Music Gives Wings to The Mind

There are so musicians, bands and songs that inspire me as a vocalist. It is always pleasurable for me to  listen to music and to discover new sounds and artists.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,

flight to the imagination, & life to everything”

-Plato

Spotify has this challenge to create a playlist of the top 100 songs and I can say that I have been listening more and more to the different artists and music on Spotify lately; especially since I currently have a new project on the platform entitled “We Are People United” on there.

You can check out the album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3BWB0RVMeXhAnWORuEzHLf

Prompts and Ideas

I am always up for a good challenge or ideas to be prompted by; especially in writing because I want to be able to write as much as I can. Through the process of trying to gain ideas, I came across this book that has benefitted me a lot to put pen to paper and write new songs, poetry, blog posts and more. The book is entitled 365 Journal Writing Ideas Plus 400 Quotes: A Year of Daily Writing Prompts, Questions & Actions To Fill Your Journal With Memories, Self-Reflection, Creativity & Direction by Rossi Fox and I really like it.

It is sorted by the day of the year and has prompts that can make you reflect and gain ground in storming. This is always a good benefit for any writer in my opinion because this is a way to prevent writer’s block when getting into the process when scribing is necessary. For me, it seems like it is a need everyday as is water and sleep because, I can honestly say that there is not a day that goes by without me writing something. This book  helps with more directional writing if needed. Perhaps it can help to enhance your writing as it has for me in many ways. 

365 Journal Writing Ideas

One of the prompts read like this: List your favorite musicians, bands and song. And so, here we go, exploring my favorite five on my favorite topic that the world has to offer; music.

Five of My Favorite Musicians

“I was born with music inside of me.  Music was one of my parts.

Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart.

Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene.

It was a necessity for me.  – like food or water.”

- Ray Charles

1. Sarah Vaughan

I have loved her for a very long time. Her voice was amazing. I don’t think that there is anything that she couldn’t do with her voice. Her range was amazing. And my favorite thing about her voice was her low tone. 

A friend of mine knew that I loved Sarah Vaughan so much, that he gave me a DVD that featured about 500 songs that she has done in her musical career. Of all the artists out there past and present, she is who I listen to the most.  
I currently have just over 18 hours of music in my library that feature her voice.  I also have two DVDs featuring her live concerts. I am constantly searching for new live footage of her on Youtube and also indulged in the book Sassy: The Life of Sarah Vaughan which I found quite interesting to take a deeper look into her life and her being, aside from just the music. I love her.

Sassy: The Life Of Sarah Vaughan

2. Prince

I think Prince was amazing. There are so many layers to him and so much music by him that I am discovering. I think he was a genius at writing and getting into the groove of the music. His songs are tight and so enjoyable. And I really like his voice.

I read a book on his life entitled I Would Die 4 You by Toure and it was excellent reading about his life, musical journey and everything about what made him who he is. 

I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon

3. Miles Davis

I have always loved listening to the way that he played his music but I don’t think I liked him as much as I do now after conducting research to write my college thesis on jazz, identity and racism, came across his book Miles: The Autobiography and read some really interesting things about his life and his personality. I loved his response to stigmas and I appreciated how he came across growing as a musician and individual in the world. He played that trumpet so well and I really like listening to his music. 

Miles

4. Whitney Houston

I can’t think of a day that I did not love Whitney Houston. I don’t think I was as devastated hearing of a musician’s passing as I was when she did. I cried as if she was a family member because I have lived her since I was a little girl.

If I could credit to anyone for the big voice I have that can carry very loud and fill an auditorium without a microphone, I would give it Whitney Houston. I used to spend entire afternoons singing her songs to the four walls of my basement and used to always choose songs by her to go out and sing in live settings.

I have every album she has ever made and can actually claim as my truth that I will always love her voice, her movie The Bodyguard and the songs that she was known for; especially Saving All My Love which is still my favorite song by her. 

The Bodyguard (Special Edition)

5. Dizzy Gillespie

I love Dizzy Gillespie. He was an amazing musician and I love the music that he contributed to the world. I have grown to love his personality more and more as I watched many documentaries or interviews where he was speaking with an interviewer. I love how he spoke with such knowledge, intelligence and attitude. I also read a few excerpts from his book To Be or Not to Bop and I really loved some of things he talked about in regards to the culture of jazz and its music. I listen to his music a lot and I admire what he contributed to the world as a world-class musician. 

