Sometimes a Song Lyric, Filters Through Me Like "Wherever You Are"

Sometimes a song lyric, filters through me and it comes striking my thoughts, so full of color that I can’t ignore the vibration; I am forced to write. And so, I write.

“Wherever You Are” is one of those songs. My emotions were just right there and somehow I transferred what I was feeling at that very moment, musically. My Korg Triton was turned on and not that far after was I laying down piano chords onto my Cakewalk Sonar recording software.  

Getting into an environment where positivity is just flowing through the air makes me feel more than desirous to share what I conceived and gave birth to. Such was the case at Rustik Tavern.

There was live music and the night was being hosted by my friend Eric Frazier and the fact that the location of it was right there not too far from me in The Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, NY, made me get over my weariness real quick so I could be right there amongst the music lovers, musicians and locals enjoying the atmosphere.

The musicians were inspiring each other and blaring out a potpourri of wonderful sounds, appeasing to the heart. It was an open mic jam forum and so, I was excited to be able to join in the experience. My original song, 

“Wherever You Are” was in my heart 

and so, I pulled out my fake sheet for 

the tune, handed it to the musicians to accompany me and sang my lyrics.

Please check out a clip of the live performance here: https://youtu.be/uqJrXs9tVmk

The song lingered on and it just became a call-and-response thing and felt good to just let out my sigh for the day and to have a conversation with the warm hearts that let me in with their connecting.

Salute to all the songwriters unafraid to let you own words tumble out over your tongue and into the atmosphere. We conceive songs like babies being created fearfully and wonderfully. We put melodies together and then our children are born; our songs created with the spirit God crafted within us. Thank you for every watch and every like and every comment and every furtherance of action and any support that you have lent to me in my mission to be who I be more. To be able to share my gift with you means everything. Hope it inspires you in some way. And, if it does, please check me out on Spotify and follow, listen or like the song. Keyword: Stephanie Jeannot. 

https://open.spotify.com/album/0UZOWgejheSU2clMnqQR6c

Thank you for listening/watching.

Jazz Keeps Unfolding in the Walls of My Heart

My hearts unfolds like a flower when I get the opportunity to experience the culture of jazz.

 I was squealing with delight at the idea of celebrating nature’s abundance of simple joys.  What was being celebrated?

Black history.

Jazz history.

The history of jazz dance.

The event was hosted by the Harlem Swing Dance Society and was held at the Pelham Fritz Recreational Center in Harlem, NY and featured me and my band, Stephanie Jeannot’s Savoy Four Band.

Please check out the mini clip of the event that was held here:

https://youtu.be/NmgnLuWKMBI

The ambiance was great there in that Harlem venue located at Mount Morris Park. The art on the walls gave an appeal that just melted my heart. 

I walked in and saw dancers dancing with an instructor teaching them a bit of jazz dance from its history at the Savoy Ballroom where the lindy hop was first introduced. I always enjoy these events because of the air of knowledge and jazz that I am able to breathe in while history is being shared until the band is ready to play the music to set the dancers up on a rhythmic fleet.

An eclectic array of standards was hoisted into the air met by the swinging dancers on the floor who met our sounds with energetic body movements. We played finger snapping rhythms, evocative classics, and modernized versions of antiquated songs. The instrumentalists did not shy away from improvising solos or showcasing their unique flavor which made it easy for me to be drawn in by their sounds to sing before the host of people rhythmically propelled to dance to the music. They danced to throbbing beats played by Napoleon Revels-Bey who approached the counter rhythms with brushes of purposeful soulfulness. They bopped to the thumping of the technical virtuosity of Hill Greene. They hammered their heels to the floor to the variety of tinkling sound played by pianist Danny Dalelio and I sang to the twists and turns of their music as the music gave a cultural salute to the sounds they played.

