A comic fantasy about a fish drummer, a touring band and a runaway drum.
Most of the pond heard rain as little taps on the surface. Jazz heard a rhythm. He answered with his own drumming until one afternoon a group of passing musicians stopped to listen.
One musician tapped an answering rhythm on an instrument case. Jazz replied with a quick flourish. “Do you take requests?” the musician asked. Jazz had never had a request before, but he was willing to start.
The musicians were amazed and decided to invite Jazz to join their band. Jazz was thrilled, and he eagerly accepted the offer. The bandmates couldn't believe their luck; they had never had a fish drummer before!
For rehearsals, the band built Jazz an enchanted water-filled drum platform. He could reach every drum without leaving his little pool. The musicians were skeptical until he began playing. Then their problem was keeping up.
The band started to book gigs all over the city, and Jazz became a sensation. People came from all over to see the koi on the drums, and the band quickly became the talk of the town.
But playing the drums was not always easy for Jazz. Whenever he got too excited, he would flop around on the drum set, making a mess of things. And sometimes, he would accidentally splash water all over the other band members.
Despite his occasional mishaps, Jazz was a crowd favorite. People loved watching the koi on the drums, and the band became more popular than ever.
During one big concert, Jazz caught a drum with an overenthusiastic flick and knocked it from its stand. It rolled across the platform just as the singer turned toward the chorus. The band froze. Jazz did not.
He struck the runaway drum with his tail, turning its rolling thumps into a new rhythm. The singer joined in, the band followed, and the audience laughed and applauded. By the end of the song, nobody was sure whether the accident had been planned.
Jazz played with the band for years. They fastened the drum stands more securely, but kept the new rhythm in the set. On the recording, just before the chorus, you could still hear the singer laughing.
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