#driving lessons with jazz <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[silumivs]

unfinished danny spreads

[irisintheafterglow]

lights, camera, bitch, smile!

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺ now playing: taylor swift - "i can do it with a broken heart"

summary: it's your first time headlining the biggest music festival in the country, and your guitarist is nowhere to be found. good thing your other headliner-- and billboard chart rival-- can play guitar, right? right? (rockstar!gojo x popstar!reader)

wc: 2.73k

cw/tags: implied fem!reader but gn pronouns used, rivals to lovers, he falls first, mild angst (descriptions of a panic attack)/fluff with happy ending

note: this is another fic as a part of @ficsforgaza and a gift for @um-no-ok for donating and supporting palestinian families! interested in being a part of this initiative? check out my masterpost ! hope you enjoy this, i had a lot of fun writing it :)

likes, reblogs, and replies are appreciated!

“You’re sure the flight is still running late?” You plead, head in your hands as the tech lead, your publicist, and your manager sit apologetically on the other sofa in your trailer. “We can’t send out a car to go grab them from the airport as soon as they land?”

“Getting off festival grounds will be hard enough, not to mention battling the traffic of incoming guests,” the tech guy reminds you with a shake of his head, exhaling deeply as his radio crackles, another warning that you need to be on stage to sound check. In a matter of hours, you would be headlining the biggest music festival in the country, and both your guitarists were stranded hundreds of miles away. They should have known better than to take a gig right before the festival, but you let them do it anyway because it was only a 30 minute flight between the airports. But, after a stray bird flock nearly downed another passenger plane, the tarmac was backed up for the time being. “Can you try asking around to see if someone can fill in for them?”

“And maybe hire them instead,” your publicist mutters under her breath, seething. You shoot her a wry smile, absentmindedly fidgeting with the plug of your in-ear monitors.

“The band is out trying to find guitarists, but it’ll be hard to ask someone to fill in because of scheduling issues and the number of stages there are this year.” Your manager takes a peek at her watch and looks at you with regret. “You need to go soundcheck, guitarists or not.” 

“We have a drummer, a bassist, two keyboardists, and a vocalist. You’re gonna make them go out there with a jazz band and expect them to sing the biggest pop songs on the planet?” Your publicist, bless her heart, voices what you’d been dreading since you got the call from your lead guitarist. It was the biggest test to your professionalism since your career took off and you silently wished you’d paid attention to those tour bus guitar lessons. “How bad would it be to push back the set, even thirty minutes?”

“Bad, very bad. There’ve already been more delays than anticipated that aren’t music related,” the tech lead replies with a grimace. Your publicist curses under her breath and gives you a look telling you to get on stage. “And, it’s too late to fly in guitar tracks, even if we had them.” Shit. You’d just have to trust your team to figure something out, you figure, grabbing your sunglasses from the coffee table and exiting the trailer. 

The rest of your band is already plugged in by the time the golf cart drives you to the main stage where you’d be performing. The ruthless summer sun competed with barely any clouds, blazing anything in its sight and leaving you breaking a sweat, even in the shade. A stage hand slips a wireless pack onto the waistband of your shorts and the click of the volume knob brings you the dweedling sounds of your band. The audience lot is relatively empty, thankfully, save for a few brave souls who were taking care of sound. Steeling your nerves, you shoot the audio tent a thumbs up, pop in your in-ears, and wait for the click track to run. 

CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Intro, 2-3-4. 1…2…1-2-3 and– 

The synth intro of your walkout song rings concerningly quiet in your ears and you tap your in-ears a few times, signaling the sound tent with a thumbs-up until the rest of the keyboards are audible. Not a great start to sound check, but that’s what this time was for, right?

CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Drums and bass in. 1…2…1-2-3 and– 

Nothing. 

The click continues its monotonous beat and you vaguely make out bass at the bottom of your mix, but you and your drummer look at each other with the same confused expression. She taps her ears, shaking her head. 

“W-Wait, wait, wait. Can we stop, please?” You speak your request into your mic, disheartened to not hear your own voice in your mix. The synths stop abruptly, as does bass, and a dozen tech people rush onstage to fix various audio problems. “This is a nightmare,” you mutter, wiping the beads of sweat accumulated on your forehead. 

“It’s always mix issues, isn’t it?” As if your irritation couldn’t increase, your eye twitches on its own when you register the voice of the person standing at the bottom of the stage. All shining white hair and dark, round rimmed sunglasses, Gojo Satoru was the last person you wanted to be interacting with. To say he looked good would be an understatement and your eyes look for any place to focus on other than his chest under his unbuttoned shirt. “For what it’s worth, you sound pretty on the mic.”

“What do you want?” Your voice is tired already, as is your entire body. Figuring out who would replace both your guitarists had sapped your energy and doors weren’t even open yet. “I don’t have the time nor the energy to debate with you today–”

“Heard you were looking for guitarists,” he cuts in and you narrow your eyes. The last thing you needed was your Billboard chart rival mocking you and your current situation. “Oh, c’mon. Don’t look at me like that. You and I both know you’re in a less-than-ideal spot right now.”

“Choose your next words very wisely, Gojo,” you seethe, using every ounce of your willpower to remain civil. “If you’re here to tease me, I don’t wanna fucking hear it.” 

“I wanna help you,” he says before you’ve stalked out of earshot. “I can fill in for your lead and Suguru can play rhythm. I’ve already talked to him about it and he’s down. We’ve got the chords alright, but if anything funky happens, we’ll just follow your bassist. We’re pros for a reason, aren’t we?” 

“I don’t need your help, Gojo,” you lie, desperately looking around for anything to get you out of this conversation. 

“Thought I told you to call me Satoru when we were at that awards show.” His voice was always velvet smooth, disarmingly charming, and you hated the way it drew you in like a moth to a candle. 

“I don’t remember that; and, if you did, I still don’t care.” We’re back on, says a voice through your ears. Starting the click on your cue, lead. 

“Seems like you don’t remember a lot about what happened that night. I wouldn’t mind recounting it for you since it seemed like you had so much fun,” he baits coolly and you fall for it, storming back to the front of the stage and looking him square in his pretty face. Memory remnants of dancing in colorful strobe lights and running your hands through his hair appear in your mind’s eye before you can stop them, and it must register on your face. “Ah, so maybe you do remember what happened if you’re this angry about it.”

“We’re rivals, Gojo,” you hiss, your vision close to going scarlet. “We’re not supposed to be buddy-buddy, and what happened at that afterparty was a slip of my better judgment.”

“We’re not supposed to be, or you’re scared to be?” His question hangs in the air and you have no choice but to glare at him, waiting for him to back down when you know he never will. After a long pause, he sighs, raking his fingers through his hair. “Look, I know you’re in need of guitarists and I just wanna help. Consider it a favor.”

“Favors need to be paid back,” you counter skeptically, “and you’re the last person I want to owe.” 

“Not my kind of favors,” he says, more genuinely than you’re used to him being. “Just…think about it, yeah?” You don’t have time to dwell on why he was being so nice to you, though, as you give the audio tent a thumbs-up again. CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Intro, 2-3-4. 1…2…1-2-3 and– 

By the time you’ve suffered through soundcheck, changed into your stage outfit, and inhaled more setting spray than should be considered healthy, the sun has become a laser. Gojo is nowhere to be found, thankfully, and you spend the rest of the time before your set pacing your trailer like a caged animal. There wasn’t any room in your mind to think about the crowd, the heat, or the extensive team counting on you to make it a worthwhile show. All that you could focus on was your lack of guitarists and the proposition from your #1 enemy in the music industry. Before you could cross from the kitchen tile to the living area carpet for the umpteenth time, the door threw itself open to reveal your breathless manager. 

“We found guitarists! Let’s go, before they change their mind,” she commands. You thank the music festival gods for whomever she found, even happier knowing that it couldn’t be Gojo and Geto because their band had just finished on the other largest stage. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you answer uneasily, still reeling from switching panic-mode into show-mode within minutes. “Let’s just hope they’re good.” 

This next artist needs no introduction…

The golf cart parks sidestage. 

Dominating the pop charts for twelve straight weeks, taking the industry by storm…

You wink at the handful of screaming fans that spot you before ducking backstage. 

And nominated for the most prestigious awards in the music world…

The stagehand slips the pack onto the waistband of your pants and hands you a mic. 

Performing live and streaming around the world… [CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Intro, 2-3-4. 1…2…1-2-3 and–] Make some noise for–

“Yo, Satoru. You got an extra pick?” Your synths come in at the same time you whirl around, heart dropping into your stomach when you see the two guitarists behind you. You recognize Geto with his signature black hair tied up in a bun and catching rays of sunlight reflecting off the turtle shell body of his electric guitar. The limited interactions you had with Geto were pleasant, but the same couldn’t be said about the other musician fishing a pick from his leather pants. “Thanks,” Geto says as he sticks the spare in his pocket, clocking your shocked expression and giving you an apologetic shrug. “Sorry we’re a little late, the set ran a little long because this dumbass wanted to do another encore. I made the golf cart guy race over here, though.” He motions in the direction of your temporary lead guitarist, who unsuccessfully tries to clean his sunglasses with his fishnet shirt. “Oi, hotshot. Get ready, we’re on soon.” CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Drums and bass in. 1…2…1-2-3 and– 

“They’re smudged,” Gojo pouts and you act without thinking, snatching the glasses from his hands, wiping it on your own costume, and handing it back to him without meeting his gaze. “Oh. Thank you,” he mumbles, sticking them on his face and trying to catch your eye. There were too many things happening at once for you to worry about him.

“Mhmm. Thanks for filling in,” you choke out with no trace of malice, the pressure in your forehead and chest becoming suffocating. The gravity of your performance crashes down on you in one disorienting wave and you blink in an attempt to clear the sudden blurry spots in your vision. Hundreds of thousands of eyes, waiting on you, watching you, worshiping you. The biggest performance of your career thus far, and you were going onstage prepared with nothing but a terrible soundcheck and two rock stars that probably didn’t give a shit about pop music. It was too much, it was all too much–

“Hey.” It’s him, breaking through the static as the click fades into the background, any panic replaced by the feeling of your biggest rival lightly touching the side of your face. He wipes a stray bead of sweat from your forehead, and you’re close enough to see every shimmering fleck of turquoise in his eyes. The crowd noise is staggering, but all he sees is you. “You look beautiful.” 

“Satoru,” you whisper, barely able to verbalize your panic. He understands anyway, confidence radiating from his body. 

“I’m with you. I’ve gotcha,” he reassures you, letting you mirror him as he takes a deep breath. “You trust me?” CLICK! 2-3-4. CLICK! 2-3-4. Guitars in, vocals enter. 1…2…1-2-3 and–

“I-I do.” 

“Great.” His grin is dazzling, heart-stopping. All of him, he’s yours. “Let’s have some fun, then.” 

— 

You sleepily blink open an eye as you register the ringtone for your publicist playing on the nightstand. Outstretching a tired arm, you find it a little hard to move with the other occupant of the bed securing you against his chest. You mutter Satoru’s name, unsure if he’s awake yet; he grunts with his eyes still closed and you figure it’s unconscious, the way his muscles tighten around your waist to pull you closer. You groan as the phone screen blinks off, then on again with another insistent call. 

“Satoru, you need to let me go.”

“I already did that once,” he mumbles into the pillowcase, “and I’m not making that mistake again.”

“I need to pick up the phone, baby. It’s my publicist,” you counter gently and it’s his turn to groan, reluctantly peeling away to rub his eyes. “Thank you,” you say sweetly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before answering the phone. 

There you are. Good morning, Sleeping Beauty, says your publicist, her incredulity obvious.

