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redbullcateringfiction · 9 months

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Chapter 5 -

Cantata

Arabella is the executive assistant for Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff. 10 years into her career, it looks like the tide is changing, and she's beginning to question her relationship with him. Is it something more, or nothing but an idea lingering in her head?

F/M, Fluff, Boss/Employee Relationship, Romance, Pining, Love, Slow Burn

Fifth chapter below the cut or click here for AO3

Click here for the previous chapter on Tumblr, and click here for a list of all chapters

(Total: 21735 words thus far)

Oh? The right time to use a lawyer? You little shit. I immediately went to block his number, but paused. God, maybe he was onto something. He’s right. I can’t talk about my life with anyone, and…would this contract guarantee that he couldn’t say anything? I need a lawyer to read over this contract with a lawyer. I stared at the screen without really doing anything. I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder, I looked over and saw a line of 10 or so engineers. “How’s it going, ATM?” James asked. As one of the trackside engineers, he had been one of those who gifted me the greatest gift any paddock regular can receive: A nickname.

I suppose Toto and Bono had it easy since it really was just what they had always been called. It was, afterall, really just their names. My nickname was far less affectionate. Both representative of the way the engineers would jokingly ask me to sign off on the paychecks, since they believed I held so much power at Brackley I could do so, and of the way I was also notorious for standing right behind Toto ready to shuffle him off to his next engagement. ATM stood for “Assigned Toto Micromanager.” It did, however, make it impossible to tell over text if they were asking “at the moment” or simply calling me by name. ‘Bono is on the pit wall ATM.’ As in right now or are we just mocking me? Fuck.

“Good, good. Let’s get the party started,” I smiled. One after another, they filtered through. Of course, at least one of them had forgotten some silly thing they couldn’t bring through customs, turning them into an international smuggler, and I into the negotiator. In many ways, this could easily be one of the silliest parts of my job. Kindly asking a customs agent to overlook the Schumacher memorabilia that brightly displayed “Marlboro” and thus consisted of cigarette advertisements was certainly not in the job description.

“Now, why would you wear that shirt?” I asked as the offending engineer finally passed through customs.

“I didn’t know it would be a problem!” She answered, throwing up her hands.

“Well, now you do,” I replied, rolling my eyes. She looked tempted to throw me the bird. “Just throw on a sweatshirt.”

“Fine, fine,” She sighed, reaching into her bag and pulling out a sweater.

I put in my ear buds as the line finally came to a close, and I began to walk to the car. I quickly found my playlist. Unlike my father, I was not a fan of Bach, Mozart, or Schubert. Rather Ellington, Corea, and Monk graced my ears. It had pissed off my ex-boyfriend enough that he wrote a song about it. I wish though that listening to that song gave me the giggles rather than could send me into tears. Unfortunately, the song refused to leave me alone. It followed me into stores. It followed me into the paddock. It followed me into every single rewind playlist Spotify gives me every single year. No one allows me to forget that damn song.

I ran to the car and climbed in, managing to wave down the driver. “Arabella Lazaar, right? Four seasons?” He asked.

“Yes, yes. Thank you so much,” I answered. I quickly dialed down Toto.

“Hello?” He answered.

“I’m on my way. We have to remind the engineers about clothing requirements at customs again,” I sighed.

“Who was the offender this time?” He laughed.

“Sarah with a Schumacher Senior shirt,” I explained.

“What could be the problem-”

“Marlboro,” I interrupted.

“Ah. Got it. Well, send out the email tonight. Should I meet you in the lobby? I have you checked in already.”

“Already? Sure. I’ll be there in half an hour. Looks like traffic is a mess since everyone’s coming in for testing.”

“Not too bad, Ms. Lazaar. I can make it happen in twenty.”

“Then twenty! He says we can make it in twenty,” I explained to Toto.

“Then twenty, I’ll see you here in twenty.” I could practically hear him smiling through the phone. “See you soon.”

“See you,” I answered. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem,” The driver answered.

Cathal Lynch’s girlfriend accidentally revealed through new song

Cathal Lynch, lead singer of Irish pop-rock band Four Odd Bottles, has long kept his love life private. For the past 3 years he has referenced his girlfriend at shows and in interviews, but has never revealed her identity. Fan theories have suggested supermodels, ex-classmates, and that perhaps, she doesn’t even actually exist! However, the release of the band's newest song - 4th From the Gate - accidentally revealed her identity.

Simple references such as “racing stars,” and “dry tires on a wet pavement,” implied to listeners that Lynch may be dating a member of the Formula 1 community. Fans further found that Cathal’s posts on Instagram seemed to be located near or close to locations where Formula 1 races had taken place. None of this directly pointed to the woman who inspires Cathal’s boisterous love songs. However, several final details collided in the perfect storm to reveal her identity.

At the recent Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, Lynch took a picture with now 6-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. This picture, taken from within the garage, told many fans that Cathal Lynch was either a big fan of Mercedes-Petronas, or with the recent song, his girlfriend works for Mercedes. Fans recalled that earlier songs had referenced Cathal Lynch’s girlfriend’s long curly hair, her tanned skin, and even that she may be Dutch. In the background of this picture was Arabella Lazaar - Curly haired, medium skinned, Dutch executive assistant to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

This afternoon, Cathal Lynch half-confirmed this was a simple Instagram story that showed a long curly hair on his pillow captioned “Always leaving pieces of herself with me. Even the ones she knows I hate.” To many fans, this was all they needed to immediately determine Arabella Lazaar was the woman inspiring Cathal Lynch’s music for the past 3 years.

Four Odd Bottle’s did not respond to our request for comment.

We arrived at the hotel after 10 minutes, on the dot. I thanked the driver and was sure to grab my bags that I had placed in the trunk. As soon as I walked in, Toto was practically waiting by the door.

“Arabella, haven’t seen you in a while,” He joked.

“Oh, those two hours must’ve been so tortuous for you,” I spoke, immediately catching myself on the basis it may have sounded just a little bit flirty. Toto didn’t seem to notice though and laughed.

