G is for Grace and Breakthroughs

Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word grace as 

"unmerited divine assistance given humans for their 

regeneration or sanctification" (Grace). 

 For something to be unmerited means that is undeserved. Like for instance, often times 

when someone else makes a mistake or hurts our feelings, we tend to feel that they are 

undeserving of being a part of our lives again and we break away from the ties we had. Or, 

sometimes when we fall and lose our way, we tend to find ourselves unworthy of forgiving 

and live imprisoned by the past because we have yet to break free from punishing our own 

selves. Or, all the mistakes in life that we make that shines ugly within us and often 

disguises the light of God from who we are yet, God loved us so much still, even though we 

are undeserving, that he gave up his only son to take up for our sins that we might live. 

That is something to definitely think about  and take as a serious example of how to move 

forward in our journeys. To be broken because someone 

said something about you, a situation did not go your way or to let the past hurts steal your 

joy and not allow you to freely live without being makes these very things prison bars.

It is important to remember that with God, there are 

breakthroughs and we can lean on him and have faith because God is stronger than all of 

the nonsensical thoughts that can settle in our mind and keep us from faithfully moving 

forward to freedom from them. And then we have breakthroughs to tell people our stories 

and testimonies through writing and art. 




From my experiences came an original 

song I have written about keeping faith through your storms and how the grace of God kept 

me which is entitled “Breakthrough” and is currently streaming on Spotify. 

You can check it out here :

https://open.spotify.com/track/7aLMzUqgpDd9i0xGbByrqR

   

If "Breakthrough" inspired you. Maybe other songs I've penned will as well. 

I also have other songs on Spotify 

like music from my single cd "All Night Long"/“I’ll Be There” : 

https://open.spotify.com/album/77hQHLALYnC0v0GNQYIwx3 

Thank you for gracing me with your attention
and reading by my blog everybody! 

Have a lovely weekend. 

April is for Jazz and Poetry Appreciation

The older I get, the faster life seems to speed by. 

I mean, can you believe it is April already?  It feels like only yesterday that I was on the dance floor at Trattorias in Purchase, NY, singing away 2015 on New Year's Eve, and here we are, four months later holding on with a tight grip, so we don't trip as the days fly by.

Photo Captured by EJ Haughton Photography

April has arrived; the fourth month of the year and also the rainy month, National poetry month and Jazz Appreciation Month. 

On a clear day like today, we have to be thankful that we had bright sunshine, though mother nature seems to be playing an April Fool's trick on us here in New York as she brings yet another chance of winter snow for our well-into-spring weekend. Might seem a bit depressing to think we might be cleaning wintry white from the concrete and the hoods of our cars this weekend but that is okay; nothing that beautiful poetry or jazz can't soothe, like a hot cup of coffee tends to do in the morning when sleep is still combating with wakefulness.

So while we are in the midst of my favorite season, I would like to wish to you, Harmony through it all. This is definitely a great season to allow that internal joy to peacefully uproot within and to blossom towards the light of the amazing sun. 

Happy April!  And to you, I dedicate a song that I wrote which was produced by a good friend of mine named Paul Garrod. The song is entitled "Harmony," and I hope that it brings you just that.  Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/stephanay-jnote/harmony 

Thank you for reading my blogpost everyone. And as bassist Stanley Clarke would say, "Shanti, Peace, Paz, Shal!"

Jazz Flowering Within Like Sunflowers in A Garden

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!

Istwa Dayiti Film Festival at Medgar Evers College

Tonight I had the pleasure of presenting the Haitian Film Festival at Medgar Evers College.

What a privilege to celebrate my culture and heritage in such an extraordinary way. And to think Medgar Ever's main concern was for people of color to have an identity. 

This film festival makes that identity for the Haitian community at this school even more relevant. Very cool event!!! 

CoverGirl Clump Crusher: Excellent Choice of Mascara for Photos

So I got this Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara for free in exchange for my review and I love it.

Applies clean and makes my lashes stand out. What a great choice for the photos that photographer EJ Haughton took today in and around awesome sites of Brooklyn, NY. 

Try the mascara for yourself. I think you will enjoy the stiletto long lashes it leaves you with that lasts for a pretty long time without running or rubbing off. 

 

This Sunday at 7:30pm on WNYE 91.5FM JAZZ ON THE JNOTE

On Sunday, March 20, 2016 at 7:30pm

Please turn your radio dials to 

WNYE 91.5FM 

For 

Jazz on the JNote

Brought to you from the studios at Medgar Evers College

And

Hosted by

Stephanie Jeannot

This week's show will be attributed 

To

Jazz innovator, trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong.

You can also listen to this show at the same time 

On theenglishconnectionmedia.com 

or 

on theenglishconnectionmedia channel on mixlr.com or tunein.com

Looking forward to connecting with you this Sunday.

But until then, peace and jazz breezes. 

Ode to Lewis (Did you mean Louie? No! Louis!)

This poem is a dedication to one of the greatest influences in jazz history. 

Ode to Lewis 

(Did you mean Louie? No! Louis!)

by Stephanie Jeannot (c) 2016

Louis Armstrong’s horn was blasting the night away.

Communally! With the backdrop of the stage,

and he was singing lullabies

and I joined into the glories of jubilation time.

He was sketching compositions with his brass.

I burst into flames so fast I got whip lash.

Hot, fiery sounds coming at me like high tide in the afternoon

I mean, for all intents and purposes; 

culture runs through the body of his tunes.

Five stories down on the dancing streets folks heard him.

Their emotional tones were slightly altered when 

they give his melodies a swim.

And suddenly we all gained the power of the Amazons.

The onus of trying to move peeps worked; that shit was on!

Could you hear how he ornamented his character 

with them caterwauling cries?

With the grace of a jaguar, they took his music up for size.

I can’t believe I had to tell some 
to not abnegate from enjoying his cheeky calls.

But it didn’t take long before they started to 
own the air around them and into the buttery mix fall.

The waves of sound, they let move their feet as 

love flooded all up in their ears.

You could tell by the way everyone moved that there were 

no veils of silence in the atmosphere!

The greatest influence of music of all time, 

Satchel Mouth, was sparking up minds.

The blues he lived was being articulated and 
we took his expressions for a pulchritudinous ride.