“Mhmm, good morning to you too. Everything okay?” You squint against the morning sun breaking through the windows of Satoru’s loft, the city skyline casting rainbows on the walls. 

Everything’s great, just wanted to let you know what’s been happening media-wise. 

“They figure out where we are yet?”

Not yet, no. But, you know how these things go. They’ll find you eventually, so savor the time you have with him now. Right now, you have a lot of late-night outlets asking for interviews and a few charity ball performances lined up. It’s all stuff you can handle, don’t worry. Aside from the scheduling talk, her warnings were things you already knew. It was weeks before social media users finally settled down after Satoru and Suguru joined you on stage. Satoru had even convinced you to create a burner account so you could scroll through all the edits and fancams of you two. Now that you’d reconciled your feelings about Satoru and agreed to let you two make up for all the time you lost to your stubbornness, it was relatively peaceful. On another note, I did see a pretty cute reel counting all the times he looked at you during your festival set. 

“Yeah? And how many times was it?”

More than you looked at him, which is saying something, she chuckles. I’m still reeling from how chaotic the crowd was when those two walked out with you. You’d think there was a fire breaking out, or something. 

“They were pretty loud, weren’t they?” You smile softly at the memory of strutting out in your boots with Satoru and Suguru on either side of you. “I think they went crazier when Satoru started soloing, though.”

“I’m not called the best for nothing, sweetheart,” he murmurs from behind you with a smirk. “These hands are worth millions, and you get them for free–”

“Okay, that’s enough from you,” you cut in before he says anything more. “Please, ignore him.”

What’d he say? 

“Nothing important.” Your cheeks heat and you shoot him a look over your shoulder, only to be met by a self-satisfied wink that makes your heart race. 

I’ll take your word for it. What’s your plans for today? 

“Breakfast, probably, and then maybe head down to the shopping district.”

That’s pretty public, no? 

“I don’t mind. I’m ready for whatever they throw at us,” you shrug, honestly feeling like you couldn’t care less about being seen with Satoru. You look over at him again and find boyish, giddy excitement written all over his face. He was yours and you were his, mind, body, and soul. Let the cameras come, let the tabloids rave, let the fake fans criticize, you think to yourself.

As long as you two were together, you were untouchable.

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[wh0re4women]

Spring Break. (Larissa Weems X Reader.) SFW.

Part 2 here.

Summary: Reader stays at Nevermore during Spring Break. Feeling lonely, she decides to have a drink. Little did she know, Larissa would be back at Nevermore in time to catch her in the act.

Warnings: Alcohol, R being drunk & feeling lonely, glass smashing, platonic Larissa X Reader (friends,, with maybe something there ☕️) sad ish comfort fic <3.

Spring break meant that, as a teacher at Nevermore, you would be free of all responsibilities for a week. Or almost a week, give or take a few days which you usually spent planning lessons before the students arrived back in time for classes.

And considering the old building happened to also be your only home, which also happened to be in the middle of nowhere, it was fair to say that you didn't have much to do during your time off. Sure, you did all you could for the first three days: visits to Jericho, checking out the Spring Markets, endless coffee runs to the Weathervane. You met up with a friend on one occasion and attended a few fitness classes on another. Anything to curb the boredom of living in a tiny town where everyone kept to themselves when it came to Outcasts and all those associated with them — that included you.

Mostly, you just missed the students. And of course, you missed your colleagues. Marilyn had gone out of state to visit family. Larissa on the other hand, ever the hard worker, was on yet another 'work related trip', which meant... Well, you didn't exactly know what it meant. You didn't necessarily care to ask. After all, she was still your boss who deserved to have her privacy, even if you deemed her as one of your closest friends.

In conclusion, you were beginning to feel quite lonely. And feeling lonely meant you'd be needing something to numb that feeling down, at least momentarily.

Alcohol was the perfect solution.

You had risen early on a Thursday morning. Basic chores were completed in efficient timing, leaving you with an entire day to spare once again. The drive down to Jericho was brisk and you were strolling through the sunny streets in record-breaking time. There was no such thing as 'brunch' around Nevermore and not for another one hundred miles out, so your best bet was buying a sad bottle of wine for you to drink all by yourself back at home.

Which is what you were currently occupied with as you swayed your hips to a Jazz song, feeling the alcohol rush to your head as the music spun along the record player. Your grip on the bottle of scarlet liquor was tight, your thumb sealing the lid as to not spill a drop whilst you danced the afternoon away.

By the time the sun began to retire, the straps of your floral mini dress were hanging off your shoulders and the days choice of drink was on its last few inches.

One song began morphing into another, until you couldn't hear lyrics and it was only the instrumental that was running through your bones. You took a swift swig from the glass bottle still in your hand, feeling the sweetness linger on your tongue.

Your clarity was evidently gone as you stumbled into your bathroom, hardly knowing how you had gotten there in the first place, or where the wine that had been in your possession all night had disappeared but you weren't going to fuss over it for long. You'd just have to find another bottle elsewhere, which wouldn't be difficult considering most of the teachers at the school had their own stash of prohibited items hidden away in the teachers lounge, or in their rooms. Hell, even Principal Weems owned a generous selection of alcohol which she confidently kept in her office.

You blew out a weak chuckle. Principal Weems most definitely had wine.

Both of your hands locked firmly onto the bathroom sink as you absentmindedly rocked side to side, trying to focus your glossy eyes onto your reflection in the mirror. God, you'd ridden yourself into a mess of a person — there were remnants of mascara under your eyes, your once perfectly-curled hair now hand-brushed back into what resembled a lions mane. You bit your lip to suppress a stupid giggle.

You didn't care to drink often but when you did drink, you didn't shy away from the alcohol. And once you passed the point of tipsy, there was no telling how far you'd take it before someone had to physically stop you.

Thankfully, no one was around.

Time escaped you once again as you suddenly found yourself in the shadows of the empty Nevermore halls, your journey a blur. You tiptoed (or so you thought) barefoot across the smooth, frigid tile, Larissa's office being your one and only destination.

If you weren't so inebriated, you would've noticed the chill that had your teeth clattering together as you snuck into the tall blonde's office. And maybe, just maybe, you would've noticed the fact that Larissa's fireplace, which hadn't been lit in days, was now blazing hot, casting a warm glow upon the room.

You closed Principle Weems' door with a relieved sigh as the heat of the room engulfed you, bringing life back into your cold skin. Focus, focus, focus, you whisper-chanted to yourself, eyes now dragging along the expanse of the neat room. Larissa had invited you over for drinks in her office many times throughout the year, so it wasn't hard for you to find exactly what you were looking for. And once you held one of the older woman's finer wines in between your fingers, you felt accomplished and greatly amused with yourself for pulling off such a stunt.

That was, up until that same bottle of wine slipped through your clumsy fingers, shattering at your feet as a pool of crimson spread across the hardwood floor, glass shards scattering around your vicinity.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," expletives fell from your pink lips as you ran your fingers through your hair in frustration.

"Oh, goodness! Don't move, [y/n]!"

The sound of Larissa's voice startled you enough for a hiccup to escape your mouth as you wobbled in place, "I-I'm soo sorry," you slurred and Larissa was darting out of her sleeping quarters and behind you in a flash.

You heard the crunch of the glass under her heels, the sound echoing in your head as you sobered up slightly in the critical situation. Before you could hurt yourself, Larissa lifted you bridal-style and you clung onto her grey wool jacket in disorientation.

"Where on Earth are your shoes, [y/n]?!" The Principal questioned as she carried you over to her desk, gently setting you down onto her leather office chair.

"I..." you thought for a second, "I don't know."

Larissa's eyebrows furrowed. She pressed her index finger under your chin before adding pressure, lifting your head so she could see into your eyes.

"Are you drunk?"

You couldn't help but giggle. In retrospect, that was a poor time to do so, considering you'd just wreaked havoc in your boss' office. But in your woozy mind, you thought Larissa was being hilarious.

"All right," the Principal took a deep breath. She scanned the room, eyes landing on the disaster in the far end of her office. She looked back at you. "Stay here. I'm going to bring you some water and something to clean you up, darling. Don't move a muscle. Do you understand, [y/n]?"

You blinked a few times, trying your hardest to understand Larissa's words. After a few confused seconds, you nodded.

"Yes? Then what did I just say?" Larissa asked, raising an eyebrow as she tested your ability to communicate.

"Uhhhm," you looked around the room as if the answer to her question would appear in writing on the walls, until you spotted the huge splatter of liquid on the floor, "There's be-been an accident?"

The Principal muttered something under her breath as she pulled away from you, realising this would be more difficult than she had imagined — you were completely out of it, she'd had a long day of travel, and the past few days had been full of stressful events. The poor woman had barely entered the building before another issue arose. She hadn't even had the time to take off her coat.

Larissa rubbed at her temples. She thought for a second as she watched you spin around in her office chair, surely rendering yourself nauseas. The tall blonde shimmied out of her jacket before clasping onto the arm of the chair, halting your movements. Your head rolled as the world spun and Larissa waited for you to regain focus, leaning down to make sure you could clearly look into her eyes.

"I need you to do me a huge favour, darling," the Principal spoke in seriousness, gaining your full attention as you glanced up at her with glossy doe-eyes, "I'm going to leave the room for one minute and I need you to stay here and take care of my coat, can you do that for me? You have to try your hardest."

You froze as you allowed yourself time for Larissa's words to sink in and she patiently awaited your response.

"I can, I can do that."

"Good girl."

The Principal handed you her jacket and you eagerly wrapped your arms around it, pulling it into your chest as you fell back into the leather seat. Your eyes closed in content as you breathed in her scent and Larissa smiled nervously, taking one last longing look at you before scurrying away.

Luckily, she managed to find cleaning supplies and two bottles of water before your intoxicated mind could even wander towards the possibility of leaving your seat, despite the fact that you had most certainly forgotten her order before she had even stepped foot outside of the office.

By the time that Larissa had cleaned the blood-red droplets from your legs and had finished picking up every little shard of glass from the ground, you had been lulled half asleep and the bottle of water that you'd been given had been abandoned in your coat-clad lap. The Principal took the opportunity to go through her nighttime routine, only this time she completed it in just minutes, too worried that you'd wake up and somehow injure yourself.

When Larissa strolled back into her office, she had a hot cup of tea between her slender fingers and soft, brown slippers on her feet. A silk, long-sleeve pyjama shirt draped around her upper body, with matching pyjama pants covering her toned legs. Larissa would've never thought she'd be able to dress-down like this in front of you, but she was confident you weren't going to remember the night at all by the time tomorrows sun lit up the sky.

She remained wedged against the doorway to her sleeping quarters for a while, sipping gradually on her steamy beverage, awaiting the moment her eyelids began getting heavy.

You shuffled on the chair in your dream-like state, the bottle in your lap rolling off your thighs and onto the floor with a thud, making you flinch awake. Your eyebrows furrowed deeply in annoyance and you heard a gentle chuckle coming from somewhere on your right.

Your eyes met Larissa's and you would've blushed if you hadn't downed almost a litre of liquid courage.

"Shut up."

The Principal's face adorned a playful look as her laughter died down. She knew you weren't serious, no matter how angry you looked.

Larissa raised an eyebrow, "What were you even doing in my office, besides trying to steal my beloved bottles of red?"

You shrugged, "Jus' wanted a drink."

"Is that so? You seem like you've had more than enough, darling. I'm worried about you," the tall blonde spoke sincerely, the importance of the conversation being evident in her voice and on her face.

"Was feeling lonely," you admitted, focusing deeply on the hem of Larissa's jacket all of a sudden, picking at the fuzzy material. You did not want to cry while intoxicated — there was nothing worse than a sobbing, inconsolable, sad drunk.

