Musical Journey
This Martha Focker right here! Kurt Elling. Good Gawd. Pulling up this video brought back so many memories of learning vocal jazz. This cracker scatts like a mad man. Back in 2003, when I decided to really find my voice--a journey I am still on--my vocal coach would give me homework, which required me to listen to a jazz CD and report on it. This is when I came across Kurt Elling. What I loved about this cat was that he had the vocal freedom that I was used to since my background was in gospel and R&B. This guy reminds me of my journey as a singer.
I've been writing lyrics and poetry since the 8th grade and on through high school. My musical experience was pretty much just a dream. I never invested or thought to take voice lessons. The only chorus I took was being a part of the church choir. I wasn't a part of a chorus until my first year in college when I took a class in vocal jazz. I soon went on to take voice lessons with the illustrious Jamie Shew.
She helped give me my foundation. Every Monday we met for half an hour and each lesson I felt like I shouldn't even be singing. I can say that I never thought singing would be so difficult. I remember thinking everyone in my class was so much more well trained and advanced than I, which was true but I found my own and grew into a better vocalist. A pivotal moment came during a group voice lesson, where each student had to showcase a song we were working on. Here I am, with only a few months of experience performing with 10 other students that know their craft and I had to sing in front of them. I just remember praying because I was shaking in my boots. It was crazy because the only song that I could really remember was one of the hardest songs in my repertoire--In My Solitude by Duke Ellington.
It was my turn. I remember starting off really shaky and then something just took over me and I performed the hell out of that song to the point that a single tears was in my eye at the end of it all. I think that moment helped to build a foundation for performing. By all means I still had a long way to go.
Kurt Elling, Jamie Shew, and Solitude by Duke Ellington were all a part of my start.
I've been writing lyrics and poetry since the 8th grade and on through high school. My musical experience was pretty much just a dream. I never invested or thought to take voice lessons. The only chorus I took was being a part of the church choir. I wasn't a part of a chorus until my first year in college when I took a class in vocal jazz. I soon went on to take voice lessons with the illustrious Jamie Shew.
She helped give me my foundation. Every Monday we met for half an hour and each lesson I felt like I shouldn't even be singing. I can say that I never thought singing would be so difficult. I remember thinking everyone in my class was so much more well trained and advanced than I, which was true but I found my own and grew into a better vocalist. A pivotal moment came during a group voice lesson, where each student had to showcase a song we were working on. Here I am, with only a few months of experience performing with 10 other students that know their craft and I had to sing in front of them. I just remember praying because I was shaking in my boots. It was crazy because the only song that I could really remember was one of the hardest songs in my repertoire--In My Solitude by Duke Ellington.
It was my turn. I remember starting off really shaky and then something just took over me and I performed the hell out of that song to the point that a single tears was in my eye at the end of it all. I think that moment helped to build a foundation for performing. By all means I still had a long way to go.
Kurt Elling, Jamie Shew, and Solitude by Duke Ellington were all a part of my start.
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