Happy New Year.

All the best for 2009! 

We are sure to hear that yearly question - "So, do you have any resolutions this year?" Wow. How nosy to ask a person what his/her personal improvement goals are. I made one resolution years ago to not make any resolutions again. 

Still, there is a 'clean slate' feel to January. I have goals for 2009. I refuse to call them resolutions because I hate how 19th c. that word feels and also, I feel like it sets me up for failure. When I was a kid, I would consistently make resolutions that I thought I ought to, not ones I wanted to. Spectacular plan for failure.

My goals for 2009 are malleable - changeable, so I don't know what I will actually end up with. However this year I'm going to consult with a financial planner and record a CD. You can call them resolutions if you want to. Just don't say it to my face.

MS National Conference

Wow, what a great experience! On Friday Nov. 7, I sang at the National MS Society conference in Chicago. My friend Nancy Jones and her husband Dick drove me to Chicago to help promote Nancy's amazing play, "The 37th Parallel." This play is inspiring, educational, and humorous. 

The fine people at the Southeastern Ohio MS Society paid for my room at the Sheraton. I was overwhelmed with the organization and the powerful energy of the conference. 

I had a makeup artist who happened to have the same name as I (Her name is Jodi Lynn Carey). New experience .... She used an airbrush to apply my makeup! (Never felt so much like a T-Shirt before!) I did the sound check and was amazed to see the huge screens on either side of the stage. Boy, was I grateful for the makeup. 

The song went very well and I was so excited to see what momentum is behind the search for treatments and a cure for MS. I was so honored and blessed to be part of this.

Be Well.

Great book for learning jazz piano voicings

Right now I am working through an intense introductory book for learning piano voicings. It is Phil DeGreg's Jazz Keyboard Harmony: A Practical Voicing Method for All Musicians. It is published by Jamey Aebersold Jazz.  http://www.aebersold.com

So far, I've only been through the preliminary exercises and the first part of Chapter 1. I'm taking it slow because I am determined that this material is going to stick. Phil's explanations are very clear and he knows how to get these things across because of his experience teaching in the classroom. 

It's partially Phil's fault that I'm so dedicated to learning about jazz. Though I've had a certain attraction to jazz as long as I can remember, it was sitting at the Blue Wisp listening to him on Thursday nights that really made me want to be involved in it. 

So, thanks so much, Phil, for your electrifying performances and this great book!

Be Well.

Hey to my friends

If you're reading this, you are one of my friends. Welcome to my blog.

I always have a bunch to talk about, but two main topics will consistently return. I am a classically trained singer mad about jazz and am working daily to "de-classify" and build my book. I sing whenever possible and practice piano every day. I will post recordings whenever I can and will describe artists I am studying.

Secondly, I am battling MS. I was diagnosed in 1998 and started using a cane in 2006. I am moving rather well and live in an apartment on the third floor with no elevator. Am I insane? Well, maybe a little. Mostly I'm just stubborn. I'm working out and doing some physical therapy and may try new meds I will talk about. 

Thank you so much for joining me and I hope you return soon.

Be Well.