"Oh, darling," Larissa cooed, immediately dropping the unimpressed-mother act that she was fully intending to make a deal of, and rushing over to set her tea on top of her desk. She knelt in front of you, warm hands reaching up to caress yours, smoothing over your cool skin in a comforting manner. "You could have called me, [y/n]. In fact, you should have—"

"Didn't wanna bother you."

"You're not a bother, darling. Never. Not to me."

There was a pause — a moment where Larissa realised the vulnerable path she was heading down.

She cleared her throat, grabbing the bottle of water that was by her foot before twisting the cap off and handing you the drink. "Here, finish this for me, darling. I'd absolutely despise for you to be hungover tomorrow."

You mumbled a 'thank you', hesitantly taking your first sip. Something about drinking water after consuming alcohol just made you hate the taste of it. But when it was Larissa asking, you couldn't really say no.

The Principal had plenty to say to you, though she didn't believe you were in the right frame of mind to hear any of it, so she swallowed those words and instead opted for something more time appropriate. Like sleep. Which you desperately needed.

"Let's get you back to your room, darling. You need rest."

"Noo!" You suddenly whined, taking the blonde by surprise, yet she remained understanding and patient, listening even as your voice turned to a whisper, "Don't wanna be alone again..."

Larissa's left hand cupped your right knee quickly, "Right, yes. Of course. Sorry, darling. You're more than welcome to stay here tonight, if that makes you feel more comfortable."

You nodded as your eyes felt droopy, still cradling Larissa's clothing in your arms, which didn't at all help raise your energy levels.

"Come on, sweet girl."

The Principal helped you stand, grasping your hand as you wavered. She never once let go, holding you firmly as she guided you towards her bedroom. And once your body had nested into the mattress, there was no chance you'd be getting back up, so Larissa swiftly set up a bottle of water and some pain relief on the bedside table.

Finally, when the blonde was truly convinced that you had been tucked in properly, a soft kiss punctuated onto your forehead, she turned to leave the room, only to be stopped by your slurred, sleepy voice.

"Stay."

A wave of surprise jolted through Larissa as her heart sped up, despite her freezing in place. The older woman suddenly felt conflicted. She didn't want to take advantage of the moment in fear that you'd regret the entire night as soon as you woke in the morning.

Your eyes fluttered open tiredly, "Please stay," you looked in the woman's direction with a pitiful pout.

Larissa's face softened. She didn't have the heart to turn you down, slowly sauntering over before climbing under the covers beside you. The Principal was comfortable on her back for only a few short seconds before you tiredly curled into her warm body in search of heat, making her breath hitch in her throat. She was definitely going to overthink the entire night away.

"Mmm... warm," you sleepily mumbled and the threads of tension snapped under the tall blonde's skin, allowing her to relax into your touch, feeling more at ease knowing that you were innocently enjoying her comfort.

"Sleep well, darling," Larissa hushed.

And before she could even get a response out of you, the bedroom filled with the sound of your soft snores, making the older woman breathe out in amusement.

[misc-obeyme]

here to say i also agree with the other anon and love how you write mammon !! and if you do decide to finish one of those drafts, I'll def be the first to reblog! or at least I'd want to be lmaoo. I just love him so much 😭

I think I'm at lesson 73 in the game now?? I NEED to beat it before Tuesday, but my family is traveling tomorrow to mexico, and it's gonna be a long drive </3 minimum 14 hours, sometimes a full day if my dad naps. I'll have limited signal, but Google docs works offline so maybe writing time?! if I'm not asleep akskd.

also !! i wanted to ask if you have any favorite composers or music pieces? for research purposes of course 📝 👀

And I can't remember if you said you had a keyboard before you got the new piano, but if you do, what are the biggest differences? I'd imagine it sounds smoother and ... Crispy? (Is it hard to move a piano?? Like do they unscrew the legs to be able to get it through doors??)

you don't have to answer because I can totally google these things, but I also like seeing you talk about your piano akwkdjf

Hope you're doing well !!

- ✨ anon

omg, well maybe I will finish one of those stories... I had a handful of ideas from my last Mammon phase... okay, let's be real. I gotta stop calling them phases, the reality is that I just think about him a lot asdl;kdsfjkf. When I tell you I'm so obsessed with the Mams/Barb ship right now... it plagues me so much. BUT no my other ideas were x reader lol. And I don't know why I never finished them, I guess I got distracted? I think it was my OC's fault. In fact, I'm pretty positive it was. But even if it wasn't, I'm still blaming Arrie for everything.

AH you're SO CLOSE! I know I got really obsessed with getting through season four right before NB came out 'cause I was like, there is no way I am not having the full story before this new stuff starts! Anyway, I hope you're able to get there, even with the drive and lack of signal! I hope you have fun on your trip!

Hang on, you LIKE seeing me talk about my piano!?? I was like, man I must be so annoying about it lol. I'm happy to answer any such questions, but uh... just be aware you may be opening some flood gates!

OKAY I really rambled about this piano stuff, so I think I better put it under a read more just to save people from scrolling forever...

Now when you say composers, do you mean classical composers or more modern ones? Because if we're talking classical, the answer is Bach. Like that is a pretty standard response, probably. And maybe I'm a lil basic for being such a huge Bach fan, but I don't care. Beethoven was also excellent of course, but that guy was sooooo overdramatic, all his songs are like bombastic while Bach was like, nah it's all about keeping exact tempo. Most of my other classical music stuff is like... I have specific pieces from different composers that I like, rather than being really into one composer specifically. Like Mozart is great and all, but Fantasia in D is by far the best of his stuff as far as I'm concerned. OH but I do like most of Chopin's stuff, too. But nothing can top Bach for me asldkfj.

If we're talking piano solos specifically, though, you're gonna get mostly Beethoven. Fur Elise is like the classic piece that all piano students are taught at some point. Moonlight Sonata is another incredibly popular one from him. You'll also get a lot of Pachelbel's Canon in D, which is really boring imo. It can be fun to play if it's an unusual arrangement, but generally speaking trying to play that song puts me to sleep lol.

Now if we're talking more modern composers, my favorites are Ludovico Einaudi, Toshifumi Hinata, Alexis Ffrench, and Yiruma. This is like more modern piano solo stuff, though. All these people are still alive lol. But I love their piano music, listening to it really kind of informs how I play when I'm doing improv style stuff.

Though I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention classic jazz piano stylings, too. I named my piano after one of my favorites, Hazel Scott. Jazz piano is insane and incredible and it always blows my mind. There are a TON of amazing jazz musicians. And you'll get a lot of good piano players that are not in the classical style too and who tend to span genres, such as Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure if that's the kind of rambling you were looking for on that first question lol! But feel free to ask me more specific things if you'd like!

As for the second part of your piano related questions, I did indeed have a keyboard before I got the piano. However, it's important to note that there are many different kinds of keyboards. The one I had was bought used and even before that, it would've been an extremely cheap one. I think you can buy a new one for like $400? Mine only had 76 keys (as opposed to the full 88 a piano has). And there are keyboards that come with even fewer keys (like 56 or something?). These are mostly good for classroom situations or where you only need to say, add a bit of piano into a larger song with other instruments. They do okay as a replacement for a real piano, but they're really not made for that.

However, there are keyboards in the thousands of dollars that I think are more commonly called "digital pianos" nowadays that are made to replace a real piano. I've never had or played one of these, so I'm not sure how obvious the difference of the sound would be. That being said, I've seen them used in concert situations many times. So I suspect the most expensive ones probably sound pretty close to a real piano. Or at the very least, they act more like a real piano does.

My cheapo keyboard still had keys that could sense how hard you were pressing them. And this let the keyboard know if you wanted your note loud or soft. But honestly it barely made a difference lol. I would think that kind of feature would be much better and higher quality on an expensive digital piano.

Similarly, my keyboard had an option of "grand piano" as the sound the keys produced. Digital pianos also usually have a grand piano setting, so they might sound more like a grand piano even if they're just a standard upright. The Yamaha Clavinova is a good example of a digital piano. It can range from like $3000 to $8000 depending on what version you get.

So I can definitely tell you the difference between the sound of a keyboard like my old one and the piano I have now, but there are a lot of versions of keyboards that might sound better than mine did.

The thing that really informs what a piano sounds like is the strings inside it. When you hit a key on the piano, a tiny little hammer (sometimes two) hits a string that's tuned to that note inside the piano. So the main thing a keyboard lacks is actual strings. It's just playing the sound of a string that was being hit somewhere else and then recorded. And a real piano is also heavily impacted by the environment it's in. If you've got a piano in a small space, with a lot of stuff around it, it might sound a little more muffled than if you had in a larger more empty space. That's more about the room's acoustics than the piano itself, though.

I think I know what you mean about "crispy" lol! Like the keyboard has a crisper sound. And yeah, it does, and also it doesn't ring quite as well. I got a sustain pedal for my keyboard, so it was able to hold notes a little longer, but it's nothing like the way it works for a piano. The sustain pedal on my piano is really amazing, it'll hold that note for what feels like a million years lol.

The piano is more resonant, there's more space for the sound to be creating within the instrument itself. I have an upright, but it's a tall upright. This is so that there's more room for the strings, kind of like a grand piano but instead of the strings being horizontal, they're vertical. Grand pianos always sound better. And you can open them to make them even louder, too. You can open an upright, but it doesn't have quite the same sound. It's very close, though, and honestly most people probably can't tell the difference lol.

And yes, it is hard to move a piano! They have to be transported by movers who are specifically piano movers. Because there's a lot that can go wrong if they're not properly handled or packaged. They're also heavy, so you need two strong peeps to do it!

How they do it depends on the type of piano. An upright will fit easily through most doors, so they don't have to take anything apart. A grand piano, on the other hand, is obviously incapable of going through a door at all, so it does need to be taken apart. I think they do take off the legs, so they can turn the top part sideways and move it through a door that way. So the strings aren't too disturbed, since that's the important part. Famous bands and musicians that use real pianos on stage have a whole crew for this specifically. If they want to use their own piano, they have to have a piano crew to move it from venue to venue for them. Most venues have a house piano, but a lot of musicians are picky about this kinda stuff. If they've got enough money to hire a crew to move their piano every time, they probably do. And they'll need to have a piano tuner in there, too, because inevitably moving a piano that often is going to require it to be tuned after nearly every move.

Pianos do better if they stay in one spot for the most part. They settle into their environment, not just the room they're in, but the strings and hammers sort of acclimate to the amount of humidity in the air and that kind of stuff, too. Generally, if you're just moving a piano to a new location that's nearby, you should be okay. But if you're moving it across states or into new climates or different altitudes, you'll want to get it tuned within two months of moving it. It just takes that long for it to adjust.

ANYWAY. I'm sure you now have WAY TOO MUCH INFO than you ever needed about this stuff asdflkjf. I don't get to talk about it all that often and honestly I didn't realize I had this much to say about it lol!!

I hope some of that helped and I apologize for getting so wordy about it!

I am doing well and I hope you are, too! 💕

[nuatthebeach]

Oh, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve got multiple ships for the ask game:

1) Ginny x Michael

2) Ginny x Dean

3) Ginny x Harry (can’t exclude my favourite pairing)

4) Harry x Cho

5) Hermione x Victor

6) Hermione x Ron

7) Ron x Hermione

i need to crack my knuckles for this one. (and i don't mind at all!)

ALSO I APOLOGIZE FOR GRAMMAR/SPELLING ERRORS, I JUST WROTE AND POSTED

Ginny x Michael

first puppy love! it's cute that they met at the yule ball, especially when ginny was basically treated as last option that even neville ended up settling for her. at least michael saw her, ya know?

house unity! prideful gryffindors teaming up with prideful ravenclaws is quite the combo, but they did it.

ginny trusted michael enough for him to join the DA. that means something, people.