“You just know they were. Every single minute, I was thinking, oh, how will I know what I am going to do in the next 5 minutes? Oh right, she sent an email, and I am to do absolutely nothing until she tells me what to do.”

“I’m not that bad,” I defended myself.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” He smirked. “Let me take your bags.”

We started walking towards the elevator and he lead me to my room. “I’m right next door, so you can bother me first thing in the morning.”

“And you know I will,” I smiled, taking the key from his hand. “Has someone already checked over your room?”

“I did. I know how to look over my own room.”

“Surprising,” I sassed. I walked in and immediately went to shut the door, but toto caught it with his foot.

“Uh, sorry. Do you mind if I was to finish our earlier conversation?” He asked, sweetly offering me a smile.

“Oh. Sure. It had already slipped my mind,” I poorly lied. It had stuck in my brain like a leech. “Did you want to step in?” Fuck, why did I say that?

“Sure, sure,” He answered, closing the door behind him. “I just wanted to apologize for interrupting your date last night. I had a few too many drinks at the event, and saw you…and I’m not sure. Something just came over me. And suddenly I recalled you heading up to the room, and I figured, why not just ask? It just wasn’t appropriate and I wanted to apologize.”

“Oh…um…no worries! It wasn’t a date,” I quickly deflected. Why did I say that? Why not just accept the apology? Klootzak.

“It wasn’t?” Toto asked, seemingly just as surprised at my statement as me. “Oh, well good, I suppose. Not good. Just…yes, okay.”

“Yeah, I was just uh…meeting with my lawyer.”

“Your lawyer ?”

Yes, of course. That was somehow better. I’m planning on suing you, Toto Wolff.

“Just uh…with contract renewal coming up soon. He’s been my lawyer since the incident with Cathal,” I mumbled. I’m very bad at lying. “Just good to have someone on my side.”

“Oh, of course. Well, then, I’m deeply sorry for implying that you were on a date by asking if he was your boyfriend from the Christmas party,” Toto answered.

“Mauricio? No, uh, we split up shortly after that.” Please stop talking, Arabella. Why can’t I just shut up sometimes?

“That's right. Mauricio. I’m sorry about that, though.” Okay, Arabella, take a breath and think for a moment about how you’ll respond.

“Ah, we weren’t that serious. I’m not bothered. What’s done is done,” I smiled. I do not have the heart nor emotional capacity to tell Toto that Mauricio and I dated for about 3 weeks and had already broken up when I made him come to the Christmas Party with me. I just didn’t want to look lonely. It was a nice deal though. As a massive fan of Lewis, he didn’t mind getting the opportunity to meet everyone on his team. When my ex-boyfriend and I had been together, I rarely let him come to events with me. Of course, the one time I did, all hell broke loose. That’s why I don’t date celebrities anymore. Unfortunately, it being the one time I brought someone with me to the Christmas Party, it had stuck in everyone’s brains and to this day people ask me if Mauricio and I are still together.

“Regardless, Arabella. That was my point. I apologize,” He smiled.

“I understand that, and I accept your apology. It really isn’t anything to apologize for though,” I explained.

“Okay,” Toto sighed. “Can I make it up to you though?”

"Give me a day off, you mean?” I chuckled.

“We both know you wouldn't accept that. But we have some free time tonight. In exchange for ruining your last dinner, I propose you at least let me buy you dinner. You don’t have to sit down with me or anything, but I can at least buy it for you.”

“Can I think about it?” I asked.

“Think as long as you’d like,” He conceded, throwing up his hands. “I’ll head out. If you want to take me up on the offer, just shoot me a text.”

I nodded and he left out the door. I immediately crashed onto the bed, holding my face in the pillow. Perhaps Jeffrey was right. I did, in fact, desperately need someone to talk to. I looked at the text message again and tried to use the little bit of legalese I knew to understand it. I’m nowhere near a professional but this seems reasonable enough. No part of me wants to just sign this…but what options do I have? I downloaded it and sat on it for a moment, staring at it. I decided to call Jeffrey himself. I might not know legalese but I can interpret bullshit when I hear it.

“Oh, Arabella. I didn’t expect this,” Jeffrey answered the phone.

“I know. But, do me a favor here,” I spluttered. “Just…explain to me what all this means. I think I get the idea, but just walk me through it, and I’ll let you know if I have any questions.”

“That’s not a problem. Go ahead. What’s your first concern?”

“I’m not sure what section 1.3 really means. I think it’s saying that your retainer is typically 50% of expected hours, but since the expected work hours here are unlimited…then the retainer is $50,000? But also since it’s pro bono, there isn’t a retainer?”

“Basically. Here, let me walk you through it. So you see…”

“Cathal, I can’t do this,” I cried, burying my head in my hands. “The calling, the texting, the death threats. It just isn’t ending.” I thought I would puke as my phone just continuously buzzed.

“I know,” He whimpered through the phone. “I’m really sorry.”

“Why did you post that stupid fucking photo?” I begged. “Everyone knows it's me.”

“How the fuck was I supposed to know that they could figure out your god damn name from a picture that barely had you in the background? How the fuck was I supposed to know that, Belle?”

“I don’t fucking know! God, fuck!” I screamed. I could feel my chest getting tight, and suddenly I felt the need to lower my curtains. I could not look at Brackley right now. Absolutely not. “If anyone, and I mean anyone, finds my fucking address I will fucking kill you.”

“Then I’m dead. Because I already have the fucking team paying off paparazzi after paparazzi. I fucking care about you, Belle. I do. Do not blame me for this level of insanity.”

“People want to kill me because I’m dating you. Even though, to them, I’m the reason for all your music. Yet, they want me dead for it.”

“None of them are real, I assure you, Belle,” He tried to calm me down. “None of them. They always send bullshit like this and they never mean it. It’s just one of those great perks of being famous.”

“I do not want to be famous,” I complained.

“Really? Running around with Formula drivers and working for actors and actresses, and dating a fucking musician? No part of you wants to be famous? It sure as fuck seems like you do.”