To Be, or Not . . . to Bop

Five of my Favorite Bands

1. Wilerm Delisfort Project

This is a current band that is often performing live at Smoke Jazz and I love the music that I hear coming from them. Slick sounds and fresh to the ear.

If you have not heard them yet, you definitely need to get down to Smoke Jazz located at 2751 Broadway in Harlem, NY for their Sunday late night session to see them live.

I think you will really enjoy them.

2. Paradyce

A nice group of musicians who recently released a studio project entitled East to Egypt featuring seven really cool jazz tracks of songs that you will just be bopping to. The NYC based group features keyboardist Steve Palmer, drummer David Griffin and saxophonist Saxy Ric. I recently had the opportunity to interview them on my radio show, Jazz on the JNote which originally aired on WNYE 91.5 FM on August 6, 2017. You can check out Part one of the interview here: https://youtu.be/QIobFFVze4c

3. Sade

Who doesn’t love the group Sade? And who can say that they do not enjoy listening to the lead singer Sade Anu sing away? I think I can sing all their songs back and forth and I love everything that they do. Such cool songs and a great, mellow vibe that comes from them. This is one group that I never get tired of listening to. Beautiful tone, amazing songs.

4. Out of Eden

I love out of Eden and I can listen to their music all day long. Out of Eden is an all-girl Gospel group of sisters which featured Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey. I learned about them years ago through this music promotion site who would introduce artists and their music, I think the site was called What’s Hot Now.

But anyway, they have some amazing soulful Gospel songs sung to R&B influenced beats that I just love. I was even able to teach a few of their songs to the youth choir at Mt Moriah Baptist church when I was the choir director there and the young people loved it.

They had six studio albums which I have all of them, with my favorite being No Turning Back: an album that featured ten up-beat and beautiful songs that I simply love. 

No Turning Back

5. Earth Wind & Fire

I love, love, love Earth Wind & Fire and everything that they sang and the fire they brought onto the stage with them each time that they performed. I never get bored listening to their songs with my favorite being Sing a Song because that is my favorite thing to do; sing. LOL!

I also appreciate many of the songs that they wrote for many of the artists I enjoy listening to such as Deniece Williams and the Emotions.

Five of My Favorite Songs

1. Who Ja Bless by Qew Lunel

Beautiful words. Very uplifting. Nice sound. Great song. https://open.spotify.com/track/1PW2SEzE4l7Ej518M2aJTB

2. Wherever You Are by Stephanie Jeannot

Still a favorite of mine. I think I love that I wrote and produced the entire song it is such a special tune for me. I love performing it and it is one of the few tunes I have shared at a live setting here and abroad.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6CumcrYYlWFftRwHcFrFv6

3. Courage by Sarah Vaughan

I love the words on this song. Such a pretty tune. I love the way Sarah sings this song and every time I hear it, it leaves a beautiful feeling inside.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3Bw5XsDIJXhcsFu3PFihZK

4. Back for Good by Take That

I have loved this song since I was in high school. The job I worked at used to play 106.7 Lite FM all day long and this tune was constantly being aired. I have adored it ever since. Such a pretty melody. I love it a lot.

https://open.spotify.com/track/4CPTAJth9JiuKYaMIemmDD

5. Aint Misbehavin by Fats Waller

I love this song. I started liking it when I first saw my favorite movie Stormy Weather and saw the composer of it, Fats Waller,  being his humorous self on the piano, tickling away and singing this song. Awesome tune and once of may favorites to perform live.

https://open.spotify.com/track/7yLb6yUwkC3bwms84drCBW

Stormy Weather

Et Vous?

It would be wrong of me to not include you into this musical favorites theme. I would love to hear about the musicians, bands and songs that you love the most. Care to share? 

Perhaps you can guide me on a new path of discovery. I would love to hear your favorites. Who do you love to listen to and what are your favorite songs? 

Compare and Contrast the Music; O Halloween!

There is no denying that as musicians, we build ourselves up, brick by brick to become who we are.

