Stevie Wonder is playing his first gig in Tokyo 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 play a request. A little old Japanese man jumps out of his seat in the first row and shouts at the top of his voice
“Play a Jazz chord! Play a jazz chord!”
Amazed that this guy knows about the jazz influences in Stevie’s varied career, the blind impresario starts to play an E minor scale and then goes into a difficult jazz melody for about 10 minutes. When he finishes the whole place goes wild. The little old man jumps up again and shouts “No, no, play a Jazz chord, play a Jazz chord”.
A bit nonplussed 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 with this impromptu show of his technical expertise.
The little old man jumps up again. “No, no. Play a Jazz chord, play a Jazz chord”.
Well and truly brassed off that this little guy doesn’t seem to appreciate his playing ability, Stevie says to him from the stage “OK smartie pants! You get up here and do it!”
The little old man climbs up onto the stage, takes hold of the mike, and starts to sing…..
“A jazz chord to say I ruv you……………..”