“No, I do not, Cathal. It’s my job. It’s my fucking job,” I wept. I could feel my tears staining the pillow beneath me. Every inch was slowly becoming covered with tears. I touched it. I had cried so hard and for so long that the other side of it was becoming damp. I would surely have to throw this pillow out. I would have to carry it to the trash in the kitchen, and then drag the bag out to the trash bin. I would have to take the bin to the curb, and make sure it didn’t block the garage, so I could take my car and drive it to work in the morning. I would have to stay at work trying to avoid thinking about this or risk dropping into a sad mess of tears. I would have to drive back home, and be careful not to hit my garbage can if it had shifted since they picked it up. I would then have to get out of my car and drag the bin back into the garage. I would have to do all of this without running into paparazzi because I doubt Cathal’s team could stop all of them. I would have to do all of this without for a second having a panic attack. I would have to do all of this without letting anyone know just how much it had fucked me up.

That to me was the most important factor. No matter what happened and no matter how bad this made me feel, absolutely no one would know how fucked up this had me. Whatever pictures the paparazzi took of me, I would look fucking good. This could be the worst day of my life but there’s no reason for anyone to know except me and Cathal. I pulled myself together as Cathal ranted about my hypocriticism.

“You know what, Cathal? You can blame me all you want. You can say I’m the reason why my life was ruined. The truth is though, I know you better than anyone else. I know you better than all your fucking fans do. I know that you left all those bread crumbs on purpose. I know that you wanted them to know who I was because you thought it was so silly that I didn’t want to be known. You thought it was so weird that someone could date a magnificent celebrity like you and not just want to date them for their fame. You thought it was so absurd. Why don’t you go fuck a groupie about it? Why don’t you pass some venereal disease all throughout Europe about it? I don’t care anymore. I did exactly as I was told, Cathal. Go fuck yourself,” I spoke, hanging up. I turned my phone off. If someone needs me, they know how to get a hold of me without calling or texting me. I cleaned my face up, and put on a nice bathrobe. I threw the pillow out in the garbage, and made sure my house was clean. I then opened up the blinds. Sure enough, as soon as I did, I saw a camera flash inside a car that was neatly parked outside my house.

At least I knew that when that picture hit the tabloids, it would be a good one.

“And there we go. Everything explained. What do you think?” Jeffrey asked, sounding like he nearly needed to catch his breath. I yawned deeply, becoming sleepy after Jeffrey had managed to run through the entire contract in excruciating detail without stopping.

“I think you really like being a lawyer,” I yawned again.

“I do, yes,” I could practically hear him beaming through the phone.

“Yeah, really boring for me, honestly,” I deadpanned. “Anyway, yeah, sounds good. I’ll sign it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. And after I sign it, how long until it goes into effect?”

“Instantly.”

“Great.” I instantly signed the paperwork and immediately returned it to him.

“Thanks. Just got it.”

“Okay. Should I go to dinner with Toto?”

“Oh-we’re starting right away. Jesus Christ, Arabella. I’m not a magic 8 ball,” Jeffrey answered. “I don’t know if you should go to- wait he asked you out?”

“Asked me out is a strong sentiment,” I explained. “I really hope the walls here aren’t thin.”

“Is he right next to you or something?”

“His room is.”

“Oh my God, Arabella. That man wants you so bad.”

“Fucking hell, Jeffrey. I set up the rooms. Do you know who is also right next to him? Bono. Do you know who is also right next to me? Musconi. Because we’re all taking the same fucking car in the morning,” I explained.

“So…you want him so bad?”

“No, fucking hell, Jeffrey. It was just luck of the draw, I guess,” I replied. “All I did was say we should be on the same floor. In case something went wrong with the car.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever you say. So, he asked you for dinner?”

“Technically. He’s making up for interrupting our date…that I told him wasn’t a date.”

“Rude.”

“Rude? You gave me the idea with the whole ‘contract coming up’ bullshit. I just went with it. I didn’t want him to feel quite so crap for putting me in this situation.”

“Oh, situation? I’m a situation now?”

“Yes, Jeffrey. Yes, you are.” I looked out the window and could clearly see the signs of the impending dust storm. My family didn’t visit Morocco frequently when I was a child, but since we usually visited Marrakech in May, they were incredibly frequent. The wind would start blowing over the desert, and soon the sky would turn to a bright orange, the sand devouring us whole, while my father practically slapped us with face coverings to keep each of us from falling into unstoppable coughing fits. In a particularly bad one, I would stumble over my own feet trying to grab my sister’s shoulder, just to know I had someone with me.

“You know, this is supposed to be a mutually positive experience. You get to complain about work. I get to complain about work. Pretty good deal, I think,” Jeffrey argued.

“I think it’s closer to blackmail. Besides, you have given me very little advice in this situation.”

“Well, what exactly did he say, Arabella? Can I call you Bella?”

“You cannot. I’m not a crusty white dog,” I sighed. That was my go to line when someone asked if they could call me Bella. I found it made them far less difficult about it. “He just apologized and said he would make it up for me. I could pretty much take him up on dinner or just let him buy my room service basically.”

“Does…does he not already pay for your food when you travel?” Jeffrey asked.

“Oh fuck you and your cleverness,” I sighed. “So…do you think it was a date then?”

“I promise you, I’m not trying to play therapist with you, but two things. For someone who says that she’s positive her boss isn’t into her, and she’s positive she isn’t into her boss, you’re awfully preoccupied with whether this is a date or not. Second thing, how would I know? Arabella, I barely know you and this guy. I can make assumptions based on my own knowledge about how I think things work but I can’t just come outright and say ‘Yes, for sure’ based on 3 hours of talking and maybe another hour of having sex,” Jeffrey explained. “You would actually have better luck with a magic 8 ball.”

“I’m really not into him. Just…curious,” I confidently spoke. “I’m 32 and lost out on my one realistic chance of marriage a year and a half ago. I get my hopes up at the slightest bit of attention even if I try to pretend I don’t.” As I spoke, the confidence quickly wore off.

Jeffrey took a deep sigh. “Cathal, right?”