We strive to be able to handle what we do as best as we can.  We may not always be able to put out the same energy, even though we practice and aim for perfection, but getting into the music is something that we work towards because it is who we are; music! What we don't want to be is unable to execute. 

Believe me, I understand the whole Sasha Fierce thing because I could be with no energy, practically falling asleep but put a mic in my hand and there I go, alive and with all this energy; as if I am a different person. Maybe it is Halloween for me every time I sing. And it is something I cannot explain. Some may follow through regardless of the odds. Some may not feel like they can handle it when life throws a hardball our way. Yet, we still are with a heart to be all that we can be to be considered well-rounded and serious. 

We take on a gamut of approaches to better our craft with hope that we might thrive in the artistic scene. But while propelling ourselves for the duration of our lifeline on this earth, it is important to remember that the art of comparing our musical journey with someone else's can be something that might stymy the flow.

Why and Why Not Compare

I get it! There is so many of us out there striving with very similar goals. How could you not compare? They are working with fire and passion. You are working with fire and passion. Or maybe you are not and then you see someone else achieving recognition and it creates jealousy in you and may make you want to adjust to be or do what everybody else is. Or perhaps it will make you feel out of place and as if you do not belong. But don't let the hype fool you. Everybody was a beginner. Every pro started somewhere. Every person had to crawl before they started walking. Everybody gets sick sometimes and cannot always come with the full plate of stamina all the time. And everybody messes up sometimes because nobody is perfect. 

It is important to remember that just because someone else is doing something that you are not does not mean that is the ultimate way. We all think differently and do things in our own way. And just because you are not doing what they are someone else does, does not mean your method to the madness is the ultimate or that it is irrelevant. 

The Art of Comparison

Beyond music, the art of comparison has been the one thing that keeps love from flowing correctly. Just because you practice something in your tradition does not mean my cultural mores are wrong or of savage nature. And just because your culture practices a certain religion does not mean that is the only religion that is supposed to be practiced. And just because you are accustomed to dressing a certain way does not mean that mine are of any less value. Depends on the person. And just because you live your day in a specific way does not mean that everybody else has to be doing the same thing. You have your way and I have mine. Who's is right and who's is wrong? I am guessing that if we respect each other where we are knowing that the one thing we do have in common is that we share earthen space, even if we are different in culture, career decision, color, gender, sexual preference or religion. We are still family and that is the most important thing, regardless of the differences. 

Please check out my song which speaks about this entitled "People United." It is off my newest album We Are People United with lyrics and vocals by Stephanie Jeannot and music by Paul Garrod and you can find it on spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/4Ct0gzHKwv2QG8MgxKA6tR

Now let's take it to the bridge. . . 

Comparisons in Music
If you have perfect pitch and the next person does not. So, what? You have a clear tone and the person next to you has a lisp? So, what? He always nails that high note but you can’t? No need for feeling doubtful about it. Each person's timbre is as unique as a thumb print. So, what? You have energy on the stage and feel comfortable moving around but the next singer stands still while singing. So what?  You got musical education at Berkeley and he got some musical insight from Barry Harris and from jam sessions. So what? He speaks with a beautiful tone and I am singing with this crazy foreign accent. That does not mean you are someone not worth listening to and respecting. That just means you have an accent. So what? She knows more songs than I and I know more of the lyrics of my originals than the Top 40 tunes. So what. Be-you-tiful! That is what it is all about. Being you and loving what you uniquely do. But that is what you uniquely do. Let's stop looking at our own selves, putting down others ways of getting things done and respect each other. Regardless of who we are and how someone else approaches, I find that I can learn from them in even the most minor way, even though we are all unique in our own way. 

Halloween

So Halloween is here. I don't always dress up though sometimes I do like to get a costume on and celebrate; especially if the day comes when I have a gig and I am getting on stage. I mean, why not. It is all in fun right?

I'll never forget the year that I dressed up one year as a princess and realized I didn't have a crown. Thank God there was a Burger King around though because a few minutes later, I had a pretty gold one. LOL! We went to that grade school party and I saw some great costumes there and we all had a blast. I think the costumes are my favorite thing about Halloween. I love to see how people dress up, all so creative and different. I also love all the awesome decor.

