then at Dimo, who suddenly joined in with his Telecaster and played the first solo. Don Pedro and Rosen just held onto their guitars, waiting for their turn. Rosen cradled a beautiful French Lag, while Don Pedro was just plugging in his black and white Rickenbacker. When Dimo finished his solo, Mims belted out:" Don Pedro joined in. The tone of his Rickenbacker was subdued, round, smoky - a sound that caressed, soothed, and lightly scratched. His beautiful lips curved into a smile as his fingers managed to extract some particularly beautiful tones. Following Don Pedro's solo, the delicate sound of the flute emerged. It gave an unexpected jazz hue to their improvisation. Suddenly, everyone stopped without a signal, without looking at each other, just following the pattern. Then, Rosen, who had been silent until then, burst out: "If I ever get back my blue jean Lord, how happy could one man be..." His voice - powerful and tender simultaneously - made Lazy, who was roaming with the camera, stop and capture him in a close-up. Then he played. With the first notes, everyone realized that among them wasn't just a virtuoso, but it seemed as though the very spirit of Blues had descended among them tonight. Rosen played with a slight wah-wah effect and entirely differently from the rest. It was as if he was painting with sounds. Stella understood why Stan insisted on working with Rosen and what he meant by "we'll play the blues." When he finished, the others stopped too. "- Man, I got it recorded!" exclaimed Lazy, delighted. "What an improvisation!" • "Nice one, really good, bro," praised Don Pedro, smiling at Rosen. "Listen now!" And after winking at him, he started swirling, accompanying himself: "I'm battered and bruised. I got lines I can't use. My head won't deliver. Well, I'm sold down the river. But I'm turning again." Stella whispered to Stan: • "That's Jethro... 'Gold Tipped Boots, Black Jacket and Tie.' I have it on vinyl. I've never heard it live, and... it's amazing." Rosen watched the chords and followed the melody. The flutist, Petko, stood up and played straight. His favorite band, his favorite music... The others clapped to keep the rhythm, but the main performers remained Don Pedro and Petko the Flutist. Lazy roamed with the camera, crouched, spun around to not miss a thing. Then Rosen and Petko played some jazz piece that turned out to be familiar to both. Stella genuinely enjoyed herself. Live music had an entirely different effect. She was on her third cocktail by now. After midnight, the Flutist left. Mims and Don Pedro also left together. Lazy ambiguously noted that she didn't have an artist in her collection, but he had a mulatto. Stella shivered at the word "collection." • "Collecting what? Memories turned into trophies? Hunting trophies..." she asked. • "Yes, something like that," Stan replied. At some point, Lazy suggested: • "What if we try to come up with something here, now? Something original?" • "I have something... started," said Stan. • "Go for it, man," encouraged him Dimo. "Let's hear it!" • "Okay. It goes like this…” • And he played the melody. • "Superb," said Dimo. "Do you have lyrics?" • "I do." • "What's it called?" • "It's called 'Words of love.'" • "I want to be part of this too!" exclaimed Lazy, leaving the camera aside. "After all, percussionists have the right to live music, don't they? Anyone keen to film?" • "I am," unexpectedly chimed in Stella. • "Here. You watch from here, start and stop from here, this is your zoom if you want to show something closer. Can you handle it?" She nodded. Stan sat next to Rosen, while Lazy and Dimo settled opposite them. Stella turned on the camera. First, she captured Stan's hands, then slowly revealed his face. Just as he began to sing and then shifted to his guitar. Next, she moved to Rosen, who improvised on the melody, focusing closely on his fingers, then turning to Lazy. She filmed his hands with the maracas, then shifted to his feet, where he had attached some kind of clap he was using to keep time. Finally, she showed his face, then Dimo, who was easier to capture, seated on a tall "stork" type stool, nearly embracing his guitar. While filming, she caught a part of the lyrics: “Can you hear the silent words of love A secret language were both dreamin`of”
Upon the rhythm built by Lazy's maracas and clapping, along with Stan's semi-acoustic guitar, Dimo added figures and decorations similar to drawings, underlining the delicate lyrics. At one point, he glanced at Rosen and called out to him:
"Come on, Ros, it's your turn, man!"
Rosen smiled, and a gentle rain of elegant tones embraced Stan's words. Stella shivered and zoomed straight into Rosen's hands. In the fingers creating this magic, then she showed Dimo, then Lazy, and returned to a close-up of Stan's face. She felt incredibly excited and barely restrained herself from rushing towards Stan right there and then.
When they finished the piece, Lazy checked if Stella had recorded everything, then announced a break. He played some jazz instrumental from the console, and everyone, except Rosen, focused on their drinks. He didn't drink or smoke, didn't talk much; he had no other passion but music.
• "This last song," began Stella, raising her glass. "It should be recorded. I'd even like to have it."
• "On vinyl?" asked Stan, lighting a cigarette.
• "Yes, it would be great," she replied. "There are places that can make a vinyl record from a digital recording."
• "That's an idea," chimed in Lazy. "But have you just heard about it or do you know of such a place?"
• "I know. I buy records from them, also needles for a turntable, that kind of stuff..."
• "Do you have a turntable?" Lazy was surprised.
• "Yes. Thanks to Stan. I have it again."
After half an hour, they disconnected the setups, wound up the cables, and Lazy called a taxi. After another fifteen minutes, Stan and Stella were already in the record room.
"Did you like it?" he asked. "Very much." "Really?" "Really. Now she wants..." "To play music on vinyl?" "Yes. And also this..." Stella went to the turntable and seconds later, it thumped Crawlin' King Snake. "Wow! The Doors? She mentioned she wants something else? If I understood correctly, 'and this'..." "Yes. She thinks the king snake, in this case, is a phallic symbol. And she wants to check." "I have no objection." He slowly approached her, and she turned off the lamp. In the darkness, only Morrison's voice was heard:
“Come on, give me what I want Ain't gonna crawl no more”

END OF CHAPTER 4
Songs mentioned in the story
Blue Jean Blues by ZZ top

Gold Tipped Boots, Black Jacket and Tie by Jethro Tull

Silent Words of Love by Bereg

Crawling King Snake by The Doors