Stevie Wonder is playing his first gig in Melbourne and the place is
absolutely packed to the rafters.
In a bid to break the ice with his new audience, he asks if anyone would
like him to to play a request.
The Lord Mayor, John So, jumps out of his seat in the front row and
shouts:
"Play a jazz chord! Play a jazz chord!"
Amazed that this guy knows the jazz influences in Stevie's varied
career,
the blind muso starts to play an E minor scale and then goes into a
difficult jazz melody for about ten minutes.
When he finishes the whole place goes wild.
The Lord Mayor jumps up again and shouts: "No, no, play a jazz chord,
play
a jazz chord."
A bit cheesed off by this, Stevie, being the professional that he is,
dives
straight into a jazz improvisation with his band around the B flat minor
chord and really tears the place apart.
The crowd goes wild again, but the Lord Mayor jumps up again, screaming:
"Play a jazz chord, play a jazz chord."
Well & truly cheesed off that this little guy doesn't seem to appreciate
his playing ability, Stevie says to him from the stage:
"OK shorty, you get up here and do it."
John So climbs up on the stage, takes hold of the mike and starts to
sing....
"A JAZZ CHORD TO SAY I RUV YOU."
