About
WHY Jaye?
Since producing the show based on this LP concept; "Bird Amongst the Blossom", I knew I would record THE FIRST BLOSSOM DEARIE SONGBOOK. Following Blossom’s life to research her music & story and to learn as much as I could & can about her, made me want to bring her songbook to life in the tradition of the singers that recorded their own songbook. Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald.
WHAT?
I am going to record The First Blossom Dearie Songbook to continue to spread the Blossom Love. Next on my journey, I needed to find a place where she recorded... Blossom recorded all of her songs here & there along the way and I wanted to connect to her by finding a place where she actually recorded. What about all of those little places she recorded Daffodil? They are gone with the wind as are many of her people. I also knew I wanted to record vinyl from the get go. Vinyl=vintage and this is the real deal, vintage jazz. An LP is a must have! Then I got to thinking about her LP’s, not the CD’s or School House Rock but the LP’s, and I hopped online.
WHY CAPITOL?
I wondered what was going on at CAPITOL and bingo! I have an LA based Producer in Steve Rawlins. He knows Paula, the studio manager, and Steve, the engineer at Capitol, and we are aiming to book in 4 sessions as soon as we capitalize.
I am going to use a hybrid of my East and West coast trio's tbd including longtime collaborator, Nick Fryman, on piano, as my Music Director and Leon Dorsey on bass. Some of you have watched this show develop over the years and some may have just come on board as I prepare to record.
WHAT ARE YOU INVESTING IN AS A BACKER? This LP is a modern day soundtrack for a film. Music Supervisors of Hollywood and Indie Film, take note.
Scott Joplin in The Sting=The First Blossom Dearie Songbook in YOUR NEXT FILM.
This music and my band will be appearing in venues and festivals across the country and across the world. For example:
The Adelaide Jazz Festival, The Edinburgh International Festival, Pizza Express-London, Scullers-Boston, The Green Mill-Chicago, Catalina's-Hollywood, The Carlyle and Birdland-New York.
And of course online at I-Tunes, CD Baby, Pandora, and more...
WHY BLOSSOM?
I had the great good fortune of meeting Blossom after seeing her perform at the Great American Music Hall of San Francisco. I was knocked out seeing her perform and loving her material, I went backstage to meet her and have her sign some CD's. I asked her then if she had a songbook, and she looked up at me and said: "Yes but its out of print" Even back then in 1994 she planted the seed to blossom for this bird.
And still you may wonder why?
Well, my voice is nothing like hers, I am not an imitator, and she was inimitable. Her smart, sassy, sexy music lends itself to my similar essences as a performer and singing story teller. My late voice teacher, Shirley Calloway, taught me about the importance of lyrics and phrasing when telling the story musically. I tell my story through her story in the music & songs she wrote with great collaborators as you have seen on the promo. They are the tartan fabric of Blossom's Celtic life as are YOU the tartan of my life, thread by thread, color by color, collaborating & contributing, working & weaving together to make a dream come true for this JayeBIRD amongst the music of Blossom Dearie.
I love you for being who you are in this world and for being engaged enough with this wonderful life to appreciate the music & panache of Blossom Dearie. I hope to continue to tell her story & stories and to share this as I weave into whatever the future may hold. You are my family, you are my friends, and you are the stranger I make eye contact with in a crowded city, subway or airport. You are a listener to the stories I tell as I sing.
Thank you for your Blossom Love.
Risks and challenges
Some of these rewards are electronic some require processing: i.e. Vinyl and CD, mixing etc. and some very little, so reward groups will be staggered in terms of fulfillment. Please be patient and flexible when scheduling performances, tastings, etc. I promise they will be done. I am compulsive that way; in fact if you have a t-shirt coming from my first Kickstarter, it is definitely coming your way!
It takes a village.
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Funding period
- (48 days)