Acting, Driving, Visiting and Playing

It’s been a loooong day! This morning I drove to Sacramento to do an audition for a commercial. I decided years ago to join a casting agency, because, well, you just never know if you have the exact look a client is seeking. I’m not a trained actor, and don’t have any visions of myself performing Shaekspeare any time soon, but I’ve done a little bit of acting (commercials, extra work on movies, etc.), and leave that option available to myself to pursue, should an exciting opportunity fall into my lap – as so many things in my life do! I was paired with another actor, who played my “husband”, and we practiced our lines for about 30 minutes. I think I did a good job, and the cameraman seemed pleased with my performance. I hope I get the job!

After the audition, I went to visit my Grandmother and uncle. My Grandmother has survived a series of strokes and is determined to regain her health. I’m so proud of her for her valiant fight to maintain her independence and of my uncle for being there to support her. I don’t visit her nearly enough…

I returned to the Bay Area, stopped by my aunt’s house since my sister was in town visiting her with my niece and nephew. My nephew is getting to be such a big boy! He’s only 8, but outweighs me by nearly 30 pounds, and will surely be taller than me by next year. He’s such a natural for football, and is just now starting to enjoy the sport. My niece is (of course, the girly girl like her auntie) a cheerleader for his team. They’re both so cute!

Finally, I got home, and felt sufficient fatigue beginning to settle upon me (and a significant case of indigestion), that I took a miniscule 10 minute nap before getting dressed and heading to my gig. And what a fun gig! Despite not feeling well (and being overwhelmed with the heat from a nearly 100° day), I performed with my friend Kevin (on bass), who’d invited me to participate on the gig. I was thrilled to find a HUGE group of friends and family attended the show: William, Carla, Amy (who played and sang a tune – she’s awesome!), Tony, Ken, Bruce (who sang a couple of tunes with me and rocked the house!), Ron, Linda, Polly, Teri (who took some lovely photos of me at the gig!) and most surprisingly, my Grandfather! My Grandfather had not attended one of my performances in many years, and I was very happy to see him there. Thank you to everyone for coming, and I look forward to performing at E-22 Café!

LA and Good night!

I had a fantastic time in LA! I got to hear my friends perform, and sat in on 2 jam sessions, and performed the gig with Kaylah. Everything went really well, and I drove home inspired! I'm ramping down my *busy work* factor and will be making some big changes in my life so I can devote more time to mastering the piano, singing and writing, specifically with the goal of completing MY project!

Me and Randy (genius)

Here's a little good night video:

LA in August

Yesterday was fun! I arrived in LA late Saturday night, and went straight to bed. I got up late on Sunday morning (9:30am), went for a walk and then met my fabulous friend Lexie at church, and then enjoyed a delicious brunch that her mom made. Later, I visited my brilliant friend John and was inspired by his musical knowledge, accomplishment, and lovely company. We watched videos of amazing performers such as Errol Garner, Les McCann and Ralph Moore, and the music of a genius young musician named Rick James. This guy plays bass, piano, sax, drums, and who knows what else, with incredible mastery, and the recordings were made when he was still a teen. I was astonished at the musical beauty and maturity of his playing. Apparently, he's not sharing his music with the world in this moment, and I railed for a while about how the world needs beautiful talent like his, and how could he keep it to himself, blah, blah, blah. After a while, I realized that I (admitted with head bowed in shame) have a terrible habit of procrastinating in my own musical growth, and creativity. Why, I ask you, why have I not completed my project yet? Why do I let days go by without practicing in the way that I KNOW will lead to my goal of complete musical freedom? Why do I let the minutiae of daily life distract my from my goal? I may be no musical savant with multi-instrumental prowess, but I have my own gifts to offer...and I DON'T DO IT. 'nuf said. I'm gonna shut up complaining about someone else's lack of motivation and get my own act together... I ended the night hanging out with some of my favorite people after watching some of them play a killer set on their gig. Paris is a young pianist/composer/singer (yes, I'm claiming it for you!) who is simply phenomenal. Kyle is my guitar heart, and Brandon was holding it all together, making everything connect with some lovely bass. I'm so proud of, and impressed by all of them! They were joined by Amber and Anita, both tremendous singers. It was a good start to my LA trip.

Walking at the Marina

I went for a walk with my sister, her kids and the dogs. We started late, but it was a beautiful night!

Victoria Theodore August Performances

"Can't it be August again?
When the trees swayed
With the last breath of summer upon them..."
– Frani Bell

Hello Friends,

August is upon us! We've been enjoying a lovely July "winter" here in the San Francisco Bay Area, with temperatures ranging from the low 50s to mid 70s, but with August comes the start of our summer, and for that, I'm thrilled!

July was a busy month, lots of performances and media interviews. I was even interviewed for an upcoming documentary. More details on that later : >

I still haven't figured out how to include dance classes in my schedule. I adore the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", and every summer that it's on, I get the itch to dance. I'll find a way...