Ginny x Dean

both exceedingly artistic and creative. ginny can write, dean can draw; together, they'd make the best comic books known to man. move aside, marvel.

dean is such a nice dude, as we see from the way he respects harry since day 1 all the way up to DH while the trio were eavesdropping. even tho harry swooped in and "stole" his girlfriend freshly a week later. ofc, this niceness can be to his own detriment (helping ginny through the portrait hole), but still.

they're sexually attracted to each other. the way they were snogging fiercely in the corridor that ron and harry caught them in is proof enough. it was certainly enough to trigger harry's chest monster when ginny and michael couldn’t.

Ginny x Harry

you would think that two hotheaded, stubborn, impulsive people would clash tremendously, but interestingly enough, they don't. at least from the few scenes we've seen. like when ginny told harry off in the lucky you scene, or when harry told ginny the hbp book is nothing like tom's diary. he was thoughtful and learned his lesson.

similar interests. they both believe that quidditch is more than a game, and for personal reasons too. for harry, quidditch is like a reprieve from his trauma, and for ginny, quidditch is something that empowers her and gives her independence.

values and humor. the former is obvious: they value family, love, the greater good, fighting for what's right, all that jazz. and for humor, we have the iconic pygmy puff scene and all the cute looks throughout the books, just to name a few examples.

Harry x Cho

again, house unity! we love a good gryffindor branching out to other houses ship.

harry was pretty attracted to her? like, she was his first crush. for three books. he didn't know much about her, yes, and when he did, there were problems. but physically, it's a different story.

their ship name is charry! which, c'mon, i hate to say it, but it rolls off the tongue a bit better than another ship we know *cough cough*

Hermione x Victor Krum (*we're ignoring the age difference)

victor pining after hermione is so cute. he's such a brutish man, but he's also so emotionally confident in himself? i can see why hermione picked him over a certain someone. (during that TIME.) and she was the person who he would miss the most, so it was real. for him, at least.

it came out of fucking nowhere, and that's fucking brilliant. the levels of irony in this pair: hermione not giving a fuck about quidditch and ron being OBSESSED with krum. you just can't top that.

they've kept in touch! that's pretty wholesome, ngl.

Hermione x ...wait, i'm confused. you said ron x hermione in the next one, so... did you mean Hermione x Harry? if so...askfjsdlkfjsdlkfj

Ron x Hermione

frictional best friends to lovers. they drive each other insane, but it's practically foreplay for them. they enjoy making each other pissed off. which, couldn't be me, but it seems to work for them.

ron remembers her so much. he defends her during the troll scene in ss, the slug scene in cos, thinks about her when she's taking a million classes in poa, stands up to snape for her, and those are just in the earlier books. plus, when he cried after he killed the horcrux in DH, thinking of her? or when harry pointed out that maybe dumbledore gave him the deluminator because he knew that ron would come back? or his speech when he did come back? i lowkey teared up a bit too.

they're extremely passionate people, but in a the-other person-can-relate sort of way. like, they both get jealous when they see each other with other people. which, yeah, is not necessarily great, but it's relatable, ya know? it's not like they can accuse each other for things they do themselves.

[randomvarious]

Today’s compilation:

Stand Up and Be Counted: Soul, Funk and Jazz from a Revolutionary Era 1999 Funk / Soul / Spoken-Word Poetry / Jazz

Today's an important history lesson, folks. I went back to a late 60s/early 70s era of US black revolutionary politics and awareness with this CD that was put out by UK label Harmless in '99. It's those pre-disco days when a lot of black-made music was politically righteous, with scathing lyrical critiques of a still racially unequal status quo, and carried poignant, urgent, and inspirational messages that would help to raise the consciousness among black folks nationwide, as well as anyone else who was willing to listen and learn. It was a time of riotous and fiery tumult, and while this release doesn't seem to fully encapsulate or present all the most prominent songs and musicians that ended up providing the soundtrack for this very volatile handful of pivotal years—where's Sly Stone?—it's still a phenomenal album.

This CD comes with fixtures you'd expect on a release like this: James Brown's "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud," Nina Simone's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," and perhaps the most iconic piece of spoken-word poetry that's ever been recorded, Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." Basically, if you're putting together an album that's trying to reflect the American black struggle from this specific time period, it'd be prudent to include this particular trio of songs.

But where this album truly shines is with its overwhelming majority of selections that aren't so obvious; songs that contain the same hunger and zeal for equality, but aren't as well known to a general audience. For example, The Last Poets, a spoken-word poetry trio whose early 70s pining for immediate revolution on their self-titled debut album would lay the foundation for the creation, development, and emergence of hip hop music and culture. Their song, "When the Revolution Comes," actually sparked a response from Gil Scott-Heron with "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," and 22 years after its initial release, a repeated line towards the end of the song would find itself repurposed as the title of The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut single, "Party and Bullshit."

And also on here is a solo track from one of those Last Poets as well, Gylan Kain, whose 1970 song, "Loose Here," off of his debut LP, The Blue Guerrilla, was actually co-written by none other than the legend Nile Rodgers himself, earning him one of his first ever credits, long before he'd *really* break out with a pair of #1s on the disco tip in '78 and '79, with Chic's "Le Freak" and then "Good Times."

Truth be told, though, The Last Poets weren't actually as obscure as you may think that I might be making them out to be here; their debut album managed to sell over 350,000 copies, and it peaked at #29 on Billboard's 200 album chart, and #3 on R&B as well. It's just that, knowing about them was spread pretty much purely through word of mouth; there was certainly no big commercial engine that was driving their sales, and if you weren't black and didn't have your ears tuned to any of this sound, the likelihood that you'd catch wind of them was pretty low.

So, the most obscure song on this album, then, appears to be a funk tune from an anonymous group called The Pace-Setters, whose only ever release, a 1971 7-inch, sings the praises of social activist Jesse Jackson and his then-recently formed PUSH organization on its chugging a-side.

The rest of this CD's tunes are pretty much made up of brilliant funk, soul, and jazz entities—The Impressions, Billy Paul, Archie Shepp, and ex-Temptation Eddie Kendricks—but the album doesn't use any of their singles. All the choices are still terrific, however, especially Kendricks' "My People... Hold On," the slow, earthy, heartfelt, and mantric title track off of his 1972 sophomore album. Interestingly, the name of that album, though, actually chops off the "My" in "My People," suggesting that Motown imprint Tamla didn't want to potentially alienate any parts of its audience with such a transparent appeal to black pride and solidarity 🤔.

Another well-known group on this album is James Brown's former one, The Famous Flames, who are just credited as The Flames here. And as The Flames, they never released an album, but did put out a handful of singles, including this CD's title track, which lives up to the name of the group who made it (it's scorching!), and was produced by James Brown and released on his own label, People, in 1971.

And before I close out, I gotta mention Chicago jazz ensemble The Pharaohs too, because the penultimate track from their 1971 debut album, The Awakening, makes for a tremendous song, with astonishing traded leads between saxophone and guitar, and a constantly thick amount of busy backing behind it all as well. It would still be an amazing tune, even if it didn't have any kind of messaging to go along with it.

So, in sum, Stand Up and Be Counted is an incredible release. It really channels a very important few years of palpably churning American black fervor, and it includes some unforgettable all-timers too, but its real uniqueness is found in its many selections of non-singles, deep cuts, & relative obscurities. I really don't think you'll ever find another late 60s/early 70s black empowerment retrospective that's quite like this one here. A stunningly superb and authentic collection of tunes.

Highlights:

The Flames - "Stand Up and Be Counted" Gil Scott-Heron - "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" The Impressions - "Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)" Billy Paul - "East" Mike James Kirkland - "Hang On in There" James Brown - "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, Parts 1 & 2" The Last Poets - "When the Revolution Comes" Pace-Setters - "Push on Jessie Jackson" Archie Shepp - "Blues for Brother George Jackson" Eddie Kendricks - "My People... Hold On" The Pharaohs - "Freedom Road" Kain - "Loose Here" Nina Simone - "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"

[icyfox17]

YOU HAVE THROWING KNIVES!?!

-🌲

Wait what??? When did I say th--OH THE QUIZ

YES!!! I was. Obsessed with. Knives and swords and all that jazz and begged my parents for 3 years to get me them AND THE ONE YEAR I FINALLY GAVE UP ANY HOPE OF GETTING THEM THEY GOT ME THEM and then I immediately gave up learning after like a month HELP

I'm really bad at like... Self teaching myself things... Which okay ik i taught myself guitar BUT that's easy bc like. U can very obviously tell when ur doing smth right and when ur doing smth wrong. Vs throwing knives I had no teacher tell me if my stance was wrong and I knew I could've recorded myself but that was way too much effort so 😭😭😭 I still own them!! And I'd love to properly learn one day but... Im suffering trying to teach myself HELPDJFKFK

But I did do fencing for two years:)) and I remember quite a bit. I actually really reallyyyy miss fencing but the equipment is so hard to carry around without a car and I no longer have anyone who can drive me to class so 😭😭😭 but when I get my license I will def be looking into reenrolling myself into lessons bc Lord... I miss fencing every day ohmygod

[swanconcerto]

part 1 of my redacted classical music au- damn crew

as per @super-trouper-lights 's encouragement, here is an attempt at organising this classical music au that takes up 90% of my brain space at all times.

i've (hopefully) including links to a few pieces that i think suit each character as well :)

psa! i am a pianist, not an orchestral musician, so most of this is coming from anecdotal evidence that i've seen and heard as a serial concertgoer and music student. and my bonus powers of special interest and being right about everything ever.

freelancer: i usually alternate between clarinet and oboe, but i've settled between clarinet being their principal. i also think they've considered trying their hand at conducting! excels at an eclectic mix of classical/modern/jazz pieces- enjoys at the camaraderie of playing symphonic works with the rest of the orchestral, but prefers the freedom and craziness of 20th century music when playing solo. favourite composers are like bartok, prokofiev, shostakovich, stravinsky etc. turns on rite of spring at a house party like "this is my jam!!!" gavin is their go-to accompanist and together they are an absolute dream team because they work together so perfectly, even if they make eyes at each other the whole performance. really good composer too but they're too shy to show their work to anyone outside of the friend group at the minute.

pieces: bernstein sonata for clarinet and piano, templeton pocket sized sonata no.1 III : in rhythm

gavin: pianist, with a heavy focus on ensemble playing. gavin thrives when he can work off the other person(s) energy, and accompaniment really lets him have a lot of fun! really good at keeping up with the soloist even if they switch it up DURING the performance (i can see freelancer doing this...). annoyingly and effortlessly excellent at sightreading and transposing. he can play solo too but i think having all eyes on him alone on the stage makes him uneasy. if he is playing a solo work i can see him being really into all the basic romantic pieces he's definitely best at chopin and liszt. i can also see him being a fan of brahms! he's really not a fan of the earlier baroque stuff. BIG hand span so he's good at playing rachmaninoff as well. basically, he's a romantic and it shows.

pieces: liszt liebesträume no.3 (this piece is about a love that transcends death. thinking about gav's immortality vs fl's mortality...), chopin nocturne in g minor op. 37 no. 1, brahms intermezzo op. 117 no.2

damien: cellist. second chair (you'll see who is first chair later!) and slightly bitter about it, but he prefers playing solo anyways. very prone to injuries as he tenses up when he loses himself in the music, but he's working on it. REALLY scary to be in a chamber ensemble with. scarily good sense of time and will call you out if you are out by even a millisecond. thought about conducting but decided against it after he nearly made lasko cry for rushing a phrase. serial string breaker. gets a little starstruck around musicians he really respects. a real asset to the orchestra because his passion and drive is infectious. actually counts his rests LOL. has a beautiful tenor voice but rarely shows it off. has a notebook dedicated to cello and takes detailed notes after every lesson, rehearsal, and performance. loves having an art form to just throw himself into.

