...and yes, even more interviews!

Thanks for visiting the Women In Jazz book project blog. If you haven't already, please check out the Facebook page I've created for this project and give it a "like." It's a fun page, with content related to the book project and the subject of women in jazz. It just topped 100 likes, so that's something, right?

Since my last post here I've interviewed more incredible musicians for the book, including flautist Jan Leder, and cellist Nioka Workman (see below).

THREE MORE interviews for the book are being scheduled, and I'll tell you WHO I'm interviewing next time. So stay tuned. And again, thank you for your support!

More interviews scheduled...

Good morning. I have no less than four interviews, no make that five, coming up this month an in October for the Women In Jazz book project.

Thanks everyone for your support. Check out the Women In Jazz book project Facebook page if you haven't already and give it a "like." I try to update it once or twice a week with relevant content and links related to the book and its subject.

The next person I'll be interviewing for the book is vocalist, composer, arranger, and visual artist Carmen Lundy. She's a wonderful singer. The video below gives you a look at her latest recording Changes which you can check out and buy from her website.

Time to do some listening...

Women in Jazz on Facebook, More interviews...

Right Photo of Terri Lyne Carrington by Tracy Love)

Well, a lot has happened very quickly since the promotional video for the Women In Jazz book project was completed.

First, please check out and give a proverbial "like" to the Women In Jazz Facebook page. This page has proved to be a great way to connect to music fans and even musicians I'll be interviewing for the book. The much maligned "timeline" format is actually a nice, visually pleasing way to share photos, videos, and other content related to the project.

In August, I interviewed drummer and composer Terri Lyne Carrington and the great Brazilian pianist and singer Eliane Elias for the book. Both interviews were fascinating. I was also lucky enough to be able to speak with saxophonist Jessy J and flutist Cheryl Pyle for the book. Next up, I'll be interviewing cellist Nioka Workman. More interviews are in the works, so stay tuned.

(Pianist Eliane Elias)

The Girls in the Band, a new documentary about the history of women in jazz music directed by Judy Chaikin, is out and currently touring film festivals across the U.S. The trailer looks great, and an article about the film appears in the September issue of JazzTimes magazine. If this film comes to your city, you don't want to miss it.

The film is not connected to by book project, by the way :) It is yet another welcome look at the history of jazz music from a fresh perspective.

Thanks everyone for the continued support.

Women In Jazz book project promo video

The Women In Jazz Book Promotional Video is done. Thanks to Jonathan Jindra who created it for me and to everyone who contributed to funding it via Indiegogo.

The video is a collage of excerpts from interviews I've already conducted for the book. The voices you hear come from Jane Ira Bloom, Sofia Rei, and Mindi Abair. The music comes courtesy of Pamela York, Brandee Younger, and Jane Ira Bloom. Thank you to cellist and composer Lenae Harris who is also quoted in the video.

More news is coming. Please enjoy this short, dynamic look at the book project, and feel free to share it widely.

The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm

Videographer Jonathan Jindra and I have been working on the first draft of what will be a promotional video for my Women In Jazz book project. The video will be around a minute and a half, and feature excerpts of music by some of the interviewees, including Brandee Younger, Pamela York, and Jane Ira Bloom. I'll post the video once it's ready to share with the world.

I am reading a fascinating essay by pianist Marian McPartland about the all-woman, sixteen piece band The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm, who formed in 1938 and were quite popular throughout the war years. The essay is from McPartland's book All In Good Time. Thought I'd share the video above of the Sweethearts which features some great ensemble playing and solos.

More updates to come. Thank you everyone for supporting this project.

WIJ update, video, new interviews...

(Photo of Brandee Younger by Kyle Pompey)

Thank you again to everyone who supported my recent campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds to create a video to promote my Women In Jazz book project. Videographer Jonathan Jindra and I have started to plan out the video shoot. The final product will be stunning. I'll keep everyone updated.

A couple more campaign "perks" are going in the mail to donors next week.

I recently wrote two articles for Consumer Media Network about artists and crowdfunding. The first article profiles three artists, Houston string quartet Two Star Symphony, filmmaker Jesse Salmeron, and children's book author Mpho Otukile, who each used a different crowdfunding platform to raise money for their respective projects. The second article recaps my own experience with Indiegogo and my Women In Jazz book promotional video campaign.

Both articles may be helpful reading if you are considering crowdfunding to raise money for a creative project.

Recent interviewees for the Women In Jazz book include harpist Brandee Younger, who recently released a powerful track titled "He Has a Name," and cellist and composer extraordinaire Lenae Harris, whose music encompasses jazz fusion, classical, electronica, and hip-hop. Both interviews were very illuminating. Some themes are recurring in these conversations for the book, but there are also fascinatingly different perspectives on music, jazz, and life as an artist.

Next week, I'll be reaching out to more musicians to see if they'd like to be interviewed for the book. Thank you to those who have suggested musicians for me to contact, I really appreciate that. And feel free to be in touch with additional suggestions. beckermusic at yahoo dot com is my email.

More news to come. Thank you again for your support.

Short update, quick thank you!

I will be writing more on this blog later this weekend. But quickly, I'd like to thank everyone who helped with the recent Indiegogo campaign. I managed to raise $828 and received a post-campaign donation toward the project as well. Thank yous and perks will be mailed out next week. Stay tuned, as there will be more news, interview and music excerpts on this blog as we move into Spring and the project continues to unfold.

The video will be shot in June. Hoping to have it up then in July. It will also be a tool for contacting more potential interviewees about the project.

Thank you again. More soon!

Chris Becker