But if The Doors Are Open, "I'll Be There."

As a singer, it is my job to find tunes that fit my tessitura. 

If I have the opportunity to serenade a roomful of folks, I want to try to champion my efforts by doing a song that properly fits my voice. This means that I should know every lyric and every nuance of the songs chosen and must also  be open to speculation if I forget even one lyric or utter the song a little different than what the listening audience knows. 

But even while doing cover songs, we as singers still work hard to try to create our own distinctive sound. Lately, I have had this willingness to just  experiment from the confines of the bandstand in front of whoever is there and so, I decided to start sharing my original compositions more and more because I am not just a cover artist; I am a songwriter. 

Such was the case the other night when percussionist, Rick Santa, asked me to co-host their open mic night at Hat City Kitchen in Orange, NJ. 

In spite of all the talks of the coronavirus, I feel that there is a sort of healingness in music and so, I showed up ready to sing. 

If God put me on this planet with a purpose, my duty is to share my gift and talent and so I did. The Corner Pocket Band was subtle and flexible which made it easy to be able to flex with them as I scanned the crowd and tried to send out some encouragement to the people and the establishment which saw less of a crowd because of growing concerns of their customers about the pandemic, as I sang the words to my song "I'll Be There." Please check out a snippet of my performance 

here: https://youtu.be/QRWA0FvntKs

It always feels good to be able to do my own material and to see folks who are open-minded and willing to participate in my effort of getting people to have some type of response to what I am doing. 

I guess I will be home working on my music and craft until everything passes over. This is a time where we can focus on improving who we are and getting things done that we need to do until the light at the end of the tunnel appears. 

I won't say that I am not scared of becoming ill with this ailment but in growing times of uncertainty and unrest, I think this is the perfect time to even if you stay home from everything else, to make it to church on Sunday morning. Why wait until you actually get the disease to access God?  

Use your smarts. Be safe out there. Wash your hands. I see people who come out the bathroom stall and leave the lavatory without even sprinkling a bit of water onto their hands. 

Do you know if the person who touched the doorknob you just touched before you did, just picked their nose or sneezed without washing their hands? You just never know. 

Let's stay safe. If you feel sick, stay home. If you feel under the pressure and not sure of how to handle all the news reports, have an intimate conversation with God and see what happens. 

We should be actively praying for a healing over the world. I'll play it safe and be at home doing everything I can to keep my mind engaged and not get weary and lazy but on Sunday morning if the church doors are open, "I'll Be There."   

Please check out the original version of my song "I'll Be There" on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/11V3lJph5uzycZa2Qa8azp?si=wZKX5QifQMC_mYkMXAyFiw

Thank you for checking out my blogpost.

God bless you all! 

Q is For the Quintessential Moment of a Queen Ushering Her Quillionth Day In

“Speak life into your vision by dressing for the vision”

– Valorie Burton

I have been on this earth for about a quintillion of days and just thinking back is almost like looking at picture after picture over my experiences that laid the groundwork to this moment.

I can’t say that I have treated every moment with gentle care. Some days I fell totally short of being in control of my responses to the world around me. I won’t claim that I had to hurdle over many hardships, but the foolish mistakes that I was able to overcome gave me all the ambition in the world to continue on this interesting journey, one step at a time, with my head up.

I was raised around a circle of strong women. Seeing my mother and two sisters in action always filled me with hope. I knew that I’d one day root out of the dirt of my parent’s little garden with much creativity because of them.

I loved music ever since I saw Michael Jackson moon-walking across the television. I got so excited that the orange juice I had in my sippy cup jumped out of the container into the television my mother had propped in front of us. 

He knew how to croon a tune from the heart. Him and many other artists gave me a good dose of feeling and I continued to listen out of love.

Whitney Houston made me want to sing to the four corners of any room I was in at the loudness of the music that was playing on my little boombox. I guess that is why today I can sing so loud, I don’t really need a microphone to reach anyone in a room that could even seat about 5500 people.

I used to love New Kids on the Block and started collecting their trading cards to share with my elementary school friends that loved them just the same. I knew every song they had, watched their videos on VHS tapes my parents got me and could sing all their lyrics word for word. I even had their poster on my wall.