pieces: brahms cello sonata, elgar cello concerto

huxley: PERCUSSIONIST! him and xavier man the percussion section at the back of the orchestra- huxley has definitely gotten too into the music and accidentally launched a mallet into the orchestra before; apologised profusely afterwards. likes to play tuned and untuned percussion equally. goes ham on the timpani! amazing sense of rhythm. often taps out little bits of what he's playing whilst he's going about his day. often has a little dance when he's playing! is also super good at little jazz or bossa nova improvisations on the piano. huxley really doesn't play anything pre-19th century, but sometimes if he'll listen to some early baroque pieces whilst he's walking home or lying in bed, and hum along. really likes bach's cello suites to calm down. gets damien to play them for him while he lounges on the floor like a very happy cat. the most interested in music outside of the western canon- he thinks it's all super fascinating.

pieces: márquez danzón no. 2, reich mallet quartet iii: fast (this one sounds really earthy to me? for some reason.)

lasko: did you really think he would be anything but a flautist?! flute posterboy. amazing breath control, but often rushes phrases (he plays like he rambles!) likes being in the same section as freelancer as they always give him a little thumbs up before he has any solo parts. gavin usually accompanies him for solo work but sometimes lasko gets so flustered he breathes funny into his flute and all that comes out is this strange honking sound- gavin isnt sure whether it came from the flute or lasko himself. his favourite composers are ravel and debussy as he just loves the impressionist sound- always listens to debussy's preludes when he's winding down before bed. recently has been obsessed with debussy's la mer- perhaps it reminds him of a certain someone...? also quite the mozart fan! lasko gets really lost in the music when he plays and tends to lose all of his inhibitions- it's lovely for his friends to see him relaxed and happy like that, and it's also very therapeutic for him.

pieces: glick flute sonata i: fast, mozart concerto for flute and harp 2nd mov (with a certain water elemental playing the harp part...) , ravel valses nobles et sentimentales ii: assez lent (okay i know the flute isnt that prominent in this but it just reminds me of him)

bonus: caelum is a very enthusiastic piano student, hoping to take after his big brother gavin :D

[jupitercl0uds]

sudden wave of misery ruins everything take a vent about ballet lessons

lately ive been missing taking ballet lessons and wish i kept doing it. i dunno why, i just do. back when i was 3-6, i did jazz, then tap, then ballet every wednesday. i kinda hated it, but i didn't really have a choice, and i enjoyed it enough to not want to quit.

in february, we'd do a show and that was always fun. i then would hate march, when we'd do rewards night. i only ever went to 2 rewards nights and i hated both and almost cried at both. the first year, i got 1 reward: participation. the second, i got 'most improved'. i was miserable when my friend amber was sat there with 3 different trophies and going up for more, meanwhile i was still yet to get mine. she even complained about it to me.

i could never dance like everyone else. i could never smile like everyone else. i could never do good like everyone else, but god i wanted to. i tried and tried and tried and nothing worked.

when i was 7, we moved house and i didnt like any of the local dance groups. i wanted to go to my old one, and that was a 4 hour drive away, if you're really lucky with traffic. so, i quit.

as i said, i've been missing ballet since, but particularly now. now, when my motor skills are at an all time low besides fine motor skills. now, when i pass by the local dance shop and look at the pointe shoes and this 1 fabulous tutu. and i want to go back. i want to do tap again. i want to do jazz. i even want to do ballet, which was my least favourite of the three. and i can't

one of my plans is to join a rowing club in sixth form. one of the things my town is known for is having a fairly important river running right through it, surrounding the town centre. i really enjoyed rowing the last time i did it, and i certainly enjoy rowing machines, so yeah, that makes sense

but rowing isnt dance and that's what i want to do.

[auckland-drum-studio]

Auckland Drum Lessons: Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the Drums

Embarking on the journey of learning to play the drums can be exhilarating and fulfilling. Whether you’re captivated by the rhythmic energy of rock, the sophisticated beats of jazz, or the infectious grooves of pop, drumming offers a foundational experience that blends both primal energy and sophisticated technique. If you’re in Auckland and eager to dive into the world of drumming, this guide on Auckland drum lessons will provide you with essential steps to kickstart your rhythmic adventure.

Getting Started: Introduction to the Drum Kit

Before diving into intricate patterns and complex rhythms, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the drum kit itself. A standard drum kit consists of various components: the bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, hi-hat, and cymbals. Understanding the purpose of each component and how they contribute to the overall sound of the kit is vital. Sit behind the drum set, adjust the height and angle of the drums and cymbals for your comfort, and get ready to dive in.

Mastering the Basics: Rudiments and Stick Control

Just as a painter learns to mix colors and apply brushstrokes, a drummer must master rudiments and stick control to develop precision and dexterity. Rudiments are fundamental sticking patterns that form the building blocks of drumming technique. Start with basic rudiments like single strokes, double strokes, and paradiddles, and practice them diligently to develop consistency and control. Focus on maintaining even strokes and proper hand positioning to lay a solid foundation for your drumming journey.

Finding Your Groove: Understanding Rhythms and Time Signatures

At the heart of drumming lies the concept of groove – the irresistible pulse that drives the music forward. Understanding rhythms and time signatures is essential for developing a strong sense of groove and musicality. Begin by familiarizing yourself with common time signatures such as 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8, and practice playing simple patterns within these meters. Experiment with different subdivisions, accents, and syncopations to explore the rhythmic possibilities of the drum kit. Remember, groove is not just about playing the right notes – it’s about feeling the music and locking into the pocket with precision and flair.

Exploring Styles: Introduction to Different Drumming Genres

The world of drumming is rich and diverse, encompassing a wide range of musical styles and genres. Take the time to explore different drumming styles, from the thunderous beats of rock and metal to the intricate polyrhythms of jazz and world music. Each genre has its own unique rhythms, techniques, and cultural influences, offering endless opportunities for creative expression. Experiment with playing along to your favorite songs, dissecting the drum parts, and adapting them to suit your own style and musical preferences. Keep an open mind and embrace the diversity of musical expression.

Practice Makes Perfect: Developing a Consistent Practice Routine

As with any skill, consistent practice is key to mastering the art of drumming. Set aside dedicated time each day to practice, focusing on specific techniques, exercises, and repertoire. Break down complex patterns into smaller, manageable chunks, and practice them slowly and methodically until they become second nature. Utilize practice tools such as metronomes and drumming apps to improve your timing and rhythmic accuracy. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes – embrace them as learning opportunities and use them to fuel your growth as a musician.

Conclusion

Learning to play the drums is a rewarding and fulfilling journey that offers endless opportunities for creativity, expression, and self-discovery. By following these steps in your Auckland drum lessons, you’ll lay a solid foundation for your drumming skills and embark on a musical adventure that will last a lifetime. So grab your sticks, sit behind the kit, and let the rhythm take you on a journey of discovery and excitement. Happy drumming! Source By: Auckland Drum Lessons: Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the Drums

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

CLIFFORD BROWN, LE MÉTÉORE DE LA TROMPETTE

“Playing alongside Brownie was like being on a basketball court with Michael Jordan. Brown’s sublime use of mutes is just one of the many delights of an album that shows off his technique for playing long, flowing melodic lines and solos that shine with great feeling.’’

- Herbie Mann

Né le 30 octobre 1930 à Wilmington, dans le Delaware, Clifford Brown était le plus jeune d’une famille de huit enfants. Son père, qui adorait la musique, avait réuni ses quatre fils dans un quatuor vocal. Clifford avait également une soeur, Geneva, qui était chanteuse d’opéra.

Vers l’âge de dix ans, Clifford, qui était fasciné par la trompette de son père, avait commencé à jouer de la trompette à l’école. Comme Brown l’avait expliqué plus tard dans le cadre d’une entrevue accordée au critique de jazz Nat Hentoff: “From the earliest time, I can remember it was the trumpet that fascinated me. When I was too little to reach it, I would climb up to where it was, and I kept knocking it down.” Clifford avait treize ans lorsque son père lui avait acheté sa propre trompette et avait commencé à lui donner des leçons.

Durant ses études secondaires, Clifford avait aussi suivi des cours de Robert Boysie Lowery. Il avait également joué dans un groupe de swing que Lowery avait organisé, et qui se rendait souvent à Philadelphie.

Lorsque Brown était arrivé sur la scène du jazz, plusieurs observateurs n’avaient pu dissimuler leur étonnement qu’un musicien aussi jeune ait pu afficher une aussi grande maturité musicale à ce stade de son évolution. Cela s’expliquait par le fait que Brown avait trempé très jeune dans une éducation musicale. Comme Brown l’avait raconté plus tard: "My father played trumpet and violin and piano for his own amusement and from the earliest time I can remember it was the trumpet that fascinated me." 

Après avoir étudié durant trois ans avec Lowery, Brown avait poursuivi sa formation avec Harry Andrews, le directeur de la chorale et du groupe musical du Wilmington's Howard High School. Même si Andrews avait une formation classique, il avait déjà dirigé un groupe de jazz en Europe pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. En plus d’enseigner à Brown l’harmonie et la théorie musicale, il lui avait appris à jouer du piano, du vibraphone et de la contrebasse. Andrews avait plus tard déclaré dans une entrevue au magazine Down Beat, "When he came to us he was a good intermediate trumpet player. But he played the Carnival of Venice's his graduation solo, and I mean he really played it.... He had great drive. Many times I'd be cleaning up my desk after school and he'd stick his head in and ask if I had time for another lesson. And we'd go at it."

Le jeu de Brown était particulièrement influencé par Fats Navarro, qui l’avait encouragé à faire carrière. Parmi ses autres influences, on relevait Louis Armstrong et Roy Eldridge. Brown expliquait: “There is always ‘Pops’, Louis Armstrong, the father so-to-speak, and I was very inspired by Roy Eldridge’s playing on ‘Let Me Off Uptown.’”

UNE CARRIÈRE PROMETTEUSE

Après avoir quitté le high school, Brown avait étudié brièvement à l’Université Delaware State où il s’était inscrit à une majeure en mathématiques avant de poursuivre sa formation au Maryland State College. Les voyages de Brown à Philadelphie étaient devenus plus fréquents après qu’il ait obtenu son diplôme d’études secondaires et qu’il soit entré à Delaware State.

Durant ses études au Maryland, Clifford avait joué dans un big band de quatorze musiciens orienté vers le jazz, le Maryland State Band. Le 3 juin 1950, Clifford avait été blessé dans un accident de voiture après un concert au Maryland. La voiture avait fait une embardée après que le conducteur ait voulu éviter un cerf sur la route. Deux des passagers du véhicule étaient morts sur le coup. Quant à Brown, il était gravement blessé. Il avait des os brisés dans les deux jambes, en plus d’une blessure à la cage thoracique. L’incident avait tenu Brown à l’écart du jazz pendant un an. On raconte même que Brown commençait à désespérer de pouvoir jouer à nouveau de la trompette un jour.

Durant son séjour à l’hôpital, Brown avait reçu la visite de Dizzy Gillespie qui l’avait encouragé à poursuivre sa carrière musicale. Dans un premier temps, les blessures de Clifford l’avaient empêché de jouer  de la trompette et il avait dû se limiter au piano.

