Hello!  I thought I’d use this as a the first of a few posts dedicated to sharing with you some of the other things that I do, besides my performances, to creatively inspire me and keep me on the never-ending plan of learning.    I’m fairly certain I will always feel that I am a student in one way or another; there is always something more to learn; always a new area in which to grow. 

One of the many and arguably most important things I do is, no surprise here, take voice lessons.  I see two wonderful teachers, Peter Eldridge and Jay Clayton.   When I decided to give Jazz a try, Peter was the first jazz-focused voice teacher I studied with, and needless to say I lucked out!  Not only is he a tremendous musician (He has a wonderful discography of his original music, www.petereldrige.com, as well as being a member of the Grammy-award winning group The New York Voices), he is also a magnificent person, and I couldn’t be luckier to call him a friend!   Peter and I work on mainly lyric interpretation and vocal delivery, and he’s really helped me break away from approaching jazz like I did classical pieces. 

Jay Clayton (www.jayclayton.com) is also a very well established jazz artist, dedicated to exploring and pushing the limits of what the voice can express.  She uses more avant-garde methods of improvisation and song development, delving into free-form scatting and choreographed vocal pieces, and also works with spoken word.  Through my work with her I’ve become much more comfortable with soloing (scatting, blowing, whatever you want to call it!) during a song, and using it successfully as a means of expression to communicate any deeper feelings than where the lyrical content of a song lives.

One very important way I have decided to push myself is to study piano.  I began taking piano lessons awhile ago, with the intention of one day accompanying myself on stage, and also writing my own original material.  I’ve been a lyric writer for quite some time now, since I was a child, actually, but have been missing the mastery of an instrument to allow me to write the musical accompaniment along with my lyrics.  My journey with piano has certainly been one of the more frustrating ones, I must say!  It’s extremely challenging for me, not only to make my fingers actually do what I want them to do, but also to find the time in the day to really dedicate to practicing.  Cause let’s face it, if you don’t practice, you’re just not going to get any better, and that’s just the way it is!!  I have recently renewed taking weekly lessons with a great jazz saxophonist and pianist named Bryan Beninghove (www.bryanbeninghove.com), and I’m glad for the weekly push to spend some quality time with my piano! 

If you see me out and about or at a gig, ask me how my piano is going, keep me honest! 

I’ve had a few requests for more details about my videos and everything that went into putting them together, so filling you all in on that will kick off Part 2 in this “Catch Up” installment… 

Over this past summer I was hired to sing at an engagement party in Gwynedd Valley, PA.  The engagement party itself was a wonderful event; held outdoors, poolside and under the stars!   It was an intimate party, and the performance combination of just my voice and a piano (again accompanied by the illustrious Michael Cabe) was very well received.  The party was thrown at the childhood home of a friend, and once I got to the location, I knew it was exactly the space I had been searching for for my video shoot locations!  Gorgeous, gorgeous home, beautiful outside greenery, I mean really, just stunning.   It certainly makes me question the wisdom of living in a big city!

Once I had decided that I wanted videos to be an element in my newly-revamped marketing materials, I was put in touch with the fantastic Ryan Stober, (www.tosproductions.com), a great director/editor.  From there we were off and running!  I’ll spare all the nitty, gritty details, and cut to the actual shoot day.  After all the work, coordination, phone calls, meetings, and emails to put this day together, I knew it was going to be much more than a guy with a camcorder filming me…  But when we started shooting, I had to stop and take a second before we began to survey the situation I had created for myself;  Here I was, about to lip sync to “The Touch of Your Lips,” with two huge cameras in front of me, one on a dolly that was pushed by a crew member back and forth in front of me, mass amounts of lighting equipment and more than a few crew members milling about, a guy 30 yards away holding a mirror in the sun to reflect sunlight onto me…  I mean really.  It was surreal, and wonderful, and thinking back on it now I can’t help but smile and glow a little.   :)

It was an extremely long day, and I took advantage of the gorgeous surroundings to bring in my wonderful photographer Colleen Chzranowski (www.offthehanger.cc) to take some pictures while the band and I had some downtime.  I have to give my guys some credit here; they were troopers throughout the day, even with our seemingly crazy requests for “action” shots.  Any pictures of me in red or white were taken on this day, and we got some really great shots that help flesh out the website and my press kits.