“I thought you were joking about Googling me,” I laughed, trying to soften the fact that my eyes were welling up with tears. I was over my ex. I had been for a long time. Nonetheless, the way he constantly crept up in my life had a strange way of never allowing old wounds to heal properly. We weren’t together for some crazy long period of time, but fame just wasn’t really for me. He just couldn’t understand that. Eventually, he was over it. Eventually, I was over being disrespected. Having your business out there all the time makes it impossible to ignore everything. Him being a musician means I constantly notice the way I don’t think he’s over me though. Releasing two breakup albums is a bit much, don’t you think? I could forgive one, but a second that was clearly still about me? Freaked me out a bit, if I’m honest.

“I wasn’t. It was the first thing I saw. Your name plastered over all those headlines. Pictures of your house, pictures of you at races, pictures of you at Brackley. Just everywhere,” Jeffrey explained.

“Most people forgot about it a long time ago. It was a Shakespearean tragedy in 5 acts for pop culture nerds. For everyone else, it really wasn’t anything.” I hate to admit it, but perhaps Cathal was the reason why I hated staying in Brackley so much. The way the discomfort lingered, and the way I swore sometimes I could smell him on my couch. It was stained with him, practically. Every inch was Cathal, Cathal, Cathal. Guitars on the walls, albums on the shelves, and a closet full of outfits he had worn while touring. It took months of vacuuming to stop finding his cat’s hair.

“Not you though, huh? I can hear it in your voice,” Jeffrey answered.

“In my voice? Are you talking nonsense again?”

“Do you really think I’m not at all perceptive? I’m a lawyer, Arabella. Stop underestimating my people skills for once, or I’m going to hang up the phone.”

“Fine, fine. You’re right. It hasn’t really left me, partially, because it follows me around everywhere. You yourself said that you found it just by googling my name. Article after article detailing start-to-finish every aspect of our breakup and potential relationship history. None of that to mention that he’s two albums into the breakup and he won’t stop making songs about me.”

“How do you even know they’re about you?” Jeffrey asked innocently.

“The last album had a song called 100 degrees, which was entirely a reference to the perfect tire temp on an F1 tire. Not to mention the song just literally was about how hot I am but for some reason talking about me like I’m a car,” I sighed.

“I bet that didn’t sell well.”

“Lookup ‘Cathal Lynch objectifies ex-girlfriend quite literally in newest single.’ That one actually gives me quite the giggle,” I told him, thinking about the article. It had some great one liners, such as ‘ He compares her body to a Ferrari, which considering their recent performance in F1, she will certainly take as an insult.’ They were right. I did.

“Is he trying to win you back?”

“More like he’s trying to annoy me. Every single time he puts an album out there talking about me, or mentions me at a concert, or talks about it in an interview, it gets my name right back in the tabloids. He knows I hate that. Thankfully, the press doesn’t really care to get my pictures anywhere but F1 races since they know I’ll always be there, and why waste resources when everyone else has seemingly moved on?”

“Except him.”

“Obviously,” I groaned. “Anyway…you’re right. I’ll figure out on my own what to do when it comes to the dinner thing. I need to be a grown up, I suppose.”

“Yes, you should. Now, do you mind if I have my own little moment here about my life?” Jeffrey asked. What am I supposed to say? No? After bitching for very long about everything in my life? It wouldn’t be fair.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Do you know what I hate? More than anything else?”

“Hmm?”

“So many people think I do DaVinci code type shit, and have the tomb of Jesus Christ himself locked away in a vault in Switzerland just because I work for a Swiss Bank.”

“Really? What’s the weirdest thing you have stored away?” I asked.

“I don’t actually know. We don’t ask questions. One client was storing just a single banana, and got pretty mad when the thing went rotten.”

“Did…did they think you would keep it fresh forever?”

“Somehow, yes. It was apparently one of those super rare plant species and his personal fruit tree had grown that singular one that year. I told him we’d buy him a box of those bananas to satisfy him.”

“What? Really? You just had the company shell out that that money just because this dude doesn’t understand a single thing about safety deposit boxes?”

“Y’know, when I was a kid, my dad made me work at Tesco. He wanted me to see how retail worked because he swore that I would otherwise grow up an entitled rich kid. And when I was a cashier, I would sit there and complain about my managers giving random people free things for things that were their fault. Then suddenly, one day he left early, gave me his pin and told me to handle any problems that arose. One customer in, and I realized how much easier it was to just satisfy them with whatever silly request they had even if it wasn't our fault.”

“Nice story, Jeffrey. My parents own a tiny hotel on an island. We weren’t playing poor, we just were. The hotel to this day barely stays afloat. And whenever someone came in and begged for something free or said they were upset with the way the room was cleaned, whatever, my parents would check and make sure it wasn’t their fault. If it wasn’t, they would happily tell them to fuck off,” I storied back to him.

“Alright, Arabella. Whatever you say, huh? You can’t just let someone have an opinion, can you?” He asked.

“That whole story was an opinion? What are you, a Tory?” I joked.

“Oh, shush,” He laughed.

“Now you tell a woman to quiet up, huh? Jeffrey…tsk, tsk, tsk.”

“Alright, alright. I get it. Well, run off now and figure out what you’re doing tonight. I’ll let you go now.”

“Oh, really? I thought there would be more.”

“I just didn’t want you to feel weird. It’s supposed to be a tradeoff. I wanted to trade,” Jeffrey shrugged.

“You know you don’t have to say something. You can just wait until something happens and then call me,” I explained.

“Except if I turn on Sky Sports and see Mercedes is at the paddock?” Jeffrey asked.

“Unless it’s the race or qualifying, that’s probably the perfect time to call, actually. I’m an assistant, not an engineer, Jeffrey.”

“Oh, right on. Well, I’ll speak with you later, Bella.”

“Nope.”

“Thought I’d get away with it,” He sighed, hanging up the phone. I laughed hearing my phone beep away. As useless as I suppose that conversation was in practicality, in theory, it felt very safe. Somehow, despite the literal contract I had just signed and argument we had last night, I might as well had been speaking with someone I knew for a decade. Perhaps he knew so much from looking me up that he could truly act like that, or maybe we just truly have the perfect matching energies for a platonic relationship.

