The Audition

Jason was trying to get into the music industry.

He was mainly country, with a touch of folk and R&B. He was also a good ‘sessions’ man and could play Piano very well. He was just under six foot tall and quite thin.

Still, he was nothing outstanding or unusual and had yet to make his mark, playing the he was asked to, and he was starting to think he had made the wrong choice of profession…

Audition after audition came and went; people were pleasant, but the phrase “Thanks, we’ll call you…” got very common…

One evening, after a particularly frustrating audition that had come, eventually, to nothing, Jason was sitting at a bar, trying to cheer himself up but just getting maudlin.

He looked round the bar.

“Is this what I’ve come to?”, he thought.

As he looked around, he saw an old piano sitting in the corner.

Wandering over, he sat down at it, lifted the cover and brushed his hand across the keys.

For some crazy reason (probably the alcohol talking) he started playing a tune he liked, for a change, ‘Love Scenes’ by Beverly Craven. Gently, he starts singing along to it, an octave lower due to him being a man.

Suddenly, things change. Chuckling quietly, Jason starts the song again. This time, he puts everything into it…

The landlady, behind the bar, looks up in disbelief as a woman’s voice drifts over from the piano. The singing is pitch perfect, smooth, refined, but still in pain, with incredible feeling.

Getting someone to cover for her, she heads over, and gasps as she sees Jason.

“Did that voice come from you…?”, she says, disbelievingly, as Jason finishes.

Embarrassed, and still slightly drunk, Jason smiles.

“I was just larking about”, he said. “Playing at being Beverly Craven.”

“Do it again…”, the woman says, curling up on the stool by him. “Please…!”

Jason then starts playing ‘Promise Me’, another Beverly Craven number. As he is gently singing, he looks over at the woman.

Tears are streaming down her cheeks…

Jason finished playing, winding down slowly, and lowered the cover of the piano.

As he did, the woman, Andrea, rested her hand on his.

At the same time, the pub broke into spontaneous applause. Everyone had been listening…

“You’ve got a place here, anytime you need it”, she said. “Drinks are always on me.”

“Can you stop for a while?”, she asked. “I’d really like to talk…”

Jason and Andrea talked for a long time, past closing.

“How many other songs can you play?”, she eventually asked.

Jason started reeling off a list of artists and songs. Andrea noticed, however, that they were all female artists…

Then he mentioned a name she hadn’t heard for ages. Julia Fordham…

Andrea steered Jason back to the piano and, in the dimly lit, empty bar, Jason played ‘Love Moves in Mysterious Ways’, singing along in his quiet, hauntingly beautiful voice…

Andrea melted. There was no other word for it; she just went, completely. Jason turned back to see tears streaming down her cheeks…

He just came over and gathered her up in his arms…

Andrea led Jason through to the back of the bar, then upstairs, to her flat.

Nothing was said. No words were needed.

Andrea and Jason both stripped off and went to bed together. Andrea, somehow, knew that she was safe with Jason, and Jason seemed to know exactly what she wanted…

Lying back in bed, the next morning, Andrea stared at the ceiling, still amazed at what she had done.

“Last night was incredible. There’s only one problem, and it’s me, not you…”

Jason looked at her, concern on his face…

“I’m not really into men… I’m not wired that way. I’ve always preferred girls…”

Jason just gently stroked her head, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

“That’s ok”, he said, “I can do something about that.”

Suddenly dressing, he went to go.

Andrea reached for him. “I didn’t mean…!”

“Don’t worry”, smiled Jason. “I’ll see you later, when you open up.”

He left Andrea with a very confused expression on her face…

Andrea opened the bar, still thinking about Jason. Why had she been so attracted to him? She really wasn’t into men, both because her first love had been a girl and the way she had been treated by some of them.

Still musing to herself, she suddenly heard a quiet melody coming from the Piano. Recognising the song, she rushed over…

Sitting at the piano, however, wasn’t Jason. It was a statuesque woman, dressing down in a denim dress. Even so, she oozed class…

Then she turned round…

“Ah, you must be Andrea. I’m Jacey Starr, pleased to meet you…”

The woman looked like Jason’s twin sister, Andrea thought. She couldn’t be… could she?

Jacey leaned over and whispered in Andrea’s ear, “Is this more like it…? I’ve done this for you.”

Andrea couldn’t believe how gorgeous a woman Jacey was.

“Jason…?”, she said, in a shaky voice…

The woman waggled a gloved finger at her.

“Jacey…”, she said, with a smile…

Andrea spent the whole evening sitting with her at the piano.

She was in heaven.

Jacey also didn’t realise a talent scout for one of the local music studios was in the bar. Funnily enough, it was one of the ones that had turned Jason down.

She walked over to the piano.

“Er… Miss, can I have a word?”, she said.

The woman spent the next few minutes talking to both Jacey and Andrea. Jacey had introduced Andrea as her manager; Andrea’s business sense was a lot better than hers, and she didn’t really want to deal with rejections again.

However, things progressed well, and before they knew it they were in the studio.

Julia Fordham had given her permission for Jacey to make a ‘cover’ of her song, to Jacey’s absolute amazement. She had agreed as soon as she heard the demo, on condition that she met Jacey.

Jacey went as white as a sheet. “I… I can’t…”

Jacey started shaking violently; she was scared stiff. To Andrea’s amazement, she got up and rushed out of the room…

Andrea raced out after her. She caught up with Jacey outside, in the car park.

“What’s wrong with you, love? I thought this was all you wanted…!”

“I only did this for you!”, Jacey wailed. “I never expected this. I can’t cope…!”

“Yes, you can”, said Andrea. “Do this for me. Really be Jacey for me…”

Andrea kissed Jacey and gently steered her back into the studio.

“Just pre-recording jitters, it happens”, Andrea said, as they came back in.

To be honest, the recording company wasn’t expecting much from the session, so they weren’t too worried about Jacey’s flaky behaviour.

However, they hadn’t realised that someone else was also listening to everything that was going on…

As soon as she had heard the demo tape and had been told that Jacey would be recording that day, Julia Fordham had set off for the studio. She had made her way into the building unannounced and was quietly sitting in the booth with the engineer, unknown to Andrea and Jacey.

Calming herself, Jacey sat down at the piano. She then played a few warmup exercises.

The engineer, getting a feeling that something special was about to happen, had the sense to start recording…

With a nod from Andrea, and a smile, Jacey started playing.

Concentrating only at Andrea, she sang ‘Love Moves…’ in his own special, unique voice.

They didn’t need another take. Jacey played straight through perfectly.

As she finished, a figure came out of the booth…

Julia Fordham walked over, tears in her eyes, and hugged Jacey.

“I thought it meant that much to you”, she said.

She then turned round to the recording company’s agent, who was standing by the booth.

“If you don’t release that right now, you’re an idiot”, she said. She then walked out, smiling.

The download was on the company’s website later that day…