So did you decorate? Here is a Halloween themed art of comparison to end this post. I was walking down the streets of my neighborhood and noticed all the beautiful and outrageous décor that the people in my vicinity had ornamented their homes with. I saw theirs and I thought of the little I put up around my house and was like, dang! I thought about heading back to the store to get more decorations. But then I changed my mind. So what if they dressed up every inch of their homes in such amazing ways? Mine was decorated too; just in my own way.  

Mine looked nice too; didn’t it? 😊  I think I have enough candy too for all the trick or treaters. Happy Halloween everybody! Have a safe and wonderful Halloween! 

Trumpeting the Musically Gratifying Dizzy

When I think of his creative energy, the sparkle and grace in his playing and the volcanic personality he had, I can’t help but smile about Dizzy Gillespie.  

I feel as if the emotion was embedded in me though. No matter what, his name comes up, I start clapping enthusiastically inside and I can’t help it.

Musically Gratifying

I may have been too young to remember him being on Sesame Street though I saw a few images and clips this week as I spent many hours of my week with this audacious interest to watch some old interviews he was a part of, a few concerts he performed in, some podcasts that featured him speaking and many other things that focused on Dizzy.

Yup, that was my station of life this week as I compiled information to put together a centennial celebration show worthy of celebrating, I guess you can say, my favorite jazz artist’s centennial birthday. What I do remember that never left my heart was seeing him on an old episode of “The Cosby Show” as he was featured as Vanessa’s music teacher. That episode always leaves me feeling so happy. Even until today. Perhaps, it is one of the reasons I became a musician myself.

Let me clarify this before I move on. Many will not consider a singer a musician because we sing and when we go to a gig, we do not carry heavy equipment that needs to be set up on the stage. 

We however carry our instruments in our body. Our bodies are our instrument. We use our bodies to produce sound and add our vocal chords to any song, over wailing musicians. Therefore, vocalists certainly are musicians.

 Trumpeting My Excitement with Purpose

This year has been a year full of jazz great’s centennials with this year celebrating the 100 years of the first lady of jazz Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne who was the first black person to have a major contract with MGM studios, The genius of modern music better known as Thelonious Monk and John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie who was one of the founding fathers of the Afro-Cuban and/or Latin jazz tradition and a major figure of the bebop and modern jazz movement who remained an outgoing and tireless ambassador for bop throughout his life; just to name a few.

Dizzy had this creative edge that was unbeatable. Everything he performed came out of his horn with an outpouring of emotion. He had a keen sense of humor that could make a person laugh until tears fell out of their eyes.

He is most noted for enlivening the world of jazz with his iconic “swollen cheeks” and for blooming those flirtatious, race horse tempos and complex syncopations out of his up-angled trumpet. He is also known for his quirky humorousness on the stage which was one of the reasons why while in his first ever band, the Frankie Fairfax band, he gained his nickname Dizzy. Stanley Crouch called him, “one of the most influential players of his horn in the history of the music.”

“Music is An International Language” (Dizzy Gillespie)

As a jazz musician, Dizzy became a beacon of human possibility with jazz being an integrator of races as well as what gave people of color an identity. I found it amazing how music can bring people together. I experienced it on my first ever musical tour which occurred last year around this time in Russia. 

You do not even have to speak the same language and yet somehow can be on the same stage and music is the language that you and someone with a whole different set of cultures and traditions can speak to bridge the gap. It is one of the most incredible things that I ever experienced and a layer of music that I will always appreciate. 

Dizzy claimed that one of the reasons to be part of the musical exchange is that, “jazz transcends the barriers of political ideologies, of cultural, racial, ethnic and religious differences from Brazil to Senegal, from Denmark to Australia, from Senegal to Czechoslovakia, from the USA to the USSR. Jazz brings people together to smile, to enjoy and be enriched by the beauty and joy of our majestic music that elevates the human spirit. Jazz is a mirror of life and also jazz is a universal language” (Dizzy Gillespie).

“Improve Over the Years Adding Layers of Finish,

Polishing and Refining, Your Art’s Sheen

and Subtle Symmetry”

(Whitehead).