Here are a few upcoming shows, but check my website for the latest information:

AUGUST 2009
Sat, Aug 1
6:30pm - 9:30pm
The Broadway Grill
1400 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 | 650.343.9333 | map

Sat, Aug 8
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Aug 15
12:30pm
Art & Soul Festival
I'll be performing with students from the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Yoshi's Jazz Stage
Jefferson Street at 12th Oakland, CA | map
$10 adults, $5 seniors & youth (13-17), 12 and under free

Wed, Aug 19
8pm
Kaylah Marin & Basic BlaQ at
The Mint
610 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 | 323.954.9400 | map
$10

Sat, Aug 22
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

Growing Garden

For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying the bounty of my newly established garden! Salad is my favorite dish, so having an abundance of various lettuce types growing freely in my planter boxes has been an unencumbered delight! Today my first 3 tomatoes were harvested! They still need another couple of weeks to ripen (they had to be harvested because I’m having a bit of an aphid issue, which I’m dealing with), but otherwise look great! Farmer Victoria? Well, I can clip leaves and eat the bounty! : >

Tracks, gig, tracks...

This evening I had another gig with flautist Kymberly Jackson at Qs Lounge in Jack London Square. This afternoon, I spent some time working on tracks for clients, and the time got away from me. Before I could finish, it was time to leave for my gig. My dear cousin, Jonathan, worked as my roadie for the night (thank GOD!! I didn't have to lug equipment!), and kindly set up all of my gear for me. The gig went well, and I had fun playing with Kymberly, Brian, Mark and Charleston once again. Thanks to my friends who came to the show. I so appreciate your presence, support and seeing your smiling faces: Revonda, Darian, Phil, Dewey, Andre, Sara and Lynette (my fellow keyboardist who's rocking on the new hit MTV reality show "Making His Band". Check her out!!). Rapper Too Short happened to stop by for a while as well. It was a full house!

So, I'm back home from the gig, and DOH! I just remembered that I didn't finish one of my client's tracks. Sigh. Can I please have a 30 hour day, so I can get everything done? I just want to go to sleep, but I can't let my client down...

Back to tracking, then to bed, hopefully before 2am!

Comedy and Music

Tonight I went to La Peña in Berkeley to see The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, produced by Lisa Marie Rollins. I was expecting a stand up comic, but it was more of a one-man show, theatrical presentation, that also happened to be hilarious! W. Kamau tackled the sensitive topic of race in America, but with humor and insight that was fresh, thought provoking and, in the end, encouraging in his suggestion that we can – as a nation – move beyond the nominal precepts of race. W. Kamau touches on everything from President Barack Obama to black hair protocols to a discussion of what’s considered sexy in the USA. If you attend the show with a person of another race from your own, you get a 50% discount. Discount or not, this was a great performance and I highly recommend that you go see the show while it’s in town through August 3rd.

Once I returned home, I got to work on writing music. I declared early today that I will no longer allow days, weeks, years, to pass by without having taking any action towards completing my music project. I've decided that daily writing will at least get me on the path of being continually creative, so that's what I'm doing. Even if only for 5 minutes. I MUST WRITE or COMPOSE SOMETHING!!! Tonight, it's an instrumental piece. I spent about 15 minutes on it. But I did SOMETHING! I'm proud of myself, because, believe me, I'm hungry (for those who don't know, I typically eat dinner quite late), and tired from a full day of administrative tasks, household shopping, errand running, piano and vocal students and then the show I mentioned above. : >

It was a good day!

Garlic, anyone?

Last night, my sister, niece and nephew came to my gig at Marcello’s. The kids behaved wonderfully. Jeremiah was charming and energetic the whole night. I’m always amazed by his energy. He seemed to enjoy my performance, made 2 requests and even sang a song with me! Naomi slept the whole time, until finally at the end of the night, I dedicated a song to her. She drowsily responded to her brother’s prodding and listened, bleary eyed to the song. After which, she fell right back to sleep.

Today I went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival with my niece and nephew and my friend Amy . There was supposed to be a large group of us, however, things happen and it just ended up being us four. I had my mind focused on finally getting a chance to try the world famous garlic ice cream! Alas, between our late start (thanks to the waiting around for everyone to meet at my house, only to have 4 people cancel at the last minute), and the slooooow traffic on 101, we arrived too late to see Top Chef star Fabio Viviani , and missed the very item I went to the festival for: the garlic ice cream! Apparently, they planned poorly (my opinion, of course) and ran out of ice cream by 3pm on the last day. ARGH!! Despite the heat, high prices at the booths ($15 for face painting? Really? REALLY?), rather greasy food, and lack of garlic ice cream, we all managed to have a good time walking the grounds, people watching, observing a food demonstration (which smelled delicious…we didn’t get to taste though), and sipping on frozen, sugary drinks. The kids were energized the whole day, and somehow managed only 2 relatively major spats, neither of which required the earth-shattering, terrifyingly intense, “don’t make me stop this car”, Auntie stare-down from the rear view mirror, but rather a solid snap of the fingers and a terse “quiet” in a confident, if voice. It was a good day!