I was suddenly flooded with memories of earlier times when purveyors of the music would gather dressed to the nines to share their artistic expression. I thought of artists like Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Max Roach. Music was definitely their vehicle for improvisation whether it was playing, singing or dancing to it because music is all about self-expression and sharing.  They were always draped in the finest of threads and communicating to the audience with their hearts full of music. It was a fertile harmonic ground for joy to be sprung. It was the world’s most glamorous atmosphere and jazz history at its best. How could one not absorb the cultural influences and be inspired by those troubadours of yesteryear who made great triumphs with their music?

With each deep-throated growl, the onlookers danced and danced and danced. 

That day still remains imprisoned in the walls of my heart. I have a growing admiration for the culture of jazz which makes my heart skip a beat more and more each time I dabble into it. Music infuses me enthusiasm and makes me feel alive. And so, I have grown this insatiable hunger to listen and to learn and to sing and to dance and to just take in music as much as I can; because it is my first love and because I have a growing appetite for it. 

The more I sing, the more it calms my rage. Thankful for every musical opportunity and for the beautiful gift of song that God planted in me when he fearfully and wonderfully created me.

Rehearsal Modes of JNote: Just A Sittin' And- a-Rollocking

Trying out my new camera I got for my computer. The C270 HD Webcam to be exact. I set it up and now just checking to see how useful it really might be to me.

So, why not try it out the best way I can; with my web series Rehearsal Modes of JNote.

This is the 17th edition. I never tried it live before so, this was a trial run.

Would you please watch it and tell me your thoughts. I love criticism because it is helpful for my furtherance.

I practice singing more than piano. I guess I always have. But I liked playign piano; especially for songwriting. I used it to produce my original tune

"Wherever You ARe." If you have never heard it, you can check out my tune here:

I'm not use to all this piano stuff but it's coming to me more and more because I was really using it mainly for writing songs prior to this.

Join my rehearsal and give me some feedback. I take lessons every now and again but this is my practice session one-on-one with my creative space, airing out my musical roar.

Hope you enjoyed this episode.

God bless!Check out my website for more http://jnotemusic.com

When Performing My Own Song

One thing I never get tired of as an artist who writes songs and sings, is getting into the groove of my own song.



I have been singing ever since I was just a tiny itty bitty person and there's a great feeling when I get to sing and I am sharing the lyrics and melody of a song that I wrote. But then to see folks singing back with me is always a great experience as it was recently at Essence Bar & Lounge where I got a chance to share my song and like every other time singing my song, it was a moment that I enjoyed a lot. You can check out the performance here: https://youtu.be/b25wTmICfNw 

There is no doubt that I love to sing. It is a passion of mine and one of my favorite things to do in this world. I want to share my passion with you all and so, if you are free and have time to come and celebrate my life and birthday with me, I would so love it if you would join me on Sunday, December 8, 2019 from 3PM to 7PM 

It will be held at the Russian Samovar located at 256 West 52nd Street between 8th and 7th Avenue in Manhattan. It is an open jazz jam and will feature myself on vocals, Danny Dalelio on keys and Donald Nicks on bass. I also invite all singers and musicians to come and join into the musical fun. Bring your instrument and heart to do what is in your heart. Hopefully I'll see you there.

It's sagg season and I'm excited to have been kept another year and I am looking forward to celebrating. God is so awesome!

On The Art of an Artist

Just thinking about the artists and their artistry as a whole. We spend our lives trying to find ourselves and our voices. We spend our lives trying to perfect trying to sing other people's songs, even though we have our art. We know the lyrics and music to a million songs but our own, we tend to not even practice singing them to remember the nuances to share it in a live setting.

We take our art personal. We give birth to the sounds that come from us and sharing is not always the easiest thing because people would be more inclined to enjoy hearing someone sing someone else's intellectual property as opposed to the ones that we take our time and effort to create. Or people will complain because you sound nothing like the artist that sang the song you covered. Or you feel hurt inside because you never feel like you did good enough just being who you are and you always feel this insecurity just to do what you love to do the most.

But then, when you actually do come up with your own melodies and sing them, you are not searching for your voice at all because it is right there in the song you created. You didn't try to be the sound someone else created. You were there being exactly who God fearfully and wonderfully created, even if you did draw inspiration from someone you admire.

