A surge of excitement comes
over me when I hear the impeccably smooth sounds of jazz flowing out of my
Behringer 328i speakers. The joy of the music takes over and I am caught up in
the rapture of the passionate intensity of it all.
There is an assortment of
enthusiastic jazz artists from all around the globe that shift my mind to peace
when I hear their musical expression. The diversity of style from jazz great to
jazz great gives me a pure passion to listen to their razzle dazzle. Sarah
Vaughan is one of my all-time favorite singers. Her cultural contribution has
had a profound impact on me and I often find myself playing her awe inspiring
works on repeat and echoing her sweet refrains.
And so, as an artist, anytime
I get to vocalize and to dress up a melody with my voice, it makes me feel invigorated.
Each opportunity is a unique moment in time within itself. I get excited to
progress towards a live performance.
I enjoy prancing about the
stage and trying to circulate my energy through the room. There is nothing
quite comparable to the feeling you get when you are fully immersed into what
you love to do most. It is like a force of positivity taking over. Even more,
when I get to echo my body of original works before a crowd.
In honor of International Jazz
day and as we come to a conclusion of Jazz Appreciation Month, I hope your
heart will be into checking out my jazz tune.
Its’s entitled “You are the
One” and was written by (me) Stephanie Jeannot and John Mueller. It was released
on the album, The Stephanie Jeannot & John Mueller Project on October 10,
2020 and this is the video to the link: https://youtu.be/gjhhtZYn6No
Thank you so much for reading
my blogpost. Happy International Jazz Day.
On Sunday evenings when New York
is being illuminated by the light of the moon, some folks log on to their
computers or phones to listen attentively to the positive vibrations of my
radio show, Jazz on the JNote.
Because April was Jazz
Appreciation Month, I thought it would be fitting to capture the energy and
excitement of the melodious artform by featuring some of the world’s many men
and women of jazz who could talk to a meaningful extent about their momentous
journeys as craftspeople of music. The idea danced through my head for a while.
I am thankful for the most part that I was able to shape the vision into
reality and remained remarkably consistent throughout the entire month of
April, even in these benighted times.
Our special guest on April 5,
2020 was NYC drummer, Lon Ivey who had an endless supply of ideas that he was willing
to share about how his career started, about his definition of jazz and about how
young aspiring artists can prosper in their efforts to yield their fruit.
He
definitely had some knowledge to pass on that you might get in a typical
classroom situation from a teacher delivering a lesson and leaving students
well-equipped to move forward. I admire his courage and was honored to have him
present on the show. For the most part, it was an intelligent discussion of unique
viewpoints, shared stories and prodigious knowledge.
The question, what is jazz
alone, can set someone off on a spate of wondering. And so, it is interesting
to tap into the brain of different people to see what their philosophies are. The
engaging melodies, the conversation and the cultural landscape of jazz is what
the show is centered on.
Some of the viable community
of listeners tune in while plopped on their couches in the comfort of their
living rooms. Some of the members of the diverse audience, listen to the
montage of jazz while driving in cruise control down the thoroughfares of their
hometowns. Others enjoy the creative freedom of jazz that is built into this
show while sitting on the sand at the ocean and taking in the atmosphere.
I thought the content of this
show was worth sharing for folks who didn’t get a chance tocapture the energy of
the show when it was aired. On any given Sunday, Jazz on the JNote can be heard
all around the globe at 7PM EST athttp://theenglishconnectionmedia.com.
If I aroused
interest in you and you are willing to patronize of the arts and to take in the
absorbable, joyous sounds, you can get your fix on the episode of Jazz on the
JNote Radio Show which was hosted and produced by Stephanie Jeannot and featured
NYC drummer Lon Ivey; as previously aired on April 5, 2020. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/8-O_Syg_8PQvia @YouTube.
Listening
might do a few things. It might lift your spirits and fill your heart with
content. It might calm the mind that is usually full of busy thoughts. It might
birth new feelings of creativity in you. It might get you moving them
undulating hips to the twists and turns of the music. It might even compel you to
want to listen to a live show on a Sunday evening at 7PM EST at http://theenglishconnectionmedia.com.You might have negative feedback to sting me
like a bee because it was a dismal experience for you. Or, you might be in the absence
of care just because it is not your thing.
Regardless, I feel mightily
blessed that you took the time to read my blogpost. Your simple act of kindness
means everything in the world. I am content that there are still ways to have a
connected presence with people all over the globe such as in the human connection
that is present in reading, writing and music. I am eternally grateful to you.
It is amazing to me that as I delve more and more into the culture of
jazz, love for it grows more and more within me like flowers in a spring
garden.
First it was an appreciation for the sounds of the musical art form. Then it
became a desire to sing like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. Then I started
singing the songs that they sang not realizing that it was more than just an
art form but identifying who you are, your experiences and your life through
the music, like jazz musicians have been doing since the beginnings of what
Miles Davis calls "the only cultural contribution that America gave to the
world which came from African Americans." And now, it is a deep fondness
for the culture.
I started to study Jazz, wanting to know about it which has become a case study
for me for my undergraduate thesis and I came across a wonderful read. "The
Culture of Jazz" by anthropologist Frank Salamone which offers an
anthropological look of the musical genre and culture and is a very
interesting and enjoyable read starting from the beginnings of jazz and
providing background information as well as historical events and accounts that
occurred in the history of jazz. I love discovering more about different
aspects of icons of jazz's attitudes. This book is a walk through history and I
love it.
But what I am loving most is reading and seeing all these throwback accounts and
images of pianist Danny Mixon and vocal stylist Marion Cowings, and to have
shared a stage with Mixon and gained vocal instruction from both Cowings' vocal
workshop and at jazz mobile makes me feel honored. Loving this book!
I am also appreciative to
follow in the footsteps of so many of the jazz greats of the past and to sing
some of the wonderful standards and popular songs that make up the cornerstone
of the jazz repertoire; which gives me deep pleasure to invite you out to
A Spring Affair
Hosted by the Medgar Evers Jazz Ensemble
at Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, NY
(Corner of Bedford Avenue & Crown Street)
on
Thursday, March 31, 2016
6PM to 7PM
I am a member of this awesome group and will be singing with them and hope that
you will join us this evening, and perhaps the sounds that oscillate from this
group will uproot in your heart like sunflowers and keep the sunshine beating
within you.
Look forward to seeing you there!