The same happened when I started to like Basketball in high school. I still get chills reminiscing over the exciting games I used to watch the NY Knicks play. That was my team. Watching them made me feel good; especially John Starks. The more I watched, the more he became my favorite bball player. 

He had this loose, flexible style when he played. He would sweep down the court like a tornado and make the most incredible perimeter shots and I loved that. But I won’t lie, he was a great player but was was kind of good to look at too. 

So good that I started collecting basketball cards and had a poster of him on my wall dunking over Michael Jordan. I hoped one day to meet him in person and never thought that quenchable moment would ever come to satisfy my hunger for it.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege and honor of performing with the Bartlett Contemporaries at Pat La Frieda’s Chop House at Citifield in Flushing, NY. It was a cool night in a great place with some of the most beautiful people. 

The night like any other night where live music is involved, took on a life of its own. Music cut through the silence and the band played to a room of people who were receptive, singing along and dancing.  I always have fun when playing with this band because they really enjoy doing what they do and get crazy; so crazy that they don't want to stop. Just play and play and play on. 

I felt really positive that night because I was about to usher in to the 2020^th chapter of my life the next week and it left me with this mature and powerful aura. So positive, that I decided to wear these quippy four-inch heels which I never do because, I’m getting old and my knees can’t take it. LOL! But that night, I did.  I guess it’s a Queen thing. I used to dream about wearing heels and twitching with this confidence like my mom used to do. I was feeling the 2020 coming over me and it felt quite Queenly. 

That’s when it happened. John Starks walked across the room and my eyes couldn’t help but wander behind him as he walked past us to the other side of the room and I hadn't seen him again. But then as the night went on, there he was standing at the bar, watching us musically do our thing. That is when the band leader Carl Bartlett Sr said, let’s do Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable.” 

That is a song I really love, and I thought to myself, why not walk over to him and say hello. And I did. While Carl Bartlett Jr quadrated to the beat with his saxophone solo, I asked John Starks to dance and there we were on the dance floor in the midst of my song and I got to sing to him and everything.

My voice rang with confidence while my favorite basketball player from childhood was dancing in my arms and I was tall enough to talk to this 6 ft 2-inch man that I had admired since I was a teenager.

 If anything, to say that 2018 was a good year for me, that moment was the quintessential. My hope went from being propped in front of my television watching him through a tube from the confines of my bedroom to in real time where the opportunity presented itself to actually say hello in person. I couldn’t help but to capture the moment and to frame the keepsake for my mantle.You can check out the full video on YouTube here if you are interested: https://youtu.be/dqf-BVutH2w

I laugh it off now, but I never thought I’d feel nervous meeting someone famous but during our little exchange, I felt like I was back in my little high school uniform and was almost too shy to formulate my request. But thank God I rose above my fear though because that earth moving moment is a moment that I’ll never forget. Still brings me chills now. It may have been just a dance, but the memory will forever remain in the clutches of my heart. 

Perhaps, it was the heels!

Y is for Youtube.com/sj1and0

As we cluster together, I want to invite you to see me in my essence. With my feet firmly planted on earth, I come to you in hope that you might take the time to water my seed of destiny a bit. May I invite you to drift into the arms of my video feed on Youtube to watch at least one video+, and hopefully subscribe to my channel at http://www.youtube.com/sj1and0 .

I think I have flourished a lot since I put up my first video and it is great to see my own growth and transformation. 

I have original videos on there. I have cover songs performed in a live setting on there and lots of other things. I have band videos on there.

Maybe I can get your undivided attention for at least one minute and maybe you can take me at full value and check me out.  My Youtube channel is sj1and0 and I not only post but also watch lots of cool videos as well. Let’s vibe, if you don’t mind.

https://youtu.be/NjjRlsX8aH8

So! Are you on Youtube? I’d love to catch a glimpse of who you are. What is your Youtube channel? Can we follow each other? Hope so! Drop me your handle.

Alright then, hope that this post invokes good thoughts that knock on the doorstep of your mind. Have a great day. Peace and love everybody! 