I stared at the door thinking about my next move. I realized that if I did what I wanted to do, I would be locking myself in this room, keeping to my strict comfort zone. I don’t want to do that. I sent off a text to Toto.

Me: I’ll take you up on the offer.

Tags: @daddyslittlevillain

#f1 2023 #f1 fandom #toto wolff #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #fanfic #formula 1 rpf #oc of color #toto wolff fanfic #toto wolff fanfiction #toto wolff x oc #toto wolff fluff

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breha · 1 year

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monster memory // music for a vampire sitting by a single tree under a sunlamp in a tower between scheduled mental breakdowns. i blame music on a long thin wire by @leguin for some of how this turned out.

01. you’ll never be alone the books 02. le mal de vivre cécile mclorin salvant 03. orange was the color of her dress, then blue silk charles mingus 04. god laughs earl sweatshirt 05. i get along without you very well nina simone 06. angel eyes ella fitzgerald 07. i’m always drunk in san francisco carmen mcrae 08. the angle of incidence pauline oliveros 09. pink + white frank ocean 10. little sister rufus wainwright 11. for my lover tracy chapman 12. he’s my guy sarah vaughan 13. ungodly fruit wax tailor 14. experiences no. 2 john cage 15. he's the moon bernice 16. me and my husband mitski 17. the noisy white part. 4 dream noises 18. act 3 - the binding of isaac steve reich 19. intro oneohtrix point never 20. ain’t nobody’s business if i do billie holiday 21. sister angel olsen 22. stages i soho rezanejad 23. footnote to howl kronos quartet (allen ginsberg) 24. yesterday martina topley-bird 25. l’après-midi felicia atkinson 26. american tune paul simon 27. a single petal of a rose duke ellington 28. come out steve reich 29. i am sitting in a room (excerpt) alvin lucier

#iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv playlists #i think louis is a sarah vaughan man. he was at the mister kelly's live recording in 1957 #this was revealed to me in a dream

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jpbjazz · 12 days

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LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

JOHN CARTER, ‘’LE ALEX HALEY DU JAZZ’’

‘’I had never heard anybody with such control on the clarinet… His complete mastery of the instrument is astounding.”

- Red Callender

Né le 24 septembre 1929 à Fort Worth, au Texas, John Wallace Carter avait d’abord étudié le saxophone alto avant de commencer à jouer de la clarinette à l’âge de douze ans. Très influencé par la musique gospel qu’il avait écoutée à l’église baptiste durant son enfance et par la musique de Duke Ellington, Count Basie et Cab Calloway, Carter avait amorcé sa carrière en jouant du blues au Woodman’s Hall d’Anacostia, un club de jazz de Washington, D.C. Il avait aussi fait équipe avec Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman et Charles Moffett dans les années 1940.

Après avoir fréquenté le I.M. Terrell High School, Carter avait décroché un baccalauréat en éducation musicale à l’Université Lincoln de Jefferson, au Missouri, en 1949, avant de compléter une maîtrise en éducation musicale à l’Université du Colorado en 1956.

De 1949 à 1961, Carter avait gagné sa vie en enseignant la musique dans le réseau d’écoles publiques de Fort Worth. Parallèlement à sa carrière de professeur, Carter avait continué d’expérimenter avec la clarinette et avait découvert que c’était cet instrument qui lui permettait d’exprimer le mieux sa personnalité musicale. Parmi les premières influences de Carter, on remarquait Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Duke Ellington et Count Basie.

Après s’être installé à Los Angeles, Carter avait enseigné durant vingt et un ans (1961-1982) dans les écoles élémentaires publiques de la ville.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

En 1964, Carter avait formé le New Art Jazz Ensemble avec le trompettiste Bobby Bradford, le contrebassiste Tom Williamson et le batteur Bruz Freeman, un pionnier du free jazz qui avait d’abord joué avec Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins et Sarah Vaughan. Le groupe avait poursuivi ses activités jusqu’à la mort de Carter en 1991 et se produisait surtout dans le Nord-est des États-Unis.

Décrivant sa première rencontre avec Bradford, qui était de six ans son cadet, Carter avait expliqué: ‘’I met him when I got out therem about ‘65, Bob was living in Pomona and teaching out there, and I was teaching out there (L.A.). I was very frustrated with whar I was doing. I had come here un 1961 and had aspirations for playing my music and I thought I could get as much studio work as I wanted to do when I got out here {...}. I play good lead alto, tenor, soprano, good flute and clarinet of course. I can play oboe and basson, all well enough to do session work.’’ Dans la même entrevue, Carter avait ajouté: ‘’Bob had been with Ornette up to ‘62, then went back to Texas and taught for a couple of years and then moved out there. Well so Bobby really wasn’t doing anything either, on any kinf of regular basis so we got together, it was very natural for us to try to get a group together.’’

Parallèlement à sa collaboration avec Bradford, Carter avait joué du jazz progressif avec des artistes locaux, se produisant à la flûte et au saxophone tout en approfondissant sa maîtrise de la clarinette, contribuant ainsi à briser les frontières musicales tout en était toujours accompagné par Bradford à la trompette. Au cours de cette période, Carter avait aussi joué avec le pianiste Hampton Hawes et le saxophoniste Harold Land.

Carter avait également opéré son propre club de jazz, le Rudolph’s, afin de contribuer au développement de la relève. En 1967, Carter avait dirigé une oeuvre d’Ornette Coleman à UCLA. Carter expliquait: ‘’It was a suite that Ornette had just done for the Guggenheim Grant that he had just got, whatever year that was. A very difficult pass. The band was in the festival house orchestra, whoever was playing brought along their charts and we played them. Carmen McRae was on that and Clark Terry. Ornette’s piece was written for big band against his quintet. {...} Full group, five trumpets, four trombones, five reed and a full rhythm section, and violins and cellos. He played that music a lot of times, he played it with the San Francisco Symphony, he played it in Europe and back in New York.’’

