Google

Monday, September 25, 2017

Wow! Looking Back Over 2017. Can't Believe The Year Almost Over.

Every week when I start to plan how I will go about putting together a new episode for my radio show Jazz on the JNote, I tend to look up birth dates or interesting facts about the giants of jazz that surround the air date of my show so that when Sunday at 7PM EST comes, theenglishconnectionmedia.com has a show that I actually put my whole heart into. 

So it was no different this morning when I started doing research so that I could put together an outline of what I planned to do for this Sunday’s and as I looked at the calendar to jot down the date on which my next episode would air, it became a tear-jerking reminder that 2017 is almost over. This Sunday will be October 1st.

The stores are already selling Halloween candy and are already promoting for the coming winter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 2017 is flying and I can’t believe it is almost over.

2017

This year has been an evolving educational journey for me. I thank God for all the days that he woke me up with a proper frame of mind. Though we tend to make our new year’s resolutions and plans, I still try to debunk the mystery around how the days somehow simply manifest themselves. So many different nuances and color were added to the budding little old me that had me feeling so connected to his nature and many of them were unplanned. I guess you just have to be ready to embrace each moment as it is being presented because you never know how time will unravel itself even if you do plan your calendar on how you want things to go. But, to have found myself in so many atmospheres of appreciation and exchange has left me feeling mingled with joy. 



The photo above is a classic example of this. Nine months and nine separate events from each of the months that have come and gone in 2017 like for instance, filming a video for my song "Enjoy Life" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alV2ULnr9z8) , singing at the Irkutsk Philharmonic in Siberia, and for the first time ever in my life, performing a set of just original music which I wrote, that made a big difference in the person I am becoming. Other things that excited me were the trip to Vermont that I was dying to take which was on my summer bucket-list, exploring Jim's Vineyard again and getting to share some of my original tunes at his amazing summer bash, recording new songs for a forthcoming project that I am really excited about, meeting some of the most beautiful tap dancers in Brooklyn and also embracing their classes and, coming back into a new academic year and feeling a little bit more confident to share information that I didn't know that I had to share on the art of singing and stage performance with some really amazing teenagers. So, if you ever see me posting about theoretical things about singing as in for instance practicing your craft or being prepared for performances, a lot of times, it is directed at them. 

2017 had it its good days and bad days. But the good days outweighed the bad and that is always something to feel positive about. I guess when the ninth month of a year comes to an end, it is okay to start thinking about melting away the limits of the year to come. I have 2018 etched in my mind and all I can do is hope to confront it appropriately. Yet, the year is not over with October, November and December set to make their appearance soon in which there is still a wealth of things to see and do. 


One thing is for sure though; 2017 will leave a lasting impact on me and will forever be absorbed in my memory. For all the silver landscapes, cringe-worthy moments, sparkles added to the routine of my days, progress from taking baby steps to taking more giant steps toward worthy pursuits, squeezing some of the ambiguity out of my life, and soaking up knowledge about the world and the person in me that I am discovering more and more each day, I am thankful.


What’s left? What’s left is to perfect who I am as we embrace the forthcoming year. Though I accept all my layers as they are, there is definitely some tweaking worth the resolve; I’ll admit that. Nothing wrong with change; no matter how you slice it.  I mean, in all honesty, we are all an amalgamation of years of experimentation on our own selves. We are presently wading in the deep waters of the 2017 version of who we are. But I trust that I'll be better than I am in the coming year. 


For me, I can say, it's time to de-clutter and to make room for the 2018 version of me. Are you ready? 


Wednesday, September 13, 2017

There is Always a Reason to be Jubilant; Enjoy Life

In the most mundane moments when you fall deep into thought, and you feel like you want to penetrate into solitude based on your situation that leaves you experiencing doubt, let your soul be inspired by painting a picture in your mind of something great that happened in your life which once delighted your eyes. Don't let doubt control the way that you maneuver this world. Just a thought but . . . who did God uniquely and wonderfully custom create to be ruler over many things?

There is always a reason to be jubilant.

Encourage your own self by remembering all the good about you and about your current position, and let that add the spring in your step that you need to allow joy to grow in the fertile corners of your heart. You are so very blessed!  Don't ever let your doubts hold you in as a prisoner. God is bigger than all of that. That's the mustard seed. Don't let go of it and don't ever forget to let God's faith empower you. 

How could you not feel full of life and warmth when you find a reason to smile about your own self?


Let the good you have experienced be etched in your mind and create for you a catchy and upbeat song and dance (some call this life) for you to take on your existence and the world. I mean in all actuality, who’s world is this? 

Monday, September 4, 2017

The Reason Why I Sing!

While many things may tug at me for my attention, I find music to be the one I respond to the most.


Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management
I am thankful mostly for the spring of life that it gives me which is why I have genuine enthusiasm to partake in the art of singing. From the cradle to now in my adulthood, singing gives me motivation. Even in my worst days when my strength is sapped like in the heat of summer, somehow God girds me with strength just to fulfill my passion.

You might wonder why I love it so much. Well, I can honestly say that music gets my heart pumping. It brings my world to life. It animates me and gives me ecstatic joy. It adds sparkle to the routine of my day and I am thankful for the wonderful gift of music, song and voice that God blessed me with and I believe this is what I was born to do. Singing is my purpose.


Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management



I know my most focused attention dwells there but it is only because I am wading in the deep waters of love God gave me to embrace it with confidence. That is just one of the many reason I will forever sing of his mercies. Thankful for every open door of opportunity that he enables me to walk into.

You are Invited:

Perhaps I might interest you in one of the many upcoming singing engagements that I will be participating in.  



On Saturday, September 9, 2017, please join me as I get on stage at the Fort Greene Jazz Festival hosted by Eric Frazier. It will take place in Fort Greene Park located at Dekalb Avenue and South Portland in Brooklyn NY from 3PM to 7PM. 

Photo from Taste of Minsk 2017 provided by EMM Management
I am thinking this event will be one of the biggest of the annual Fort Greene Park Jazz Festivals yet, now in its 8th year. It is a free event and open to the public I think it will be something that will bring a spark of fun, joy and dancing in the streets of Brooklyn and am so excited to be able to share my talents there. 

Hopefully you can join us this Saturday. If so, see you there!