Wordless Wednesdays: J is for JNote Band at Shrine NYC on April 13, 2017

 Here is a sample of what you will see at this cool, 

live event with JNote Band

https://youtu.be/hkM6ZIcnETo

Hope to See You There!

Unlimited Love for Singing My Originals

As artists, we sometimes default to singing cover tunes because we have grown accustomed to loving the artists who we look up to so much, that their songs linger in our hearts and we want to sing them. 

It becomes second nature to get knocked into a groove of a familiar tune rather than to splash our own color into the singing experience and to sing something that came from our own pen. I will admit, it is still an ocean of fun for me and very inspiring at that, whenever I get on stage and share a song with an engaging audience, whether it is a cover tune or an original; and I have had many inspiring moments.

I flashback to exactly three years ago today when a fellow musician, Lenny Underwood, blessed me with the opportunity to join him on stage with the legendary Jennifer Holliday, and I was asked to perform a duet with her before the Jackie Robinson Foundation award recipients at the Waldorf Astoria.  That moment was unforgettable and still bedazzles me every time a Facebook “on this date” shows up and reminds me that this event actually took place in my life.  

Other inspiring moments include, performing live at the Great Adventures Theme Park, releasing my musical project Finally JNote, traveling to Russia and singing at a music festival in Krasnodar, creating original video content for a visual component to my lyrics, 

and just recently something generated the most positive emotion in me that I have ever had. 

For the first time ever in my life, I performed before my peers, a concert of all original music and it felt as good as being a shoe-aholic in a shoe store on a shopping spree.  I was able to share the tone of my existence with a live audience. I shared the frame of my culture through sound and vision. I shared a piece of who I am like I never had in my experience and it felt great to finally do it with the personalized touch of my own lyrics and melodies.

I have sung my original tunes live prior to that moment, but always wedged in between a cover tune. I was able to grab the attention of my entire audience with my own, creative works. I had been building up for a moment like that all my life and finally, that moment came. All I can say is, I cannot wait to do it again with the JNote Band. Looking forward to the next time.   

My favorite moment of the night was for the first time ever,  performing my song Love No Limit,  written about the experience of seeing the world with your own eyes to separate myth from facts when it comes to loving a people. It was mostly inspired by research I conducted when first starting my college thesis and seeking information on language and different dialects  of so-called "bastardized languages," Latin American Literature (more so the concepts of magical realism), and my most recent international trip which was to Russia. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/Ehbsut02E_g

The lyrics are by me, Stephanie Jeannot and the music is by Paul Garrod. Singing this song mostly felt great because I was able to do it on a platform with the JNote Band, in a flow of all original music and that is what made the night memorable for me. Only God!  

The River of Life Shared on an International Stage

Welcome on board to my world. In this life lies the landscape that has captured my imagination. I am a Taino work of art. I am the breathtaking Panoramic view of Kiskeya. The seas of the Caribbean gush through my pores. I shine the sun of Latin America each time I smile. America is embedded in my truth. Just by looking in the mirror, I can see the world in my infantile eyes.

I am not the brightest star that soars up into the sky. But I have climbed heights as tall as the Ural Mountains on this thoroughfare I call life and made a sense of home in God’s presence. 

I could unload my heart and tell you all the difficult challenges I have faced to arrive at this shining hour but all the unique experiences that have brought me to this point have somewhat softened my character. Based on that, I find no need to jump back into the -42-degrees Celsius waters of the past to define who I am.  

I am a bronze ballerina who has gone from city to city dancing under the night sky. I am an actress who has scrolled the frames in films like Audrey Tatou in Amelie. I have seen with my own eyes the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia from Sarah Palin’s window in Alaska.

I have indulged in the amenities at the Georgian wine festival. I have gained energy by breathing in the aroma of the Northern Dvina River. I have explored Suvar Plaza. I have worn the greens of Tatarstan in the Philharmonic theatre of the third largest city in Russia known as Kazan, while singing choruses with the most memorable of orchestras to have impacted my world. 

I have dined in the sun of Troitsky Avenue in Archangelsk. I have done incredible things I had never done before until today like, singing on world stages in my first ever music tour which was in Russia.