Dans les années 1970, Carter avait fait partie du Little Big Horn Workshop avec Bradford et Newton. Au cours de cette période, Carter s’était également fait connaître pour ses concerts en solo. Dans le cadre du New Jazz Festival de Moers en 1979, Carter s’était produit en duo avec le clarinettiste allemand Theo Jörgensmann durant trois jours. Le concert, qui avait fait connaître Carter à travers le monde, avait donné lieu à une nouvelle performance du duo en 1994.

Vers 1973, Carter et Bradford avaient fait une tournée en Europe et avaient enregistré avec le pianiste Horace Tapscott. Lors d’un séjour à Paris, Carter avait même joué du bebop avec Jaki Byard et Kenny Clarke.

Carter et Bradford s’étaient également produits en concert à UCLA en compagnie de l’Art Ensemble of Chicago, avec qui ils avaient enregistré l’album Tandem 1 en 1979. Après s’être joint au quintet d’instruments à vent de James Newton, Carter avait fondé en 1981 le groupe Clarinet Summit avec Alvin Batiste, Jimmy Hamilton et David Murray.

DERNIÈRES ANNÈES

Même s’il maîtrisait plusieurs instruments, Carter avait surtout joué de la clarinette et du saxophone soprano à partir de la fin des années 1970. Il expliquait: ‘’I think that certain personalities goes with certain instruments. While I have known that all along it took me a long time to associate that myself - because it takes a long time to try and see yourself, and I’m still trying. Like I know what that I am not a tenor player, but I’ve spent a lot of time fooling with the tenor saxophone. I played tenor and college because that was the only way I could get into the dance band. In those days I couldn’t read as well as other fellows could but I could solo better that they could so they need me in the band for that (rires). So I got in on tenor.’’

Lorsque sa fille et ses trois fils avaient atteint l’âge adulte au début des années 1980, Carter avait commencé à enseigner la clarinette à plein temps au Wind College de Los Angeles, une école qu’il avait lui-même fondée. Carter, qui possédait sa propre maison de disques, avait également enregistré avec Bradford et Newton l’album Night Fire, qui comprenait des classiques comme “Morning Bell”, “Juba Stomp” et “Buckin.”’ Sur l’album Dance of the Love Ghosts, Carter avait combiné les cuivres, les synthétiseurs et des percussions traditionnelles comme le kete et le dawuro. En plus de la chanson titre, l’album incluait les pièces The Captain’s Dilemma” et “Moon Waltz”, toutes des compositions originales.

De 1982 à 1990, Carter avait résumé sa vision du jazz et de l’histoire des Afro-Américains dans la suite en cinq parties Roots and Folklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music. Publié dans un coffret de cinq CD, l’oeuvre, qui combinait le jazz moderne avec le blues et le jazz traditionnel, avait été saluée par la critique comme une des meilleures réalisations des années 1990. En 1998, le clarinettiste François Houle avait repris des extraits de l’oeuvre sur son album intitulé In the Vernacular—Music of John Carter.

Peu avant la mort de Carter en 1991, le New Arts Jazz Ensemble avait enregistré un dernier album. Intitulé ‘’Seeking’’, l’album comprenait cinq compositions originales de Carter, dont “Karen on Monday” et “Sticks and Stones”.

John Carter est mort au Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital d’Inglewood en Californie, le 31 mars 1991 à la suite de complications liés à son cancer des poumons. Carter laissait dans le deuil son épouse Gloria, sa fille Karen et ses fils John Jr., Stanley et Kris. Atteint d’une tumeur non maline, Carter s’était fait retirer un de ses poumons un an avant sa mort, mais il avait continué de se produire sur scène. Carter avait présenté une de ses dernières performances en février dans le cadre d’un événement organisé par la Society for Jazz and World Music à Santa Barbara, en Californie.

Continuant d’explorer l’histoire du peuple afro-américain, Carter avait présenté en septembre 1990 sa composition “Castles of Ghana”, une suite inspirée de la traite des esclaves en Afrique de l’Ouest au 16 siècle, au Japan America Theatre de Los Angeles. Dans le cadre d’une entrevue accordée au New York Times en 1990, Carter avait déclaré qu’il avait conçu le projet après que son fils John Jr., qui revenait d’un voyage en Afrique de l’ouest, lui ait expliqué que les châteaux du Ghana étaient utilisés comme lieu de détention pour les futurs esclaves avait d’être expédiés en Amérique.

Au moment de sa mort, Carter devait se produire avec un quartet comprenant Perry Robinson, Theo Jörgensmann et Eckard Koltermann.

Carter a été admis au Down Beat Hall of Fame l’année-même de sa mort en 1991. Au cours de sa carrière, Carter avait remporté deux autres prix décernés par le magazine: le premier pour un enregistrement avec un petit groupe en 1973, et le second comme clarinettiste méritant la meilleure reconnaissance en 1982.

En 1996, Carter avait obtenu quatre étoiles du magazine Q et cinq étoiles du NAPRA Trade Journal pour ses compositions “Sippi Strut”, “Spats”, “Hymn to Freedom” et “And I Saw Them” tirées de son album Shadows on a Wall. Commentant le dernier album de Carter, le critique David Grogan avait décrit le musicien comme un compositeur d’avant-garde passionné par l’histoire du peuple afro-américain et l’avait surnommé le ‘’Alex Haley of the Jazz world.”

Carter avait souvent été comparé au trompettiste Wynton Marsalis pour la beauté et la spontanéité de son jeu. Le tubiste et contrebassiste Red Callender qui avait accompagné Carter, Bradford et Newton sur l’album Dauwhe, avait souligné la maîtrise par Carter de son intrument dans l’ouvrage Rough Guides to Jazz, dans lequel il écrivait: “I had never heard anybody with such control on the clarinet…. His complete mastery of the instrument is astounding.”

Les compositions de Carter pour clarinette, trompette, cornet, violon, trombone, batterie et contrebasse portaient souvent des titres évocateurs comme “Evening Prayer”, “Conversations”, “The Fallen Prince” et “Theme of Desperation.”

