Joni

Joni was a talented singer. She sang jazz and blues classics at the Renaissance Bohemia. She was a happy go lucky girl, divorced with a ten year old son. 

She was 29 and wanted more than anything to have her own record out with her band and to tour the world. With her talent, it was more than possible, yet the record labels had shown little or no interest in her demos. Jazz and Blues was not hot at the moment they felt. 

It would take a miracle for them to realise the talent, passion and personality she possessed. 

She was not one to take things to heart so easily. She had been on the stage since she was eleven years old, since the time her mother used to take her along for her shows and introduce her to a new audience every night and she would perform a song or two. 

The musicians in her mother’s band loved her and some of them were now performing in her band since her mother died about ten years ago. 

Her most requested song was ‘Bastard Husband Blues’. She sang it with true feeling and lots of humour, as she had lived with the bloody bastard. 

She had paid her dues and was awaiting the next train to jazz town, where she knew that jazz and blues were hot. She was patient and knew that time would give her the opportunity. 

And again, when it rains, it pours. 

A veteran jazz record producer caught her show at Bohemia and went across and introduced himself during the break. She was cautiously excited but did not let on. 

He wanted her to cut a record with him and he would handle the record label. He told her that she would follow the record with a tour of international jazz festivals and be on the road for nine months of the year. 

On hearing this, she said that she could not do it, with tears in her eyes. She could not be away from her young son for such a long tour. 

Just then, her son ‘Jazz’ who had overheard the conversation came up to her and told her ‘Mom, don’t worry about me. I will be fine, I will stay with Nana. But you have to do it for us. I want to see you win a Grammy.’ 

Joni was in tears hugging her son who now looked so mature and said ‘Yes Jazz, I will do it for us.”

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