Brown avait fait ses premiers enregistrements comme membre du groupe de Rhythm n’ blues de Chris Powell, les Blue Flames. Après ses études, Brown s’était joint au début de 1953 au groupe du pianiste Tadd Dameron à Atlantic City, au New Jersey. Lorsque le groupe avait enregistré le 11 juin 1953, Ira Gitler, qui supervisait la session, n’avait pu en croire ses oreilles. Il expliquait: ‘’When Brownie stood up and took his first solo on `Phillie J.J.," I nearly fell off my seat in the control room. The power, range, and brilliance together with the warmth and invention was something that I hadn't heard since Fats Navarro."

À l’époque, Brown commençait à se faire un nom dans le monde du jazz. Il était si populaire qu’il pouvait presque choisir ses futurs contrats dans un chapeau ! Après avoir travaillé avec Tadd Dameron, Brown avait participé à la tournée européenne du big band de Lionel Hampton. La tournée avait duré d’août à décembre 1953.

Avant de partir en tournée avec Hampton, Brown avait dirigé une session pour Blue Note avec le saxophoniste alto Gigi Gryce, le saxophoniste ténor Charlie Rouse, le pianiste John Lewis et le batteur Art Blakey. À son retour d’Europe, Brown avait été contacté par Blakey pour faire partie de son nouveau quintet. Ce dernier, qui était l’embryon des futurs Jazz Messengers, était formé de Lou Donaldson au saxophone alto, d’Horace Silver au piano et de Curley Russell à la contrebasse. Le premier enregistrement du groupe était une captation ‘’live’’ d’un concert au club Birdland. Au cours de la session, le trompettiste Miles Davis s’était mis à plaisanter en remettant en question les aptitudes techniques de Brown à jouer de la trompette. La session d’enregistrement avait duré deux jours et avait nécessité plusieurs prises.

En mai 1952, Brown s’était produit pendant une semaine au Club Harlem de Philadelphie en compagnie de Charlie Parker. Brown avait raconté plus tard: “Bird helped my morale a great deal. One night he took me in a corner and said, ‘I don’t believe it. I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t believe it.’” Juste avant la formation de son quintet avec Max Roach, un journaliste avait interviewé Brown pour le magazine DownBeat. L’article était intitulé: ‘’Clifford Brown - the New Dizzy.’’ La réputation de Brown (qui était surnommé ‘’Brownie’’) n’avait d’ailleurs fait que croître plus il enregistrait avec d’autres artistes émergents comme Bud Powell, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis et Thelonious Monk.

Brown avait aussi co-fondé avec Charles Mingus les disques Debut, une des premières compagnies de disques à être la propriété de musiciens de jazz.

Après avoir participé au célèbre concert de Massey Hall de mai 1953 avec Mingus, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie et Bud Powell, Max Roach s’est installé dans la région de Los Angeles où il a pris la relève de Shelly Manne au sein des Lighhouse All Stars. Roach et Brown avaient fondé le Clifford Brown|Max Roach Quintet au milieu des années 1950 avec le saxophoniste ténor Harold Land, le pianiste Richie Powell (le frère de Bud) et le contrebassiste George Morrow. Sonny Rollins avait remplacé Land en décembre 1955. Brown avait effectué un séjour dans la région de Los Angeles de mars à août 1954, à l’invitation de Roach. À l’époque, d’autres musiciens de jazz étaient arrivés sur la Côte Ouest, dont Miles Davis et Charles Mingus. Avant leur premier concert de 1954 au Pasadena Auditorium, Roach avait admis Brown dans le groupe à la condition que les deux hommes co-dirigent la formation.

Le quintet n’avait encore pas inauguré ses activités que Brown avait réalisé des enregistrements avec quelques grosses pointures du jazz comme le batteur Shelly Manne, le saxophoniste Zoot Sims et le pianiste Russ Freeman.

Le groupe avait été créé après que Brown et Roach aient tous deux loué un studio en Californie. Brown jouant non seulement de la trompette, mais aussi du piano et de la batterie, cela avait permis aux deux musiciens de se livrer à de nombreuses expérimentations. Brown et Roach s’étaient entendus pour adopter le format standard du quintet bebop, composé d’une trompette, d’un saxophone, d’un piano, d’une contrebasse et d’une batterie.

Le premier choix de Brown et Roach comme saxophoniste était Sonny Stitt, mais celui-ci avait finalement décidé de décliner l’offre pour se lancer dans ses propres projets. Brown et Davis s’étaient finalement entendus sur un alignement préliminaire composé de l’ancien contrebassiste de Count Basie, George Morrow, du pianiste Carl Perkins et du saxophoniste ténor Teddy Edwards.

Selon Samuelson, la formation du groupe avait plongé la communauté du jazz en état de choc. Brown et Roach étaient toujours en train de songer à la composition de leur quintet lorsque le batteur avait rencontré le multi-instrumentiste Eric Dolphy. Ce dernier disposait de son propre appartement où il organisait des jam sessions. Participaient à la session les futurs membres du quintet Harold Land et George Morrow. Richie Powell était arrivé dans la région de Los Angeles à peu près à la même époque et avait été engagé comme pianiste à la place de Perkins. Lors de la session, Brown avait composé quelques pièces qui avaient aussitôt été ajoutées au répertoire du quintet.

Un premier enregistrement du Brown|Roach Quintet, mettant en vedette son nouvel alignement, avait été publié sous le titre de ‘’Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet, et contenait quelques-unes des compositions de Brown. Samuelson avait qualifié l’album de ‘’nice gamut between boplicity and pleasant balladry.’’

Le quintet de Brown et Roach avait publié deux autres albums au cours de son histoire: ‘’Brown and Roach, Inc.’’ et ‘’Study in Brown.’’ Brown avait aussi réalisé d’autres enregistrements en dehors de sa participation au quintet, dont une session pour Pacific Coast Jazz et deux albums avec le chanteuse Dinah Washington. Les deux disques étaient tirés d’une jam session et comprenaient d’autres trompettistes comme Maynard Ferguson et Clark Terry.

Après avoir enregistré avec Washington, Brown avait ralenti le rythme de ses enregistrements et était retourné sur la Côte est, où il avait enregistré un album avec Sarah Vaughan en décembre 1954. La première fois que Sarah avait entendu Brown jouer, elle avait déclaré à Richie Powell: “I have to have Clifford for a record date.” Sarah avait finalement convaincu Clifford d’enregistrer avec elle un album simplement intitulé ‘’Sarah Vaughan’’, qui est aujourd’hui considéré comme un classique. L’album a été intronisé au Grammy Hall of Fame en 1985. Le flûtiste Herbie Mann, qui avait également participé à l’enregistrement, avait déclaré plus tard que de partager le même studio que Brown avait été un des moments privilégiés de sa carrière. Mann précisait: “Playing alongside Brownie was like being on a basketball court with Michael Jordan. Brown’s sublime use of mutes is just one of the many delights of an album that shows off his technique for playing long, flowing melodic lines and solos that shine with great feeling.’’

Brown avait continué d’expérimenter dans le cadre de son album de 1955 intitulé ‘’Study In Brown.’’ Le critique de jazz Scott Yanow avait qualifié l’album de ‘’premiere early hard bop’’ et avait souligné le potentiel soi disant illimité du quartet de Brown. Un concert de Brown avec Billy Root et Ziggy Vines, qui est parfois considéré à tort comme ayant été enregistré juste avant sa mort un an plus tard, a été publié sur ruban en 1973. À la suite de ce concert, le groupe était parti en tournée à Chicago avant de participer au festival de jazz de Newport.

À l’époque, Art Blakey avait remplacé temporairement Roach à Chicago, car ce dernier avait été impliqué dans un accident automobile. Roach était de retour à temps pour participer au festival de Newport. Publié en 1956, l’album ‘’officiel’’ du quintet, intitulé ‘’At Basin Street’’, avait marqué l’entrée en scène du saxophoniste ténor Sonny Rollins. Qualifié de ‘’hard bop classique’’ par le critique Scott Yanow, l’album était, contrairement aux disques précédents du quintet qui étaient surtout composé de compositions originales, constitué essentiellement de standards du jazz, à l’exception de deux compositions du pianiste Richie Powell.

UN MARIAGE ET UN ENTERREMENT

En 1954, Brown avait épousé Emma LaRue Anderson à Los Angeles. C’est Max Roach qui avait présenté Emma à Brown. Dans le livret accompagnant la réédition des oeuvres compètes de Brown sur Blue Note et Pacific Jazz, Emma avait raconté les détails de leur rencontre de façon touchante. À l’époque, Emma, qui détestait le jazz, était en train d’écrire une thèse afin de prouver que le jazz n’était pas de l’art. Tout avait changé lorsque Emma avait présenté à Brown son professeur de musique classique. Lorsque ce dernier avait aperçu Brown, il n’avait pu s’empêcher de s’exclamer: ‘’This man is a genius !’’

Revenant sur les circonstances de sa première rencontre avec Brown, Emma avait expliqué: ‘’I also discovered that Max had not been referring to Clifford's physical beauty. [He] had recognized the beauty that dwelled within and exuded from him.... We found that we not only respected each other and shared a valuable friendship, we were also in love". Quelques temps plus tard, avait ajouté Emma, "He asked me to marry his music and him.’’

En réalité, le couple s’était marié à trois reprises, en partie parce que leurs familles étaient éloignées, et en partie en raison de leurs croyances religieuses dissemblables (Brown était méthodiste, et Anderson était catholique). Le couple a d’abord été marié lors d’une cérémonie privée tenue à Los Angeles le 26 juin 1954 (le jour du 21e anniversaire de naissance d’Emma). Une autre cérémonie a eu lieu à Los Angeles, le 16 juillet 1954. Une réception avait été organisée au Tiffany Club pour l’occasion. À l’origine, c’est le Art Pepper|Jack Monrose Quintet qui devait assurer le divertissement musical, mais il avait été remplacé au dernier moment par le Red Norvo Trio (composé aussi de Tal Farlow et de Red Mitchell). Une troisième cérémonie nuptiale a été célébrée à l’église Saint Richards de Boston le 1er août 1954.

Brown avait composé une chanson en l’honneur d’Emma, intitulée ‘’La Rue.’’ Il lui avait d’ailleurs chanté la chanson sur la plage de Santa Monica avant de la demander en mariage. Son petits-fils Clifford Brown III avait déclaré en 2008 au sujet de cette chanson: “It’s a beautiful slow ballad. It was never recorded by my grandfather, because he lost the privilege of recording this very special song to his good friend trumpeter Kenny Dorham in a chess match.” La plus célèbre composition de Brown, intitulée ‘’Joy Spring’’, a probablement été écrite en hommage à Emma, car c’était un de ses surnoms.

Contrairement à plusieurs musiciens de jazz de l’époque, Clifford Brown s’est toujours tenu à l’écart des drogues et de l’alcool. Après être venu à bout de sa dépendance envers l’héroine, Sonny Rollins avait rendu hommage à Brown en déclarant: "Clifford was a profound influence on my personal life. He showed me that it was possible to live a good, clean life and still be a good jazz musician." 

Le batteur Max Roach confirmait:

"Brownie was a human being who put in a lot of time, a hard worker. When we first got together and went to California, we were living in the same apartment for about six months until we took the group East. He was a man who put a lot of time in: that's why he developed himself so well at such a young age. Sometimes if I woke up at nine, I would beat him to the piano.... We knew we were involved in something and that work was the answer."

Le saxophoniste Lou Donaldson ne tarissait pas non plus d’éloges sur le professionnalisme de Brown qu’il décrivait comme un bourreau de travail qui pratiquait toute la journée afin de demeurer au meilleur de sa forme. Son épouse Emma Larue Watson confirmait: ‘’We lived a lifetime during our brief marriage. We had fun and Clifford practiced. We traveled and Clifford practiced. We had a son, Clifford practiced. He even explained the music to his infant son, Clifford Jr., and practiced while holding him on his lap. By now I am sure you get the point."