I have interacted with others in a foreign tongue to properly present myself. I have traveled far to perform simple tasks around the world that after I endured to the end, was encouraged to keep pressing on.

Life has been a journey which was met confidently. And to have become so immersed in things makes me truly see the vastness of God’s blessings. His hands have made a large exhibition of works worth exploring which can be best seen by changing landscapes and seeing the world from different points of view and not just your own jungle in which you dwell. My sole purpose in writing this is to share with you the great things my eyes have seen; and there is so much more to see. But to retrace my steps of what I have experienced,

I can honestly say that it has 

been wonderful.

I invite you to come to my river. The river of life shared on an international stage with a friend of mine, Tavis Minner and a wonderful band at the Ufa Jazz Club in Ufa, Russia. Together, we sung "Route 66" which is a song that is revered by many around the world. There was so much good music around me and thanks to my friend Anastasiya of the Skyways Band, I can share this video with you all who are willing to watch. It was the love of music shared by each musician that made the night so beautiful. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrafo-nFcB4

Thank you for reading my blog post! 

Summertime, Archways & JNote Music

Wow! Thank God for the protective cover of the archway to allow us to sing outdoors in the "summertime," rain or shine; even through rain, thunder, lightning and sounds of the D train above us Down under the Manhattan Bridge. I've been to a few concerts in the rain, holding up an umbrella just to see artists I like. Ironically, today was mine.

Grateful to the Harlem Swing Society for using me for this cool summer outdoor concert in my hometown, Brooklyn and to the awesome musicians that killed it on every song. Love you all.

https://youtu.be/PsTHZ2xzMwo

All Night Long Live at El Toro 28 with JNote Band

What better day to talk about one of my last performances where I performed my original song, "All Night Long" than Songwriter Wednesday.

It was really cool. It was outdoors at a really cozy, atmospheric spot called El Toro 28. The lyrics were written by me, Stephanie Jeannot and the music was written by Derrick Smith. 

I love the song, "All Night Long" because it is a fun, party tune which talks about the love of music and just getting away from the stresses of the world and enjoying life. 

The band featured in the performance last week consisted of:

EJ Haughton . . . Drums

Stephanie Jeannot . . . Vocals
Herb Lewis . . . Sax

Mark Payne . . . Bass

Phillip Smith . . . Guitar

Prrrl . . . Keys

We had a great time partying the night away from 7PM to 11PM and in the course of that, we got to do a few originals, like my song "All Night Long" which I mentioned earlier. You can watch the video on Youtube here:

https://youtu.be/S6oHWYnuSqo

By the way,  we will be doing the live music thing again this Friday evening, July 1, 2016 and maybe you can join us at El Toro 28 located at 228 Woodcleft Avenue which is located along the Nautical Mile strip of Freeport, NY.

The JNote Band will do music like that which you see in the video and many others, so come out. Better yet; it's the start of the 4th of July weekend. 

Start it with us, this Friday. I think you will really enjoy it. It's kid friendly, and an inviting atmosphere and is a free event that is open to the general public. Did I mention the food and drinks are great? 

We have a great time by the water sharing and having some outdoor summer fun and I hope that you will come out and have fun with us. 

Join the JNOTE Band on June 11, 2016 at Moda Grill in Jamaica, NY for Live Music, Food & Fun

Hey everyone. Hope all is well with you and that your

Memorial day is being celebrated in a beautiful way.  



Just wanted to let you know that the JNote Band will be 

doing it again at 

Moda Grill 

located at 

8914 Parsons Blvd 



(off  of 

Jamaica Avenue) 

in Queens, NY 

on Saturday, June 11, 2016 

from 7:30PM to 11PM where 

they will do a mixture of 

original and cover tunes and hope you will be there to join 

us. Not only will there be music but great food and drinks in 

a really amazing atmosphere and I hope you all can come 

through and enjoy live music with us. Admission is free and 

there is street parking all around.

Join the JNote Band on Saturday, June 11th, 2016 from 

7:30pm to 11pm for live music and fun at Moda Grill located 

at 8914 Parsons Blvd. Hope to see you there!