Dizzy said that as a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and have one foot forward into the future.  In the book Hard Bop by David Rosenthal, Dizzy admitted to learning a lot from “the first Picasso of jazz” better known by the world as Thelonious Monk; another centenarian of jazz. Dizzy was largely influenced by Roy Eldridge. Dizzy claimed that “When coming up, all trumpet players wanted to sound like Roy Eldridge.” But Dizzy certainly developed his own original sound. 

Dizzy said that “he could see somebody copying something because everybody has someone to copy and he didn’t care if he heard a guy say that he got his sound out of the air because that would be a lie. He didn’t care who the individual was and further said that no matter who you are as a musician, you definitely had a standard you studied and went by.”  This is true even for me. I find admiration in different artists and even though I started out trying to mimic what Whitney Houston and Sarah Vaughan may have done, I certainly did start adding who I am into the music and my style started to gain it’s own gossamer wings as I came out of my shell. Music like life is in a constant state of flux and we as musicians who study and practice our craft, are constantly changing.

One thing that will never change for me though is how much I like and respect Dizzy Gillespie. I am still very captivated by his energy and the more I learn about him, the more I am lured in to wanting to know and listen to more of his contributions to this world of music.

Speaking of music . . .

I have a radio show. Jazz on the JNote is a show I started while in college as I was in my final year and trying to complete my thesis which was on the topic of Jazz, Identity & Racism for which I read about 200 books to write 30 pages discussing the cultural aspects of jazz and its history. My first show featured music from my favorite jazz vocalist, Sarah Vaughan. 

Two years later, the show is still running and this week’s episode will celebrate the centennial of Dizzy Gillespie. 

Hope that you'll join me for this very special episode.  

Please visit www.theenglishconnectionmedia.com or http://mixlr.com/the-english-connection-media/  this Sunday evening, October 22 at 7PM EST to tune in. 

Thank you so much for checking out my blog post. Peace & blessings! 

A Broader Musical Repertoire

Moving right along on this musical journey, 

I have been working hard on applying my streams of consciousness to new songs, 

and am excited to share with you, a broader musical repertoire of my own

that has been in the making all year. 

 “As an artist, you hope to create something everyone can identify with” 

(– Gina Prince-Bythewood)

This year has been a pretty interesting one so far, and with so many things seen and experienced, it truly feels good to have found a source of inspiration welling in me, where I was able to water new seeds for lyrical melodies to blossom. And now that the year is coming to an end, I have some new music that I am excited about and want to share.

My hope is that you will be able to identify with these songs, 

featured on my latest project entitled 

"We Are People United."

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

Please head on over to CDBaby and take a listen here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

And please, if you do listen, please let me know what you think.

The album consists of 13 tracks. 

All lyrics were written by Stephanie Jeannot. 

All soundtracks produced by Paul Garrod. 

Our chemistry has been amazing where the music was concerned 

and we were able to harmonize our uniqueness into this project to make it what it is. 

Please head on over to CDBaby and take a listen here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejeannot1

If you like the tracks, please download it. 

And please, if you do listen, please let me know what you think.

My favorite on this work is "People United." What is yours? Let me know. 

Thank you for your help everyone and thank you so much for supporting independent artists! 

Who Inspires Me To Think Of The Endless Possibilites

 “An appearance of prosperity attracts attention always, 

with no exceptions whatsoever” 

(Napoleon Hill)

I grew up with the intense experience of being compared to my older sibling and so my whole life, I tried to be the boisterous audience, watching her and drawing nourishment from her influence.

I wanted to be like her volcanic self. She was cool. She was popular. She was beautiful and she had this supple rhythm to her life that made me want to take a quantum leap away from who I was. Her intelligence was just the tip of the iceberg. She found ways to caress the hearts and minds of our parents and impressed them on every level.

But I came to terms with the idea that we might never be the same because we were so different. She knew how to extend herself individualistically and get things done. I did things in my own customary fashion but never with the concerted effort that she would put into it to get things done in the fashion she did and in the time that she did.

She has always had a great influence on me. With thought and care, she followed through on her goals and made things happen and never seemed to lose that sense of continuity. Nope! She absorbed a nice groove and kept it steady on the beat.