En juin 1956, Brown et le pianiste Richie Powell avaient pris place à bord d’une automobile à destination de Chicago, où ils devaient se produire en concert. C’est l’épouse de Powell, Nancy, qui se trouvait au volant, car elle désirait laisser dormir les deux musiciens. En pleine nuit, sous une pluie battante, l’automobile avait soudainement dérapé, tuant ses trois passagers sur le coup. On a présumé que Nancy avait perdu le contrôle du véhicule avant de basculer dans le ravin. Clifford Brown a été inhumé au Mount Zion Cemetery, à Wilmington, au Delaware. Il était âgé de seulement vingt-cinq ans.

Dizzy Gillespie avait déclaré à la suite du décès de Brown: ‘’Jazz was dealt a lethal blow by the death of Clifford Brown.... There can be no replacement for his artistry, and I can only hope that jazz will produce in the future some compensation for this great loss to our cause." Le pianiste Horace Silver avait ajouté: "I can't think of anyone who was more deserving as a musician and as a person." Quant au trompettiste Roy Eldridge, il avait déclaré avec philosophie: ‘’I just liked the way Clifford blew his horn. As good as he was, he was going to be better.”

Le décès prématuré de Brown est considéré encore aujourd’hui comme une des plus grandes tragédies de l’histoire du jazz. Déjà considéré comme un des plus grands trompettistes de l’histoire avec Dizzy Gillespie et Miles Davis, Brown continuait toujours de s’améliorer au moment de son décès en 1956. On ignore donc ce qu’il aurait pu devenir s’il avait vécu plus longtemps.

L’historien du jazz Ira Gitler avait déclaré au sujet de Brown:

"l’m sorry I never got to know him better. Not that it necessarily follows that one who plays that beautifully is also a marvelous person, but I think one can discern in Clifford Brown’s case that the particular kind of extraordinary playing was linked to an equally special human being... Photographs of Clifford Brown reveal some of that inner self; the shots in which he is depicted in a playing attitude show his intensity, that utter concentration and total connection with his instrument."

Dans les années 1990, on a découvert un enregistrement vidéo de l’émission de télévision ‘’Soupy Sales’’ dans laquelle Brown jouait sur deux pièces. Il s’agit des deux seuls enregistrements vidéo sur lesquels on peut voir jouer le trompettuste. Heureusement, on peut toujours entendre la plupart de ses enregistrements.

En 2015, le neveu de Brown, le batteur Rayford Galen Griffin (né en 1958), a modernisé la musique du trompettiste sur son album intitulé ‘’Reflections of Brownie.’’ Le petit-fils de Brown, Clifford Benjamin Brown III (né en 1982), joue de la trompette sur une des pièces intitulée ‘’Sandu.’’

Caractérisé par sa virtuosité, son lyrisme, son talent pour l’improvisation, la clarté de son jeu et sa technique impeccable, Clifford Brown est aujourd’hui considéré comme un des principaux fondateurs du hard bop. Trompettiste le plus dominant de sa génération, Clifford Brown a influencé plusieurs trompettistes, dont Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Wynton Marsalis et Donald Byrd. Malheureusement, le génie de Brown n’avait été vraiment reconnu que plusieurs années après sa mort. Comme l’écrivait Michael Ullman en 1985,

"Some time in 1954, when he was twenty-four years old, the trumpeter Clifford Brown became one of the greatest jazz soloists. His playing, already celebrated for its fluency and imagination, took on a rhythmic grace, an added ease at whatever tempo he was confronted with, and a variety that made his phrases billow and float as naturally as silk in a gentle wind. A brilliant melodist with a big, singing tone, Brown was playing with warmth, forthrightness, and a headlong swing reminiscent of the young Louis Armstrong."

L’ancien trompettiste du New York Philarmonic, Gerard Shwartz, avait aussi une très grande estime pour Brown. Il affirmait: "I admired a number of things about him. His sound really got to me. I thought it was one of the most gorgeous sounds I ever heard. It was a fat, rich, beautiful sound. And the musical ideas seemed so strong to me. It seemed so right, everything that he did."

Le saxophoniste, compositeur et arrangeur Benny Golson a rendu hommage à Clifford Brown dans sa composition ‘’I Remember Clifford’’, qui est rapidement devenu un classique du jazz.

c-2023-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

CHILTON, Martin. ‘’The Lasting Legacy of Legendary Trumpeter Clifford Brown.’’ Undiscovermusic.com, 30 octobre 2022.

‘’Clifford Brown.’’ Wikipedia, 2022.

‘’Clifford Brown.’’ Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023.

‘’Clifford Brown.’’ Jazzstandards.com, 2023.

‘’Clifford Brown Biography.’’ Netindustries, 2023.

[lifeafterthelayoff]

Part II, Day 3

It's my own personal Groundhog Day, this second layoff in a year.

Today I found myself again in the same diner having the same chat I had with my good friend and former manager from years ago. (He's the only manager I've ever had that referenced the avant-garde jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler in my year-end review.)

I told him the story of how it unfolded, again.

I had the BLT, again.

This morning, I updated the end date of my most recent job on my resume, again.

I find myself seated at this keyboard, typing a Life After the Layoff entry, again.

Like Phil Connors, Bill Murray's character in "Groundhog Day," things were eerily familiar. In the film, Phil keeps living the same day again and again until he reaches a threshold where he's allowed to see tomorrow instead of today, again.

*Cue the image of Phil and the groundhog driving the pickup truck.*

There's comfort in these two layoffs happening in close proximity. The scene hasn't changed that much. The tools are the same. I still know my way around LinkedIn and the myriad job application portals (most of which could use some serious UX and content design TLC). I still have all of my spreadsheets and presentation decks at the ready.

Now, I think I'm in the Phil era after he realizes something is up but before he orders everything on the diner menu.

I endured the layoff by repeating the adage "the only way out is through." Things come crashing down, you process it, the dust settles, and the anxiety morphs into something else—equal parts fuel and predator. You use that fuel to stay ahead of the beast, that voice in your head that will gladly tell you again and again that this is your doing and you may not actually be good enough.

You tamp that down and try to slowly build yourself up at your own pace, caring for yourself as much as you can along the way. Maybe the portfolio comes together nicely, maybe you start to realize, "Yeah, I am good at this and here is the proof."

You hunt for jobs. You cast a wider net, reel it in. Apply, apply, apply. Rejection letters pour in, the first one stinging the most. Interviews come slowly. After a few, confidence builds. Second rounds. Third rounds. Finally, an offer!

You start the job green, and build yourself up again. You've got the gift of being the new person. Faces in the Google Meet become more familiar. Acronyms might scare you at first, but you soon adopt them, too.

Then a layoff happens. Again.

And you start it all over. Just like Phil, when he wakes each time to Sonny and Cher singing, "I Got You Babe."

Things do turn around for Phil—[SPOILER ALERT] he does get to his tomorrow. I'll get to my tomorrow, too. Maybe I need to take some music lessons and take up ice carving to hasten its arrival. At the very least, I'll be polishing my Figma skills.

[yhwhrulz]

Today's Daily Encounter Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Valuing Others

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."1

Wynton Marsalis is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor. He has invested time in teaching classical and jazz music to younger audiences. He goes from high school bands to the most prestigious music conservatories. Once the band sets up, he tells them to play something. He doesn't say anything; he just listens. Typically, they will play a song that is four to five minutes long, but everybody plays a solo which then makes the song last eight to ten minutes. When they are through, he asks if anyone can tell him what the first or second soloist played. One hundred percent of the time they cannot tell him, not 99.9% of the time, but one hundred percent of the time! In 15 years no one has ever been able to tell him what the first or second soloist played.

He then asks what they were doing if not listening to the solo. Were they interested in what this person was playing? Were they playing anything related to what this person was playing? Then he drives the lesson home saying that the choices they make in the band are the same choices they will make in society. You can be the greatest soloist in the world, but if you don't have anybody to play with, you're not going to sound good.

As Christians, we are called to value others above ourselves, which is a way of loving others. However, loving others can be extremely difficult at times! Even when we typically like someone, it can be difficult to love them. A reason we struggle so much to love or show genuine interest for others is because of sin. We are fallen creatures, and if it weren't for God and his life-changing power, we are naturally selfish, and loving ourselves comes more naturally than loving others. Many times we think of love as an emotional response, but that is not what true love is. Our emotions change constantly, and we cannot always control them. However, the type of love God calls us to have for others is the same kind of sacrificial love that he has for us. A love not based on being deserving of it or being lovable, but one that willingly chooses to love regardless of flaws. This love cannot be achieved unless we abide in Christ and He in us; intentionally relying on God and His power in order for His love to be displayed through us.

Let us learn to listen to others, take the focus off ourselves, and learn to value and love those God has placed around us.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for your unconditional and unfailing love. Even though I was undeserving, You willingly love me. Help me abide in you, so that Your love can be transmitted to others through me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.

Philippians 2:3 (NIV).

Today's Encounter was written by: Crystal B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

Daily Encounter is published at no charge by ACTS International, a non-profit organization, and made possible through the donations of interested friends. Donations can be sent at: http://www.actscom.com

ACTS International P.O. Box 73545 San Clemente, California 92673-0119 U.S.A.

Phone: 949-940-9050 http://www.actsweb.org

Copyright (c) 2016 by ACTS International.

When copying or forwarding include the following: "Daily Encounter by Richard (Dick) Innes (c) 2005-2023 ACTS International

[jazzruinedmylife-blog]

Wednesday 7/26/23

10 AM -- Piano store. Mara lesson. Piano cake gift from grandmother. 

11:30 -- Neighbor Sue visits. Large piece of cake to go.

3 -- Noah lesson. No smartphone. Seems calmer. Mozart Turkish March. 

Full Boar for quick beer. 8 oz Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter. 8 oz Hazy IPA.

4:30 -- Head to Oswego.

6:30 -- Harborfest kickoff party. Jazz Mafia, Vanessa. Brian M bass. arm stiffness. Remember to rock. Chicken riggies, little meatballs, half slice Italian bread. No  cheesecake. Holding back.

Eaten by mosquitoes, post-gig pack up.

Bill K chat on drive home. Burge the genius.

Early sleep. No Schlem?