Plusieurs musiciens ont rendu hommage à Carter après sa mort, dont le clarinettiste François Houle qui avait enregistré des versions lyriques de ses compositions “Sticks and Stones” and “Karen on Monday” sur son album Vernacular—Music of John Carter publié en 1998.

Un des premiers clarinettistes de l’histoire à avoir exprimé une vision humaniste de l’héritage africain dans le jazz, Carter avait toujours improvisé avec énormément d’émotion. Les recherches tonales de Carter l’avaient incité à étudier le passé esclavagiste des Afro-Américains et à mettre en lumière leur combat pour l’émancipation après la Guerre civile. Artiste passionné, très articulé intellectuellement et très concentré sur sa musique, Carter avait influencé toute une nouvelle génération de musiciens, dont Julius Hemphill, Peter Epstein, James Newton, David Murray et Bobby Bradford.

#jazz

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bcacstuff · 1 year

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Talking Music and Legends

Last Tuesday, March 14 2023, this man turned 90!

Quincy Jones, one of the most iconic and legendary artists of this century. Musician, arranger, composer, producer. Almost incredible to think about all the people he worked with in his musical career. Legends themselves!

As a young boy, 14 years old he met Ray Charles, who was then 16 years old. As trumpeter he played in a band that supported Elvis Presley and at 20 year old he played in the Orchestra of Lionel Hampton going on a European tour. During which he developed his skills as arranger as well.

It's almost impossible to name all the musicians he worked with. Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, DizzyGillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa. All those Jazz icons...

Jones conducted and arranged Frank Sinatra's iconic live album with the Basie Band Sinatra at the Sands Who doesn't know the albums he produced with Michael Jackson. And the musical adaptation of the Wizard of Oz with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.

I don't think anybody here never heard a piece of music he was involved in. The many tv themes, Sanford and Son, the Bill Cosby show theme, or Soul Bossa Nova, written in 1962 and used as the theme for the 1997 spy comedy Austin Powers! And so many more...

Jazz, pop, and even in 1989 with his album Back on the Block, he showed how music genres can be combined and easily be on the same album. Hiphop, Jazz, Pop, Soul, Brazilian music.. The album features legendary musicians and singers from across three generations, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White, Chaka Khan, Take 6, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, Ray Charles and a 12-year-old Tevin Campbell.

Quincy Jones with his friend Stevie Wonder

Do yourself a favor and take some time to listen to his music this week. Or do a search on Youtube, many live concerts to choose from. This is one in honor of his 75th birthday. For me it is hard to choose a piece, so many that I adore and love. But I settle for the 'Secret Garden' featuring Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge, and Barry White. From "Back On The Block"

youtube

Oh and take a look at Quincy Jones' IG more than half a century of music history over there! And much more about Quincy Jones.

#Youtube #quincy jones #jazz #music legends

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greaterstokesawareness · 5 months

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Stokes Song Spotlight: "Lush Life"

This first song spotlight segment is brought to you by me learning that the word "distingué" exists and what it means (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Okay so hear me out, I was on the phone with my mom discussing normal everyday things like Frank Sinatra songs we've never heard before. My mom offered up the recommendation to listen to "Memories of You" from the new Sinatra Platinum release (x). While I was scrolling through this album on Spotify, I saw that "Lush Life" was on there.

"Lush Life" is a song that I had never heard before summer 2022 when I heard Brian Stokes Mitchell sing it at 54 Below. He told the story of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington and how Strayhorn was a black, out, gay man during the 1940s/50s jazz scene. He wrote the song when he was 16! A few days after the 54 Below show, I heard Stokes sing the song on the Boston Pops performance that aired on the radio, and then again two more times live at the Perelman Center (10/5/23) and Ridgefield Playhouse (10/29/23). Ted Firth features prominently on piano, playing a long mood-setting intro before Stokes comes in on vocals and then another solo in the middle of the song.

“where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life, to get the feel of life..”

It’s one of those hypnotic songs, that somehow feels both simple and complex at the same time. I am extremely biased (you know where you are) but I’ll type it out anyway, Stokes’s version is my favorite. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen him sing it live and up close and you can tell he loves it too, but I also think his version is the most mournful. And what I mean by that is he just gets across all the story potential in the song. Like he paints the scene of a guy in a rumpled suit, sitting at a corner table, a fedora pushed back to the crown of his head, hungover and nursing a drink too early in the morning —but in that sad, smoky almost Edward Hopper-like picture you can also see that he’ll be back later, decked out and ready for those brief moments of life that the night brings when the band is playing and everything is right. I know I watch too many old movies it’s true. I guess what I’m trying to say is Stokes makes it cinematic ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ My next favorite version is by Sarah Vaughan.

Anywayyyy, I’m not gonna lie I thought the lyrics were “distant gay traces” but they are actually “distingué traces.” I’ve never heard that word before and I had to look it up, it means having a distinguished manner or appearance and it makes the song so much better. It also gave me the idea for doing these song spotlights because I love learning and sharing my dumb nerd research. So please enjoy the links below for more info about Billy Strayhorn and then pop your headphones on and give this song a listen in all its many forms. And here’s hoping that it makes its way onto a Stokes album someday ✨

[side note: looking up stuff about this song also helped me to learn that the aforementioned Ted Firth has an album titled Lush Life with Tony Desare and one of the tracks is, you guessed it, Lush Life!] (x) (x)

Links:

versions of Lush Life by Stokes (x)

playlist with other versions of Lush Life (x) (x)

the lyrics (x)

an NPR interview from 2007 in support of PBS documentary about Strayhorn (x)

Link to Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn by David Hadju on amazon (x)

#brian stokes mitchell #jazz #billy strayhorn #duke ellington #lush life #ted firth #tony desare #greater stokes awareness: song spotlight #greater stokes awareness: author's note #greater stokes awareness

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citizenscreen · 1 year

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Sarah Vaughan takes to the piano with Duke Ellington and Billy Eckstine after a Christmas concert in 1951.