I look up the balance of my life and consider all the intense experiences that I have lived through. She has always been an intrinsic part of my life except my days were spent more with this turbulent sensibility. I lived my life on the brink. I danced to the rhythm of my own songs. I lived with all these emotional struggles which I guess you can call middle-child syndrome.  And the only thing that made my heart flutter was the beauty of nature, books, food and high-voltage music. I was growing up as a future artisan of the world and still with a penetrating influence from the only big sister I would ever have. I can honestly say that of the good things that I planted my feet on, the flurry of activity was often guided by what I thought might gain me a glorious response from her. She was living this model life and I was living with the penchant for getting on the stage and caressing a ballad with a live orchestra. Yet she always had forward momentum and I was battling all the negative energy that would be conjured up in my mind that somehow held me as prisoner in the space and time of the lewdness of my youth where it had happened.

So, I can honestly say that being around my sister is to be in an atmosphere of

tremendous power. She creates ideas in me that opens doors to new life. I can only hope to be like her one day. And then one day out of nowhere, when my parent comes and explores my world while I am on the stage giving all of me into a performance, it leaves me feeling strong and accomplished and that somehow, I used her modally based improvisation in my life to get their hearts propelling towards me with interest. All I know is that having a big sister in my life has definitely made me tweak my design a bit and lately has raised my morale. I guess you can say that you should never let family fall out of your favor because even if it is with a briskness of tempo that it takes them to come around and think that you are more than the equivalent of a tough Monday morning, when they turn their attention towards you, it is like the joie de vivre to feel valued in their presence.

Thankful for my sister. Thankful for her influence on me. And thankful to have a reason to even try; even if the bedrock of my work is to try to impress the people who made me feel at home in my own house when I was growing up all ebullient and innocent. But, even until this moment and seeing her thrive and thrusting through with this ferocious intensity and with this rhythmic acuity, makes me want to push harder with a jolt of urgency to be like her. She gives me a reason to think of the endless possibilities if I never give up. Today, I am clapping enthusiastically for her as she celebrates life. Pardon my outpouring of words but you deserve to know the truth; you inspire me and thank you for the wellspring of influence you provide for me. Hope your day is all that and more.  

Stage Fright Happens . . . Why Faith is a Singer's Most Important Weapon!

It takes baby steps of trust to get on to a stage and to leap forward with a song to share; especially for those who haven’t really performed in front of a crowd much.

I hear it a lot. Miss Stephanie, I’m shy. Miss Stephanie, I can’t sing louder on the stage; my voice might crack. Miss Stephanie, I don’t want to go on the stage by myself. Miss Stephanie I don't want to sing because the guy I like is sitting in the room.

You might not be swimming in agreement with all the things that could happen while you are on stage.  You could fall and embarrass yourself in front of a multitude of people. You could hit a bad note. You could forget your lyrics and melody. You could freeze and be so afraid that you shake the whole time, while you are singing. You could be moving around and your heel breaks. You could not open your mouth enough and fall flat. Your peers could be so displeased with your performance that they start gossiping about you and make you feel so inadequate that you decide you no longer want to do what you were called to do.

But then you could also thrive as you bring life to your music.  You could convey an idea that influences someone in the audience. And you can also be as hot as a blazing fire. You just never know!

It is completely normal to have stage fright. I would even go to the gamut of saying that it might be a little weird if from time to time, you do not experience it. But courage must endure.

Don’t complicate a simple live musical engagement chained to the prison of your doubts. The adventure is a bit more extraordinary when you make an honest effort with an element of self-trust.

Trust that you can do a good job. Trust that you have what it takes. Trust that you can give it your best shot. Trust that you can win and succeed.

Nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. Every day is a learning experience. And if you are someone who has failed to learn new things in your daily lives, you probably are not really living.

To succeed at anything, you must take a chance. Don’t be so afraid of the gift that God gave you that you miss the opportunities to use it in the way that he created you to. Get on the stage, scan the crowd with excitement and don’t allow even a flicker of doubt to discourage you. Use your gossamer wings to take on the daunting task.

Give your audience your most focused attention and don’t let them know your fear. Have a semblance of power. Stay emotionally focused and bring that dramatic fire to them. Promote your cultural diversity as you were meant to; one tiny leap at a time. The first leap: venture out onto the stage and smile with confidence and say hello, my name is . . . You’ll find that it is not really that necessary to wall off your heart because the feeling of sharing your gift is immensely beautiful. Then the conversation will no longer be Miss Stephanie I can't but Miss Stephanie, I did. How exciting is that! 