[sebilpov]

120 Solo Date Ideas

HOME EDITION

1. Write a love letter to yourself

2. Try out a new recipe

3. Have a dance party

4. Give yourself a pep talk

5. Redecorate your room

6. Watch your favorite movies

7. Cook yourself a fancy meal

8. Read an interesting book

9. Bake a Heart Pizza

10. Sign up for an online class

11. Organize your closet

12. Try new outfits

13. Listen to motivational TED Talks

14. Write a poem or short story

15. Learn a new language

16. Meditate on your dream life

17. Write a letter to someone

18. Make yourself a fancy cocktail

19. Make a list of goals

20. Watch a movie in a new language

21. Clean & declutter your home

22. Write your own life story

23. Teach yourself a new craft

24. Learn a new instrument

25. Journal your thoughts

26. Sketch or paint a picture

27. Write a letter to your future self

28. Play a video game

29. Write a song

30. Play a board game with yourself

31. Give yourself a makeover

32. Start writing a novel

33. Listen to a nice podcast

34. Declutter your phone or computer

35. Do a puzzle

36. Scrapbook your favorite memories

37. Create a bucketlist

38. Start a youtube channel

39. Do a deep dive on an interesting subject

40. Make a gratitude list

NATURE EDITION

41. Take a forest walk

42. Go swimming in a lake

43. Take a boat trip

44. Go stargazing

45. Feed birds in the park

46. Go wildflower picking

47. Explore a new park

48. Watch the sunrise or sunset

49. Take a rain walk

50. Take a bike ride

51. Plan a solo camping trip

52. Go Kayaking or paddleboarding

53. Watch the clouds

54. Lay under the sun

55. Road trip to a national park

56. Go on a hike

57. Do some outdoor-yoga

58. Journal in a local park

59. Go bird watching

60. Stay in a cabin in the woods

ART & CULTURE EDITION

61. Visit a concert

62. Attend a pottery workshop

63. Go to a museum

64. Visit a planetarium

65. Hit up a new bookstore

66. Visit a theatre

67. Sign up for an art class

68. Go to the opera

69. Hang out in a library

70. Improve your photography

71. Go to a musical

72. Go to an art exhibition

73. Visit a local winery

74. Go to the movies

75. Attend a local festival

76. Go to old buildings

77. Dance in a jazz bar

78. Head to a comedy show

79. Go to a drive-in

80. Volunteer at a charity

FUN EDITION

81. Buy yourself flowers

82. Have a solo photoshoot

83. Go thrift shopping

84. Book a solo trip

85. Read in a coffee shop

86. Do a sky-dive or bungee jump

87. Go to an amusement park

88. Explore a new neigbourhood

89. Get a tattoo

91. Go to a climbing park

92. Play tourist in your town

90. Go for a long drive

93. Go ice skating

94. Visit a local viewpoint

95. Get a piercing

96. Read a book outside

97. Take dance lessons

98. Create a,,white space" day

99. Book a night at a hotel

100. Take a late night walk

WELLNESS EDITION

101. Give yourself a massage

102. Have a spa night

103. Book a facial

104. Take a bubble bath

105. Visit a salt cave

106. Book a spa day

107. Get a mani & pedi

108. Visit a sauna

109. Book a massage

110. Attend a yoga or fitness class

FOOD EDITION

111. Go to a farmer's market

112. Take yourself to dinner out

113. Take a cooking class

114. Go for brunch

115. Bake cookies

116. Go seasonal fruit picking

117. Make yourself a three-course meal

118. Have a picnic

119. Visit your favorite bakery

120. Go berry picking

[uwumessenger]

random headcanons i have for each om! character teehee

hi it's been a while since ive posted some hcs bc uni has been kicking my a$$! luckily i only have a few papers to tidy up and im done. here r some hcs for each obey me character that ive accumulated over the past few months wink wonk

most are random but some constants you'll find are what i think they smell like, languages they can speak (other than their native (demon/angel) and eng/jp), and music tastes !

lucifer

i have a strong feeling that he showers twice a day: in the morning after waking up and at night before going to bed

his cologne is probably the type that will last in an elevator for like a week after he uses it once. i dont think this mf ever smells like anything other than his cologne

has a secret folder on his phone of semi-nudes and other scandalous pics from when he felt sexy at the time omg

aside from demon language/eng/jp he can speak french and knows latin

listens to classical stuff yea but he also listens to diavolos mixtapes (re: diavolo's section)

not a fan of sweets but will eat sweet things when craving

really bland sense of humor...borderline cringey 😭✋🏻

mammon

has gone to google images and searched for "inspirational quotes tumblr" "gold aesthetic tumblr" & "relatable crush post tumblr" then reposts it onto his socials or just taps thru them and giggles bc he relates

his cologne doesnt last as long as lucifers and probably smells common. he has to reapply a lot but it's a people pleasing smell. it's cheaper hence the constant reapplying

he probably does have an expensive bottle but is the type to totally overspray...eek

he is canonically a car guy 🥲 and probably tells the one in his room good morning & good night + kisses the hood every once in a while. has tons of car magazines

he doesnt really speak other languages but has attempted to learn spanish before

listens to whatever is on the radio. doesnt rly stan anyone but he eventually will listen to mc's playlist and mc's playlist ONLY

levi

lurks on mc's socials ALL THE TIMEEEE like he will rewatch ur stories and scroll thru ur feed and overanalyze ur tweets/rts or blog posts. if ur mc isnt the type to use sns much he still googles ur name all the damn time just to find any sites u might be on fjdjdjdjskks

probably streams on whatever youtube or twitch devildom site equivalent there is, but only has like 40 or so followers. which he is okay with!

until he sees someone else who gets more attention than him. then the envy starts kicking in bad. especially if they suck 🧍🏻‍♀️

classic gamer boy smell. you know, sweat, tears, must, and (sometimes) axe deodorant. lucifer has to do a scent check before he goes out to any event & lets him use his cologne. how sweet!

kpop stan!! more girl groups than anything and his ults are probably GIRLS GENERATION, wonder girls, twice, loona, & red velvet

cried when ioi disbanded and refused to leave his room. the only thing u could hear was downpour on loop at full blast

can also speak korean & communicate in echolocation like dolphins 😏

satan

listens to country music you cant change my mind

smells like whatever environment he is in. he doesnt really have a designated smell just throws some deodorant on and goes about his day.

he's sooooo bad at driving...gets road rage way too often so his license has been REVOKED

but hes totally a backseat driver. needs to be sedated on long trips

do not let him watch finding nemo when luke asks to watch it. it's not worth it. he will cause mass destruction.

if he was a human or lived long term in the human world he totally has the ability to be a doctor

is studying as many languages as possible, but he mostly knows latin & french & german etc etc. wants to learn all the dead languages out of curiousity

asmo

dont think this mf has ever held down a relationship. ever

he doesnt compromise much & is not willing to change his lifestyle to fit an s/o into it. you keep up with how he lives or it just isnt meant to be (but dont worry! he'll eventually learn...maybe,,,,)

has the hardest time out of everyone when it comes to breaking bad habits

his smell varies bc he uses a variety of perfumes (whatever is the most popular at the time) but he probably sticks to floral and fresh scents. he never uses generic people pleaser scents like mammon

listens to electropop, mainstream pop, & some alternative rock

as for languages he too knows french, spanish, italian, etc. in general, if it's a romance language he knows it!

opposite of lucifer in the sense where he loves sweets and will refrain from eating too many bitter things

i think we all know that asmo is the biggest rockstar of the group! he's probably been in a boy band at least once, but now he makes his own music

has tried to teach mammon how to sing once. ended up in a broken piano and bleeding ears...

beel

i feel like he is SO SHY

like unless ur close to him he will not start conversations or anything

i think he listens to r&b a lot ! and jazz 😎 maybe rock as well

smells like ur typical athlete with undertones of wet wipes. he carries them around bc he likes to clean his hands before he eats & is prepared for when theres no sink nearby

he can drive and he drives really well. no rough turns, parallel parks perfectly, and never has problems with merging

driving with beel is probably really soothing. left hand is steering the other is gripping ur thigh 😫

dont think hes really fluent in any other language but hes probably semi fluent in korean because levi wanted beel to help him out

definitely know how to order food in practically every language tho HAHAHA

belphie

he reminds me of randall from monsters inc

smells kinda musty IM SORRY but not the way levi does hes more like the kind of musty u feel or smell when it's a shitty morning

but that's only because hes so lazy, when he cleans up hes like satan

has definitely murdered multiple people before. mc is not the first 😐✋🏻

with that being said belphie has been put into prison at least twice when visiting the human world, the mf had such a strong hatred for humans theres no way he never got into trouble before

lucifer probably broke him out and they used the pen thingies from men in black to erase everyones memory of that 🙄

dont think he listens to anything other than music that'll put him to sleep. really likes lazy song by bruno mars but thinks that bruno mars put too much effort into the song. should have been one acapella verse and then finish

similar to beel hes only semi fluent in one language, probably french bc of lucifer. doesnt remember much but knows a couple of lullabies and bedtime stories

the sandman used to be his bff until they drifted. they do, however, like and comment on each other's sns posts.

diavolo

once he found out who nicki minaj was he became her #1 stan

def an ariana grande stan too 😌

choreographs dances when hes stressed...idk just seems like a diavolo thing to do

also makes rly bad soundcloud rap music sometimes. turns to poetry when hes feeling emo but only lucifer knows this. barbatos is suspicious of him but doesnt have enough evidence to confirm.

his dad is like hudson abadeer from adventure time aka marceline's dad? something must have influenced him to want to unite the 3 realms + he would need the approval to do so, so his dad must be more chill than all the others before him 🧍🏻‍♀️ IDK ok anyway

currently going through his hamilton phase bc of mc. whether mc's intent was to get him hooked onto it or just to explain it bc of something he saw online, he tells everyone that he found out abt it bc of mc!

this man cannot drive his skills are only second to jumin han

not too fond of many languages but knows the widely spoken ones like spanish, mandarin, etc. if it's taught in high school he knows it

smells like a las vegas casino. not sure why but i feel like he does. but there's also an interesting & nice smell to him if he embraces you. it's a smell you cant quite identify. but it smells nostalgic, it's mysterious, and it's tempting.

barbatos

very calm demeanor but underneath hes WILD hes probably done everything at least once oof

he just has a lot of control and stability over himself (must be nice!)

on a more angsty note i feel like he might have had his heartbroken sO BAD IDK he is hurting and maybe that's why hes so willing to obey diavolo and not abuse his time lord power thingies bc he learned his lesson the hard way

mans is so smart he knows every language you could switch languages mid conversation with him and he wouldnt be thrown off. he'd probably start speaking it too.

BUT HE SPEAKS VIET P E R F E C T L Y

listens to the same stuff as lucifer but also likes eminem. likes the movie 8 mile but criticized it heavily

have you ever been to a chinese herb shop? naturally, he smells like that. his room probably smells like it too. he doesnt really have a significant smell like some of the others

when he bakes he smells like whatever hes baking tho

one of the few out of everyone listed to have been able to travel to literally everywhere

solomon

was probably on kitchen nightmares once, but only to get feedback from chef gordon ramsay. then he used his magic to prevent the episode from airing...

was in an orchestra, one of the best times of his life. played the violin. asmo watched him in the audience once, but didnt approach him until well after that performance.

he CANNOT sing. he can, however, rap.

doesnt listen to music. he listens to podcasts! but every now and then he turns on background music, but prefers it to be instrumental stuff

never wears sunglasses. also does not have a driver's license. cannot drive a regular car. could maybe fly an airplane.

due to his immortality he has learned almost every language to exist, but finds himself speaking mandarin the most. knows most dialects too

similar smell to barbatos but u can also smell some sunscreen on him too. like, generic beach day suncreen

he has a lot of pact marks, so he once had the idea to match foundation to his skin. it took him two weeks but he eventually perfected a combination. yes he will help u find ur perfect shade if u ask him to

simeon

another country music man. has also made a tiktok or two to that one song that goes "he cant even bait a hook." they are private tho

angel country music exists and simeon invented it

if he visits the human world and wears more causal clothing he probably tucks his shirt into his pants

wears a speedo at the beach i tell u, speedo at the beach

he can speak german...i can feel it

uses his pointer finger to type and holds the phone like 2 inches away from his face so sometimes his nose will push a key hence all his typos

has no signature smell. he simply smells like your favorite scent all the time. if multiple people are around him at once, everyone smells a different smell. it's pretty rad

"what does he smell like to himself?" u may be asking. hmm...a church? 💀

luke

his first pet was a goldfish and a few months before the exchange program happened, he was given a koi pond!

secretly likes hanging out with levi sometimes just to play with henry. makes him miss his pet fish back home

so his favorite movie is probably finding nemo and he threw a fit when nemo touched the butt

luke is probably learning german bc of simeon, though he'd like to learn more of the dead languages just for fun

i dont think he listens to music often or has any preferences, he just listens to whatever is playing on the radio

but he finds himself listening to the music mc listens to

smells like freshly baked goods all the time. or fresh laundry. but like, not combined. just depends on the day