#sarah vaughan #duke ellington #billy eckstine

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zaphffayrkunialofphinsfable · 4 months

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my fictional band JFKFC

genres: rock, pop, beat, psychedelia, soul, r&b, gospel, jazz, folk, blues, country, traditional pop, experimental, psychedelia, Indian classical, funk, classical, electronic, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, heavy metal

years together: 1958-1986

year they blew up: 1967

influences: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Lonnie Donegan, Phil Spector, Ravi Shankar, Roy Orbison, The Isley Brothers, The Everly Brothers, Arthur Alexander, Eddie Cochran, Smokey Robinson, Larry Williams, The Shirelles, The Supremes, Little Willie John, The Marvelettes, The Shadows, Bill Haley, Buck Owens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Bo Diddley, The Band, King Curtis, Carole King, Slim Whitman, Billie Holiday, Clara Ward, Dinah Washington, Mahalia Jackson, Ruth Brown, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughan, Big Maybelle, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Wynona Carr, Bessie Smith, Dorothy Love Coates, Ella Fitzgerald, Esther Phillips, James Cleveland, Johnny Ace, LaVern Baker, Ma Rainey, Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, Arizona Dranes, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Dave Van Ronk, Hank Williams, Rev. Gary Davis, Woody Guthrie, Allen Ginsberg, Bill Monroe, Blind Willie McTell, Cisco Houston, Hary Smith, Jimmie Rodgers, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Mississippi John Hurt, Odessa, Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Clarence Ashley, Dock Boggs, Jesse Fuller, Robert Johnson, John Jacob Niles, Lefty Frizzell, The Carter Family, Victoria Spivey, Alan Lomax, Doc Pomus, Doc Watson, Mississippi Sheiks, The Weavers, Roscoe Holcomb, George Gershwin, Percy Mayfield, Blind Boy Fuller, Josephine Baker, Frank Hutchison, Ewan MacColl, Billy Lee Riley, B.B. King, John Coltrane, The Yardbirds, Little Richard, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Cream, T-Bone Walker, The Impressions, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Freddie King, Hubert Sumlin, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Lonnie Mack, Albert Collins, Bobby Womack, Curtis Mayfield, Earl Hooker, Esquerita, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Ike Turner, Charley Patton, James Brown, Johnny Jenkins, Randy Hansen, Charlie Christian, Moby Grape, Fairport Convention, Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon, Anne Briggs, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, The Creation, The Rolling Stones, Blind Willie Johnson, Davy Graham, Fleetwood Mac, James Cotton, Johnny Burnette, Memphis Minnie, Small Faces, Jake Holmes, Spirit, Tim Rose, Vanilla Fudge

JHENE FRANCIS

born: James Francis Parker June 3rd, 1940 Toronto, Canada

died: 22nd September, 2001 (aged 61) Detroit, Michigan, US

cause of death: gunshot wounds

resting place: cremated; ashes scattered in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

occupation: singer, songwriter, pianist, civil rights activist, record producer, artist, writer, musician

years active: 1957-2001

(btw im not gonna fill in the spouses section on any of these I haven't figured that out yet)

children: 12

(btw im not gonna fill in the parents section on any of these I haven't figured that out yet)

relatives: Mary Parker (sister), Linda Parker (sister), Sarah Sheehan (half-sister), Filzah Ellington (aunt)

genres: soul, r&b, gospel, jazz, pop, folk, blues, rock, country, traditional pop, experimental

instruments: vocals, piano, guitar, keyboards, harmonica

strengths: supportive, reliable, observant, enthusiastic, hardworking, good practical skills, charming, sensitive to others, kind, encouraging, imaginative, passionate, curious, perceptive, excellent communicator, easygoing, good-natured, positive

weaknesses: overly humble, takes things personally, represses his feelings, reluctant to change, too altruistic, difficulty with structure, unpredictable, easily stressed, difficulty with technical-problem solving, fluctuating self-esteem, people pleaser, unfocused, disorganised, overly accommodating, overly optimistic, restless

JOHN HARLY

birth name: William John Harley

also known as: John Mason Harly

born: 12th July, 1942 Toronto, Canada

died: 18th September, 1986 Toronto, Canada (aged 44)

genres: rock, psychedelia, blues, r&b, pop, indian classical

occupation: musician, songwriter, singer, record producer, film producer

instruments: guitar, vocals, sitar

years active: 1960-1986

children: 1

strengths: charming, sensitive to others, kind, encouraging, imaginative, passionate, insightful, principled, altruistic, creative

weaknesses: difficulty with structure, unpredictable, easily stressed, difficulty with technical problem solving, fluctuating self esteem, sensitive to criticism, reluctant to open up, perfectionist, avoids the ordinary, prone to burnout

JOHN JORGIE

birth name: John Mark Jorgie

born: 9th April, 1938 Detroit, Michigan, US

died: 2nd August, 2004 Los Angeles, California, US (aged 66)

genres: r&b, soul, pop, funk, jazz, rock, classical, electronic

occupation: session musician, singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, film producer, businessman

instruments: bass, double bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards

years active: 1956-2004

children: 5

relatives: Steve Jorgie

strengths: charming, sensitive to others, kind, encouraging, imaginative, passionate, strong practical skills, strong sense of duty, very loyal, sensitive, warm, good at connecting with others

weaknesses: difficulty with structure, unpredictable, easily stressed, difficulty with technical problem solving, fluctuating self esteem, worried about his social status, inflexible, vulnerable to criticism, often too needy, too selfless

GEORGE FAREN

birth name: James William Peyton

born: 19th June, 1944 Stoke-On-Trent, England

died: 25th September, 2002 Birmingham, England (aged 58)

genres: rock, pop

occupation: musician, singer, songwriter, actor

instruments: drums, percussion, vocals

years active: 1959-2002

children: 3

strengths: bold, rational, practical, original, perceptive, direct, sociable, positive, enthusiastic, hands on, observant, excellent people skills

weaknesses: insensitive, impatient, impulsive, unstructured, may miss the bigger picture, defiant, sensitive, conflict averse, easily bored, poor long term planner, unfocused

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