Cover of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World"

Ken Burns said, “Louis Armstrong is quite simply the most important person in American music. He is to 20th century music (I did not say jazz) what Einstein is to physics.” His music has that ability to influence a person’s playing and their mind.

 

He was a native New Yorker who lived in the Corona section of Queens, NY and one of the most significant things about this jazz great to me was that of all the thing is life (the music, the traveling all over the world, his family), what made his world wonderful were the children in the neighborhood running to him and greeting him as Uncle Louis when he came home from touring. After hearing that story at one of the many tours offered at his home, now a museum in Corona, NY, “What A Wonderful World” became one of my favorite tunes.

 

My story is a little different though. I was invited to perform at a Leukemia Foundation Fundraiser hosted by Roxanne Productions and it made me consider a few things.  To have everything and complain is selfish. When I say everything, I mean good health. Once you lose your health, you lose everything. But then to not be in the greatest of help, having to deal with hospital visits and radiation therapy everyday and to make it a cause to benefit others, is going beyond yourself and instead not just drowning in the effects of something but becoming a cause for change. 

 

To see an event like this and to know that people are so beautiful to do things like this, in my opinion, makes the world wonderful. For that reason, I performed and dedicated to this song for the fight and for the cause. What a wonderful world it truly is to still be able to raise up the name of Jesus and bless him the only way a person knows how, in good times and in bad. Thankful, for the opportunity of being part of this awesome event.

 

Please check out the video here:

 

Cover of "Take the A Train"

A cover song is a song that was created by and performed by another artist that is reinterpreted by someone else.

Jazz artists created blueprints of what jazz music is and decades later,  singers and musicians remain entrenched in history when sharing tunes, many of which are known as jazz standards,  with an interpretation of one's own.

There are so many jazz standards that can be added to a repertoire, some of which I am just discovering as I read the book "Jazz Standards" by Ted Gioia which is sort of like an A to Z guide of
standards. Gioia shares the best versions that were ever released and performed of each.

The last few months have been very interesting. I have always loved to sing and always sang with a passion within, but had very little vocal or music training. I guess there is a stubbornness that goes along with a genuine love to sing and liking how the sound is released but without any structure or true knowledge of the theoretical values of music. Then I came across Jazz Mobile and found that musicology is fun.  It is eye opening and really has enriched my life.  So thankful for the opportunity. 

A few things I learned:

- I do not know everything about music
- There is more to singing then singing
- Knowledge is power
- Theory in music is important
- I need to listen more than sing
- Listen a lot to other artists
- Jazz has so much history and I am a part of its culture

In listening more, I have found that there are no limits to versions and interpretations of a song. Not one person sings it the same. And with every version, there is something to love so much that you may even add a bit of it to your way of interpretation.

Such was the case for my performance of "Take the A Train" at the Jazz Mobile Student Recital/Award Ceremony at the end of the three moth jazz workshop I was blessed to participate in. I admit; I find myself listening to on singer more than any other. And in that listening, I lack knowledge on how other singers did it.  Then I nominated myself to sing a song at the recital and the student rehearsal, I took it upon myself to listen to five different versions back-to-back and on repeat mode.  I listened to both instrumental and vocal jazz versions.

Still not a perfect version, but glad I as able to try it and do some improv. Please watch my performance with the students of Jazz Mobile, performed at Wadleigh at our end-of-program recital. How cool that even our recital performance was still somewhat in rehearsal or preparation mode with guidance and direction from our teachers.

 

Thank you for checking out my blog post!

Please Vote for Me in the Sarah Vaughan Internation Singing Competition

I love Jazz music and have been truly inspired by so many jazz artists that have come and graced the world with their wonderful talents. Sarah Vaughan is definitely one of those artists.

Her voice is da bomb. She has such an incredible range and her vocal stylings are fantastic. Some of the riffs that you hear in her songs, you do not hear from any other vocalist's voice. I love the depth of her voice and I like her approach a lot.

Often times, I find myself doing searches on artists or singing opportunities on Google. And surprisingly, I came across the Sarah Vaughan International Singing Competition and so decided to join in. For one, Sarah Vaughan has the biggest playlist of songs on my IPOD. I could listen to her voice and sing along with her all day and never get tired. Her songs and the way she sings them always makes me feel like getting on my feet and singing; wherever I am.

So when I went to the Indaba Music site and saw that this competition was live and on-going, I decided that it would only be right to honor such a wonderful singer as the Divine One.

The contest directs each singer to upload three selections that Sarah Vaughan sang by either downloading the track made available to competitors or some other suggested songs featured on a PDF file to choose from.

 

 

 

I'd like to invite you today to listen to y submissions and please if you listen and you liked what you heard, vote.  The only way for me to advance to the next round is by the votes of anyone willing to vote for me. I hope you will! Here are the links:

 

What Is This Thing Called Love https://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/sarah-vaughan-international-jazz-vocal-competition-2014/submissions/7dfe51ca-257f-11e4-a0d0-22000b300299

 

Tenderly https://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/sarah-vaughan-international-jazz-vocal-competition-2014/submissions/9f9ae646-257e-11e4-ad7b-22000b238357

 

I Can't Give You Anything But Love https://www.indabamusic.com/opportunities/sarah-vaughan-international-jazz-vocal-competition-2014/submissions/371c2f62-257e-11e4-816c-22000b2808b7

 

Thank you in advance for voting!

 

 

Happy Birthday Sarah Vaughan!!!

That singer and musician with the incredible range who inspired the world with her amazing voice and 4-octave range, was also known as the incredible Sarah Vaughan.

90 years ago today, March 27th, the divine one was born and throughout her life, used her beautiful talent to croon songs that we all have grown to love and that still play on many of the world's jazz radio stations today. I think the songs I appreciate the most or at least the jazz vocal works I heed the most are pieces from Sarah Vaughan's huge collection of music.   That is actually how I came to know that it was the birthday of one my favorite singers in the world.

Every Wednesday night is jazz night at the Proper Cafe located at 217-01 Linden Blvd in Cambria Heights, NY and like most nights, I am blessed with opportunity to vocalize a few jazz tunes that have touched my heart; often a tune that Sarah Vaughan did a rendition of. Last night was no different. I heard The Divine one's version of "Black Coffee" and instantly fell in love with it and wanted to cover it. And I did!

Jazz night usually ends around midnight and that's when I have to drive back to Brookkyn, NY. While driving, music keeps me energized to find my way back home safely. Who would have thought I would have heard her best rendition of "I Cried For You" spinning on WBGO and also find out that today would've been Sarah Vaughan's 90th birthday?  Blessed to know and thankful to be able to celebrate her life and her legacy, even in this minimal way.

Her gift was amazing and I am so very inspired by her ability. How many singers you know that can hit the types of notes that she was hitting back in the forties?  So classy and great stage personality! Her voice was definitely an instrument and she used it well. And her scatting; incredible.  Thankful to know of such an awesome singer and to be able to listen to her recordings and to even attempt to do some of the things she was doing vocally.  

For instance; I went down to Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village, NY for a jazz vocal workshop with Marion Cowings and was so inspired by her rendition of "Just One of a Those Things," that I tried to sing it. Check out the live footage of it here: http://youtu.be/zt1t0Z51_uc

Blessed by her legacy. I think I will be going on a Sarah Vaughan musical escapade, listening to her instrument, the whole day long. 

Happy 90th birthday way up there in heaven! RIP Sarah Vaughan and thank you!!!