The fact that you are standing on the shoulders of giants who came way before you might shift your mindset and put you in a more relaxed lifestyle. Every pro was a beginner. Every beginner has to start fresh from somewhere. Every fresh start builds up character. Draw on the decades of accumulated sounds, singers, musicians and music as a whole that you have been influenced by. Being who you are organically doesn’t require that much effort. Get on the stage and be the fabulousness that you are. 

Don’t let anything ever dilute your trust in God. He gave you your gift for a reason and that is an unwavering belief. Make sure you never let go of that truth and include him in everything to understand your role in this by and by; even into your performances. And even after the performances because faith is a great weapon to have in every situation. And knowing how emotionally based sharing your talent really is, you never know how as a person you might be affected by your own strength if you come to a point where your cup was less than full and you couldn't do what you always have been able to do without problems; especially as a singer since your body is your instrument. A cold, tiredness, and mental well-being can change everything. Faith can be the cure. You can have improvisational skills, know every chord backwards and forwards. You can know all the different possible harmonies you could use to make the song pretty. But if you do not have faith, you need to add that to your musical tool kit. 

Regardless if it is your first time or your hundred thousandth, you can still get stage fright so do not feel like you are alone in your experience. It still happens every now and then to almost everybody. The important thing is to take your fears head on and to do what you were designed to do with enthusiasm. You got this! 

Speaking of stage fright., it is crazy to think that even after all this time, sometimes I get those butterflies in my stomach, get on the stage and shake with fright as I start to vocalize into the mic. Such was the case one night at this beautiful venue in Novorossiysk, Russia. We drove from Kransodar to Novorossiysk and after 6 hours on the road, we made it; only for me to have about thirty minutes to compose myself before we had soundcheck and then the show. So I was nervous. And then I looked at all the unfamiliar faces and there came the shaking. SMH! 

Check out footage from that concert. It was a live performance of my original song "Wherever You Are" with the Sergey Koronev Project here:  https://youtu.be/MoW_UmKqUPo

All I can say is, thank God that my fear subsided!  

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING OUT MY BLOG POST! 

Having Your Own Song And Dance

As time passes by, it is a true thing that we improve, evolve and persist with effortless grace.

We grow and we weave into our lives, our own patterns of thought and opinion. 

Some of the things that might have touched us at the core when we were teeny boppers, no longer move us. Especially with the years of sophisticated knowledge that we have accumulated as the days passed us by, and we somehow no longer feel so attached to the cultural mainstream because we learned to have independence of mind. 

In other words, we are all works in progress and the more we age, the more we become our own intricate sidewalk ballet dance.

Aspiring Artists

As music lovers who also have braved the walk of trying to share something as personal as our own art that emerges from the depths of our soul, our taste in what we indefatigably listen to even changes over the years. We often become disconnected from the majority and it is not so important to be drawn by what everybody else is listening to, and we develop our own unique style.

I can say in truth that tradition never goes out of style. I don’t think there is a day in my life that I will ever not enjoy Haitian Compas music or Christian hymns because I grew up listening to them and fell in love with them, even before I flowered my own thoughts in my mind. These tones hung in the air for years and years and may never antiquate but some of the things I was listening to in grade school or high school are not things you will find on my Ipod or Spotify playlist, while some others are. If you are someone who addresses people through your art, then your heart may gravitate towards something else; something different than you used to love back in your history and much different that what you initially thought you’d actually enjoy.

I guess, we always have a hope that we can reinvent the wheel in some way and with our breadth of knowledge, create a budding interest in the public sphere; especially in our family and peers. I mean, what aspiring musician doesn’t want their family to think that working on their priceless art is not a waste of time and effort and worth the escapade?   

Our Own Song and Dance

Not every upbeat, catchy tune is for everybody. And though many may be enamored by a tune created more than 800 miles away doesn’t mean that you have to be grounded in love for it. But it is also important to know that the boisterous sounds of today are not the only things that should gain our appeal. If it is, it may be time to expand your knowledge of music.