So weird that we tend to search for things that are right there in front of us. And then you take a pause to think about it.

Nobody knows that you have art if you don't share it, even if after you do share it people

accuse you of being narcissistic or thinking that you are all that because you are saying "look at me". But then, nobody knows that you have your own voice if you don't let your own voice be heard.

The movie Us even shows the image of people trying to kill themselves to find themselves and doing all these experiments on our own selves just to be the image of what we think we should be, when we were right there all along, peering at who we are.

I am a singer/songwriter and I love music more than I like to eat; and I'm no skinny chick as you can tell. I write songs and I want to share one of them with you. Hopefully you will take the time to listen to my tune, "Gotta Go" here: https://youtu.be/vnsqyqGqpJU.  It's all about getting away from all the drama and the mysteries and the confusions that life holds so you can get back to being whole again. 

Thank you for checking out my blogpost! 

Songs For the Valentine Hearts

Valentine’s Day is a great day to celebrate the triumphant powers of love.

It is a good day to give in to a refreshing change of pace from the stanzas of life that sometimes spill forth into the mix of your peaceful times and instead focus on being united in affection and concentrate on your loved one. And so, why not embrace the night with open arms and let your hearts be lifted by the strength of the messages of love?

Some go out to the movies or to a nice restaurant to enjoy a night out on the time. Some stay in and do romantic things together in the comfort of the home. My focus from this point on will be for the latter.

If you decide to stay home and enjoy an evening together with the love of your life, I have got a music playlist apropos for that special night of romance. Here is the link: https://open.spotify.com/user/22hsqdduuzk6igxvrtw5l6iiq/playlist/3MvhWFSkCtZUVL8sqhX3iO?si=NaDDzHA_QByjptBXgBy_8g

The playlist features a panoply of songs that have the power to add a little extra warmth for the soul.

So, while you are home together absorbing all the joys and fascinations that love holds, here is a warm blanket of songs to zen out together to. These sounds that will fill your home from this playlist will simply roar to the special rhythm of the two of you.

Whether you are a brand new couple enjoying Valentine’s day for the first time, or you have been in a relationship for a number of years or you have spent your whole life together through to your senescence and are chasing a sense of youthfulness to add something fresh to what you have, you can while away to the music featured and there is a song for you that will strike a responsive chord.

Whatever you decide to do for Valentine’s Day, I hope that the happiness and strength of the day will leave you both with a lasting jovial spirit.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

On Reading Michelle Obama's "Becoming"

I am on a good start in trying to finish my 25 books by the end of the year.

That is only two books a month which is not so much of a demand, though it requires me to get the ball rolling on the reading thing. I mean, we are already in month two of the year. But I think I can do it.  

I finally finished reading Becoming by Michelle Obama and must say that it is an excellent book. 448 pages of words that are both engaging and inspiring as she talks about her life, her family, and being a part of the first black family to ever be situated in a presidential role. 

I laughed at times. Sometimes even found myself surprised at her remarks. Her words are edgy, provocative and motivating; especially for woman like me. Perhaps it would be a great book for young school aged girls to read as they journey into their purposes in this world. 

My favorite thought in the book was, “If we belong than so too can many others. I’m an ordinary person who found herself on an extraordinary journey. In sharing my story, I hope to help to create space for other stories and other voices to widen the pathway to who belongs and why” (Michelle Obama).

You can check out the book here if you are interested: "Becoming" by Michelle Obama.

"Becoming" by Michelle Obama

The audio book is even better because it’s read by the author who reads and projects different emotions and nuances with her voice, as the story unfolds. Love, Love, Love it!!! I listened as I drove, cooked in the kitchen or did cleaning around the house. The book never got boring and kept me interested in listening more and more. 

If you are interested in checking it out on Audible, join now and you can get this and 

another book for free for joining. Here is the link: Click Here To Join Audible

If you decide to read or listen to the book, I hope you  enjoy the read as much as I did. For me. it is an excellent book worth engaging in. What are your thoughts on this publication? 

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. 

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate and may earn an fixed advertising fee if you are anyone should click on this link and become an audible member.