Cats vs. Chicks

From 1954. Kind of silly, but fun. The cover alone is an amazing artifact.

Research for the introduction to Women In Jazz

Shoulders are tense, back hurts, eyes are glazed over...I am maybe two-thirds of the way through completing the first draft of what will be the introduction to my book Women In Jazz. It's actually going really well, much quicker than I had anticipated, probably because I have over two years of interviews to draw upon as a resource for the introduction. (I'm also revisiting a lot of great books, many of which will end up in the "Notes" and/or a bibliography for the book.)

Anyway, back to writing...

(Oh, before I forget. Please consider giving the Women In Jazz Facebook page a "like." It's actually a great way to support the project, and enjoy some relevant and fun content I post related to the book.)

September update

I am now focused on writing what may be a 20-30 page introduction to Women In Jazz. A few more interviews are scheduled for the book, I'm up to 31 at the moment and plan to stop somewhere between 33 and 35, and I am behind on transcribing a handful of interviews I've already conducted. However, I believe that focusing my energy on completing an introduction to the book is crucial at this stage of the project since once it is completed, the introduction will help put forth an argument to potential publishers for the book's very existence.

Writing the introduction is also allowing me the opportunity to discover and illuminate themes that have recurred over the course of conducting these interviews. I wouldn't have those themes without first having done over two years of research and interviews. Now that may sound backwards, but I didn't go into this project with any agenda other than to speak to musicians who happened to be women about, well, music. And yet strangely, especially given the diversity in age, musical style, and ethnic background among the 30 plus interviewees, some strong, recurring themes have emerged. I'll write more about all of this at a later date.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of interviewing electronic artist and percussionist Val Jeanty for the book. As a composer and musician who uses the laptop and recording studio as my main instruments, I felt it was very important to include an electronic artist among the book's interviewees. Born and raised in Haiti, Jeanty has collaborated and performed onstage with some incredible state-side jazz musicians, including Geri Allen, Craig Taborn, Steve Coleman, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Her own music is multi-layered, very painterly and very poetic, and often references Vodou as well as jazz music's ethnological roots. You can check out her work on Soundcloud as well as on her own website.

Firey String Company presents Song Book 1: The Blues Series

I had a great time interviewing cellist and composer NiokaWorkman for my "Women In Jazz" book project. Nioka's Firey String Sistas! has just released a CD/book set titled "Firey Strings Company Song Book 1: The Blues Series!" The set features jazz, blues, and new songs that can be enjoyed by the entire family.

The cover art is painted by award winning children’s illustrator Brian Pinkey. The music was recorded on June 2013 at Peter Karl Studios. Engineer: Peter Karl. Producers: Nioka Workman and Melissa Slocum.

Firey String Sistas!

Megan Atchley-violin

Maryam Blacksher-viola

Nioka Workman-cello

Melissa Slocum-bass

FSCO Song Book 1: The Blues Series now available at www.fireystringscompany.com

Awareness (He Has a Name)

Music by Brandee Younger. Poetry by Joshua Bennett. For Trayvon Martin.

Diane Schuur

Now listening. Working hard to come up with questions for singer and pianist Diane Schuur, a musician was gigging before she was a teenager, that she hasn't been asked a thousand times before. Here's a musician who definitely had to battle her demons and came through the fire stronger than ever. She most definitely wears her heart on her sleeve both when she's singing and in the interviews I've watched online. I'm very honored to be interviewing her for the Women In Jazz book project.

This 1987 album Diane did with the Count Basie Orchestra (pictured below) is excellent, by the way. Beautifully arranged, played, and of course sung and beautifully recorded. The energy level is so high, and that energy isn't easy to capture on a recording. It remained 33 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard jazz charts and won a Grammy.

Mazz Swift

Violinist and singer Mazz Swift

Summer approaches, and interviews for my Women In Jazz book project continue. Next up, violinist and singer Mazz Swift, who I first heard awhile back on a recording by the New York-based, internationally renowned collective Burnt Sugar. Swift reappeared on my radar playing strings for my friend singer songwriter Mark Lesseraux on his beautiful cover of the Brian Eno classic "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More." Swift's current musical projects alternately embrace Irish and Celtic influences, Hungarian folk music, the music of 1920s and 1930s American string bands, collective electric jazz funk, and free improvisation. Swift is a native New Yorker, graduate of the High School of the Performing Arts, and attended The Juilliard School of Music. I'm really looking forward to our conversation. There's a lot to talk about!

Many of the up and coming musicians I've interviewed for this project, Nicole Rampersaud, Jean Cook, and Samantha Boshnack, are transcending and inventing their own musical genres. Jazz in the 21st century is embracing an unprecedented number of cultural and historical influences, and the music of Rampersaud, Cook, Boshnack, and most definitely Mazz Swift reflects this.

What exactly is jazz? Considering the definition of that often contentious word is one of the recurring themes in these interviews...