Maybe you can balance between some of the new and the old. Take a step back and clamor to the sounds that paved the way for what music we have been blessed to listen to today. It is not uncommon at all to fall in love with an antique sound and to be transformed by it.

I can honestly say that I am very influenced by many artists; both of yesterday and today. It is a thrill to my heart to have access to such great music. It was a rude awakening to me to come to find that it was mostly the music of the past that generated motivation in me. Call me an old soul but, the artists of the past seem to have abundant strength and stamina to be able to reach for the stars with every element of their being to be where they worked so hard to be, and it is very encouraging.

For instance, less than 100 years ago, there were no microphones. Singers like opera singer Marion Anderson had to use her own body mechanisms to create a beefy sound with her voice and sing over orchestras of more than ten or more pieces with marvelous intensity. We have the crutch of a microphone and rely on its mechanics to create the solution of sound in a venue. Not saying it is a bad thing because it is such a wonderful thing that we have it a little bit easier, but, that type of power that these artists had; incredible.  Another example is the jazz musicians who had to face discrimination, Jim-Crowism, rejection based on race, being denigrated against because anything that came from people of color was considered savagery, and endless squabbling over prejudices, they still worked towards upward mobility and came to sit in this position of inspiration for streams of people all across the world. And to think that we might feel a little bit unenthused if we go to an open jam session that features musicians who are there more in a competitive state rather than one of a welcoming nature at a platform meant to simply share who you are. These jazz musicians had to endure it and still did what they had to do. 

 

In This Arsenal of Musical Expression

I guess I weaved in this in-depth conversation to say to young singers that they should spend time opening their ears and their hearts to some of the past musicians and singers that skillfully handled this thing called music. Not only will it increase your arsenal of musical expression, but you will find more emotional intensity and also bring more meaning to what you already do.

Listening to singers like Ariana Grande brings change to my world but I am also riding high when I listen to Minnie Ripperton hitting those amazing whistle tones. The music of Beyonce gets me feeling electric. But then I hear a song by the group Lambert, Ross, and Hendrickson, and it warps boundaries for me. Listening to Khalid sing the song “Location” works so effectively on my ears while the ecstatic flow of Donny Hathaway’s rendition of “What’s Going On” strokes the feathers of the skylark that I am. 

Ella Fitzgerald seemed to be always on point. Whitney Houston used such great dynamics. Amel Larrieux won me over when she was a part of “Groove Theory” and since I have every album of hers and have seen her in concert about five times. Faith Hill gets me feeling all tender. Renee Fleming makes my heart weep with joy. Beres Hammond’s music adds fuel to my day. Kim Burrell’s songs gives me a reason to project positivity and Betty Carter makes me want to explore newness in so many countless ways.

Lately, discovering music that I have yet to know has become a worthy pursuit of mine. I find myself absorbing information through the medium of books that leads me to discovery elsewhere. And how fortunate are we to be able to simply go to Youtube, Spotify or Apple Music, etc., to find music from artists that have paved the way, even if they are no longer with us? I have been influenced more than I could have ever imagined and I know that I have barely touched the surface. There’s so much more to discover. 

I say, let yourself be exposed to different things than what you are currently listening to. You never know how a piece of sound art can harmonize with you. You never know how much you might truly enjoy a piece of music that has been a part of this world for over 75 years or has been here even 200 years before our time. You may find that mixing things up is something you love with your whole heart. And what is better than change that leaves you swept up with ideas?

Side Note

Maybe you might be interested in checking out some of mine. I have a website which gets more into who I am, my music, and features some of my past performances and pictures from various shows I had the opportunity to perform in. 

You can check it out at http://www.jnotemusic.com

I am also on Facebook where I post different music related things including videos and upcoming events. You can check out my facebook page and if you feel inclined to like it, please do. http://www.facebook.com/jnotemusic

I am also in Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/musiqal1

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/musiqal 1

And I have a youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/sj1and0

Et Vous?

So what music do you gravitate towards? Are you a radio person? Do you find the feeling of utter peace by listening to classical music? Are you influenced by the 600 million users on Instagram who share their favorite song choices? What kind of music drives you home and leaves you feeling triumphant? Are you even a music person at all? 

Thank you so much for checking out my blogpost! Much love to you.