Believe it or not, after a 14 hour day, we only got through the shoots for two of the three songs we had hoped to accomplish.  I had already reserved studio space in New York for a second day of shooting, assuming it would be needed, and it certainly was!  The original plan was to create videos for 5 songs, but since the first day went longer than planned, “L-O-V-E” got scrapped.  Maybe next time around!  “I Like You You’re Nice” and “How Insensitive” were filmed in Montana Studios in New York City and as with everything delays happen, traffic persists, freight elevators are broken, but it was just as magical for me as day one was, and I loved the final products.  Then again, it’s hard to not feel fabulous when you’re in professional hair and makeup, gorgeous gowns, and bathed in professional lighting!

So that essentially sums up the two crazy shoot days for my videos.  I had the finished videos a few weeks later, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out, or more proud!  Be sure to check them out here on the site, and let me know what you think! 

Ok, so that fact that is has taken me THIS LONG to update my blog is a testament to how busy I have been…   Let me give you the update on everything that’s happened since the site has launched!

Singing the National Anthem at Giants Stadium

This was my third year singing the National Anthem for Big Brothers Big Sisters annual Gridiron Games event.  This wonderful day, held in Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in November each year, begins in the morning with the “Littles”, the children in the program and their “Bigs” or mentors, experiencing the coveted opportunity to play football on the stadium field, meet NFL players, tour the locker rooms, and eat lunch with an amazing view of the field from the stadium press box.  In the afternoon, teams of top NYC law firms compete for a trophy in a friendly touch football tournament.  I’ve sung to kick off both the morning and afternoon events, and each time has been a rewarding and fun experience.  Not to mention totally awesome!  Did I mention that I got to sing the National Anthem on the field at Giants Stadium?  Yea.  Awesome.

Singing at The Players Club!

This past December I sang with The Michael Cabe Trio (www.michaelcabemusic.com) at The Players Club, which was an amazing experience.  The Players was the first American “Gentleman’s Club”, founded in 1888 (!!) to promote “social intercourse between members of the dramatic profession and the kindred professions of literature, painting, architecture, sculpture and music, law and medicine, and the patrons of the arts…”  (www.theplayersnyc.org)  The Players Club can boast many celebrities among their list of members; Ernest Hemingway, Al Pacino, Cole Porter, Sidney Poitier, John Steinbeck, and Morgan Freeman, just to name a few!  Needless to say, it was an amazing honor to even BE there, let alone sing!  The stage was gorgeous, I had a wonderful time, and they loved us so much we’ve been asked back for the spring!  As soon as I have a date, I’ll of course post it immediately. 

Smalls!

This past fall I also performed at Small’s Jazz Club, in Manhattan’s West Village.   Smalls is a great jazz venue, a real throwback to underground jazz clubs seeped in tradition.  Many current jazz greats cut their teeth there; Brad Mehldau, Josh Redman, Roy Hargrove, and Norah Jones, among many others.  My many thanks to everyone that came, I had a great turnout, and it was fantastic to get a real “night” of two sets.  It’s a wonderful feeling to really live in a performance space for an evening! 

At risk of being overly loquacious, I’ll end for here this post, but I have much, much more to tell you!  Keep checking this space for more updates in the next few days.  Happy almost Spring!

-Jessica

This new website is a wonderful forum to share with you all the many projects I’ve undertaken in recent months.  It all started with a simple idea; to brand myself and trademark “The Muse of Music”!  After taking a long hard look at my music, what I connected with and thereby communicated to my audience,  I realized that songs that expounded upon love, in all its forms and experiences, was where my true connection to the music was.  This new website and all its components (the images, design, videos) are all designed to be a tangible, visual representation of that idea, and I’m thrilled with the result!

There are some great new features on this website that I’d love to draw your attention to… First, I have a wonderful new marketing video that is featured on the “Events and Weddings” page.  The video was quite a production, and I’m so excited about the final product.  In addition to being featured here on the site, it’s also the main component in my newly designed press kit, which can be yours if you just ask! Take a look and tell me what you think, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

In addition to a newly updated, user-friendly calendar, another exciting component (which you’ve obviously already found) is my new blog.  I’ll use this blog as the forum for sharing with you all the exciting events that I’m a part of, experiences from my journey, and whatever inspires me at any given moment.  Keep checking in, and I’ll update it as often as I can!

Thank you for being a part of this journey with me; I look forward to sharing all the wonder of what is to come with you! .