Dear mom and dad,
Sorry it's been a few weeks, but I have been nearly non stop in my new job. As you know, I was selected to be Princess Luna's personal minstrel and my former band fell apart. But no worries, Luna has deemed it “a matter of night time importance” to help establish a Jazz venue. We already have the place picked out. It's in Ponyville and after I pick up the new band members, we should be able to get everypony started right away with practice. Oh, by the way, I am currently in Manehatten chasing down the first possible member of the band. You might remember her. I believe her name was Rhythm... Oh well, I will find out soon. Hope this messages sees you in good health.
Love you,
Swing Beat
As I sealed the letter and dropped it off at the mail room for the hotel I was staying in, I decided to walk a bit around Manehatten and visit a few places, such as the place where Trombone Mills got his break with his band, and then I went to some of the art museums and hung around some of the older paintings, just amazed at how well done the Marelem Renaissance art was done. As I took out my notebook. Rhythm was supposed to be setting up her act now at some dive place. So, putting the notebook away, I made my way over.
When I arrived at the “corner place”, I already heard a fairly good piano play its solo, then I heard maybe one or two claps in approval. As I entered the establishment, I was seated a distance from the stage, but I still could see and hear the bass player very well. The group up there was actually a duo. Some pegasus was on the ivories and Rhythm playing an upright bass. She was an earth pony, but the way she handled that bass, it was obvious that it was no wonder her cutie mark was a clef note. She was a a bit of a dark orange with a mix of dark and light pink for her mane, which she tied up behind her so as to not get in the way of her playing. As she played, it sounded very good. No wonder when Luna sent me to find this pony she had a good feeling about it. So, I waited for their set to end. As it did, Rhythm got down and approached the bar and asked for a tonic water. When she did, I saw her take a headache pill out. So, taking my chance, I struck up a conversation.
“Tough crowd tonight.”
“Yeah, no kidding. What with the beer swollen stallions trying to hit on me while on stage and the fact that the pianist is a show off. Tough crowd alright...”
When the tonic water arrived, she was digging out a bit purse, but I paid for it from my own. She thanked me and in the same breath also said, “Don't think I am that easy, mister. Just because you seem suave doesn't mean I can't kick your flank back to whatever hole you crawled from.” Yeowch, a stinger.
“Well, contrary to popular belief my name, Swing, is for a music style, not the life style.”
“Glad to know,” she said as she took her drink in hoof and drank a bit.
“So, ‘Swing’, what brought you to this dump? My excuse is a gig. You, though, look like you belong at a place like the Savoy.”
“Well, funny thing really. I am currently looking for members for a band.”
“Really? So you've heard about me and wanted to check me out then, huh?”
“More or less.”
“So, what band type are we talking about?”
“A jazz band. More specifically, a big band that could rival the Canterlot orchestra.”
“Lofty goals there, Swing. And you want me to be a part of it?”
“Room and board are included, as well as a healthy pay.”
“Sounds a bit too much to be true.”
“Well,” I said, digging out the invitation as well as employment papers and placing them on the bar for her to see, “these are the papers. I will let you read them tonight and make up your mind. You can find me tomorrow at Lombardi's Pizzeria at lunch and if you miss me, then you can call me up at the Hooften Hotel, room 383.” And with that, I said goodbye and left her to think.
The next morning I awoke to the sun being raised and, while I prefer night (after all, I am considered a nightpony), I can work in the day, and sometimes you just have to. Today was one of those days. I wanted nothing to do with Celstia's sun, but I got up and got ready for today and my meeting with Rhythm and so. I was actually nervous and praying to whatever higher powers than the princesses were, hoping that Rhythm would accept it. So as lunch rolled around, I went to Lombardi's, ordered a margherita pizza, and waited at a quarter after noon.
She arrived holding the papers in her saddle bags, and as she sat down at my table said, “This has got to be the biggest joke I have ever seen.”
“I assure you, it is no joke.”
“So what your saying is that Princess Luna, the ruler of the night, wants to start a jazz band?!?”
“Shh! Calm down! She doesn't want it getting out that she's up to this. She says it would make other ponies call foul play on us.”
“So how many have already signed up?”
“Well, including you if you sign, two. Myself, naturally, then you.”
“Any proof that it really is Luna pulling the strings here?”
I knew she would ask that. That is why, when I left, I asked her to provide something to prove this to the applicants, which she did. It was a shoe that only the royal cobbler could make. Shoes out of obsidian.
As I showed it to her, she nearly croaked with disbelief. Finally, after assuring her that it was all real, I said, “So, do you want to join?”
“What kind of idiot wouldn't?” And so, I got my first player to join up. Now, 15 more to go.
At the request of Rhythm, I looked at some of her friends she played with and I took notes and asked for recordings they had made and secretly sending them to Luna. She gave me feedback. We found two trumpets and a baritone sax this way, as well as word of a possible pianist (I can play the piano, but its not my specialty). The pianist in mind was a griffon, but for him, I needed to travel to the griffon lands to the east, which required Luna's permission, which was granted with an unnatural wholeheartedness. Apparently something like this was a “good politics” move on Equstria's part, but I reminded Luna that i was picking based off of talent that I saw and how well the players could work, and apparently this guy was very good, seeing as how his claws could play the piano in which no pony could. So, after asking around in letters and getting responses, I found that he was in the small town of Talon's Peak, playing for a small band called the Jetstream Fliers. So, after telling the band already made to meet me in Ponyville in three months, I hopped on an air ship bound for the griffin's nation.