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