Simone

Greetings World!!  Hope this finds everyone well.  I sit at my computer having been awakened by my neighbor’s TV blasting at 7:30 am…..some people don’t seem to be able to hear very well, it seems.  They were nice enough to turn it down when I knocked on their door and now I’m writing you – 2 months late! 

Where has the time gone? And, what have I been doing?

Let’s see……I opened up the Jacksonville Jazz Festival with my the new band lineup on May 22nd.  These 4 gentlemen are fantastic musicians and great human beings. I will have their bios posted on my website soon enough so all of you can get to know them. Jacksonville was our first gigand we came out swinging.  It feels so good to share the stage with fellow musicians who can play anything.  Par example, BLACK IS THE COLOR now begins a la “Come Together” by the Beatles and shapeshifts at least 3 more times before it ends. And DYSFUNCTION, is now the get down funky acid jazz song it was always intended to be. 

I want to take a moment to thank all the other musicians I’ve had the pleasure of working withthis past year and change.  You are master musicians and I am thankful to each and every one of you for playing an important part in helping me to get where I am today.

We opened up for one of my idols, Stanley Clark – meeting him was a treat. I listened to his music a lot when I was active duty. His trio was outstanding, doing some real innovative stuff and never sacrificing the groove.

The skies were grey the entire time we were in Jacksonville; apparently, hurricane season decided to attend the festival as well.  Luckily for me I didn’t get rained out despite moments of showers during our set. 

My daughter turned 10 years old on Memorial Day,which found us here in Miami enjoying some sun in between storm clouds. My eldest son was visiting from Ghana so it was quite the family day.  Seems like yesterday my little one was a little girl……they grow so fast.  I dread the teen years that are not too far off and pray fervently our relationship will not be tested too much.

THEN!!! June 1st, my producers arrived from Amsterdam accompanied by another amazing artist they’ve been working with: BROWNHILL – ya’ll just wait, his stuff will be out soon and I’m sure you will agree he’s got something special.   My production team’s company is known as SOULPLANET and they are Michael Wouters and Roni Morgan.  Their musical ingenuity ranges from Classical to Funk and everything in between.  They actually produced BLACK IS THE COLOR on SoS and that’s Michael playing the piano, recreating my mother’s approach.  When they walk into a room I joke that Bach and Sly Stone have arrived.  

We spent 10 days at Soundmine Recording Studio in the Pocono Mountains and got quite a lot accomplished. The gentleman who signed me to E1 entertainment formerly known as Koch joined us early on to listen to the direction of the new music.  He stayed awhile, listened to everything we played and commented on the elements he felt we should use or not; it was a good meeting and ended with me receiving the hi-sign to proceed.  That was a good feeling. The musicians began filing in and the studio was buzzing with activity and laughter as we created the music you will hear on my new project due out sometime mid 2010.  

Funny, when I compare the time and effort that went into recording SoS and this CD they are two distinctly different animals.  SoStook 5 days.  It is also a cover album complete with songs that have been tried and enjoyed for years.  This one is a project in progress and already almost 4 weeks have been spent toward its completion with at least 4 more anticipated to comfortably get it done.  It’s one thing to work towards your dreams and quite another to live them I am finding out, having never recorded a project of original material.  I’ve done demos, and have many cassettes of those demos but THIS is the real deal and I continue to learn as I go – with a huge grin on my face!!!

My daughter has been present for all of the sessions, lending her beautiful voice to the backgrounds along with Brownhill, and giving her opinions when she’s not watching TV or on the computer.  She was 9 when we began recording in February, the same age as me when I made my studio debut doing polyrythms on Mom’s album EMERGENCY WARD. It’s amazing, for lack of a better word, to see so many parallels in my life that remind me so much of my mother.  Sometimes it’s scary, too! 

We finished recording after 10 days, on June 13th and everyone went their separate ways.  I flew down here to recharge and get some much deserved alone time, my son flew back to Ghana, the musicians went home and SOULPANET went into NYC for meetings and to enjoy what only NYC can offer before returning to Amsterdam.  Was it all a dream?  Nope!! Cuz when I listen to my new music, in its unmixed form, I enjoy it immensely and cannot wait for the world to enjoy it too!

I am now back in Miami with my favorite girl and the day after we arrived, which would be Saturday, June 14th, we were on the beach by 10:30am…yessiree!!  I am not half stepping.  We spent all day on the beach enjoying the sun and the surf; thank God for sunblock! A great way to begin our mother/daughter time prior to my departure for the SING THE TRUTH tour which will be well underway soon enough.  

Well, that’s all for now.  I have tried to keep up with TWEETing but I forget a lot, so pls continue to bear with me.  I want you to know that I went to France in April, arriving on the 6thanniversary of my mother’s death.  My husband accompanied me, God bless him, and the experience was many things……I will share that on my next blog because that time deserves to stand on it’s own.  Suffice to say, the Black Hole I was so afraid to enter is no more and I am really happy I had the courage to go.

IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT NEW BEGINNINGS, WE HAVE TO BRING ABOUT ENDINGS.  IN ORDER TO RENEW OURSELVES WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT COMPROMISE OUR WHOLENESS – Susan Taylor, ‘In The Spirit’

Stay well,

Simone