Radio Interview

Check out my interview!!

Radio Interview featuring Victoria Theodore on Friday 7/24/09 at 10:30am PST

Download the interview here if you missed it:
Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock!

My interview starts at approximately 20 minutes.

SYTYCD took my breath away tonight

I should have been in bed 2 hours ago. But, as usual, I didn't stop working until late, and so, starving, I sat down with my near midnight meal to watch my favorite show, So You Think You Can Dance. The first part of the show wasn't captivating, and I'd finished my dinner in time to turn off the television at the mid point, to return at another time and watch the remainder. But feeling less than motivated to stand quickly, I sat for a few more minutes, which spiraled into the entire show. Tonight, a new choreographer made her debut on the show. Laurie Ann Gibson created a piece featuring Brandon and Jeanine. It was powerful, hard-hitting, passionate and exciting. Brandon and Jeanine danced the piece brilliantly. I was compelled to rewind and watch it again immediately (something I only do when the dance and choreography are exceptional).

After the performance, I was inspired by Mia Michael's (my absolute favorite choreographer) comments to Laurie Ann, saying that "she doesn't dance a step unless it is from her soul". Those words are all I need to hear to remember that I must demand nothing less from myself in my musical expression. Every note I play, every phrase I sing, every word I write, MUST come from my soul. It's so easy for me to allow myself to be "adequate" or "good". That part of me which resonates with Mia's statement won't stand for it. My soul yearns for full expression of excellence and I must heed it's call.

I thought Laurie Ann's piece was to be my favorite dance of the night. I was wrong.

The next piece was choregraphed by Tyce Diorio, consistently one of my favorite choreographers on the show. His work was performed by Ade and Melissa, a piece that conveyed the journey of a woman with breast cancer and the support she receives from her friend. The piece was mesmerizing and one of the best ever on the show. I was overwhelmed with emotion watching Ade and Melissa dance. Tyce's choreography perfectly evoked the pain, deblilitation, and heartbreak that co-exists with determination, strength and courage in the lives of cancer patients. The movement, beautifully set to Maxwell's stunning version of Kate Bush's song "This Woman's Work", was breathtaking.

Tyce's choreography transported me back to those moments in my niece's journey with cancer that had terrified and devastated me. Ade's power and conviction reminded me of the determination that those of us who love Naomi summoned within ourselves to offer her all of the love and support we could muster. Melissa's courage and vulnerable tenacity reminded me of the strength in Naomi's tiny 3 year old body as she fought for her life and SURVIVED. Thank you Tyce. Thank you Ade. Thank you Melissa. Thank you for so perfectly telling the story of those of us who have dealt with cancer either directly or through a loved one. Blessings to you all.

"I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left..."

Omnibus Alumnus!

This has been a fun week of performing for and with old friends. I've already blogged about performing with fellow YMP alum Michael Cheadle on Wednesday night, and listening to Oberlin alum Robert Sims after that. On Friday night I performed in Danville at Marcello’s. My voice was not in great shape, and felt like I was still recovering from last week’s cold. So, I was more than pleased that so many people volunteered to sing with me on the open mic. Thanks to my friends Michael and Evie, and Ken and his friends for coming to hear me perform!

Saturday morning, I was able to sleep in because a few students cancelled (as will happen in the summer…), but even with the cancellations, I only slept about 6 hours, thanks to not sleeping well. So, again, tired. But I taught the students who did come and practiced for a few hours, which was great! I had a gig at the Oyster Reef with my friend Kymberly Jackson, and had a great time! We didn’t use a set list, and just had fun jamming on a variety of tunes. Guitarist Mark Daniels seems to know every R&B tune every written, and bassist Charleston Quinn and drummer Brian Braziel held down the bottom. Kymberly put on a great show, engaging the audience with her music and personality. We’re performing again on the 31st at Q’s in Oakland.

This morning, I accompanied my Skyline high school alum, Roosevelt Credit at Evergreen Baptist Church in Oakland. We performed pieces ranging from Dvorak and Margaret Bonds to Sandi Patti. While the piano was not in the best condition, the Pastor and congregation were very gracious and enjoyed our performance tremendously. The worship service was beautiful and I had a great time. What a pleasure to perform and spend time with all my alums this week!

From the club to the house of opera

Last night I performed at Yoshi’s in Oakland for the first time. I performed at Yoshi's in San Francisco last year, but "Yoshi's" has always meant the Oakland location in my mind, so it was nice to be there. Singer/songwriter/producer Benjie Ross was the headliner in an evening presented by KBLX, featuring R&B and Jazz artists, including local bassist Arlington Houston, with whom I've performed before. There were a few audio issues, but overall the show was fun and successful. I didn't know the opening artist, but Arlington's band sounded great! Benjie's band did too, once the audio kinks were worked out! I had a chance to play with my OYC fellow alum, singer Michael Cheadle and his daughter, Mickala. Also in the band were singers Kimiko Joy, Mykah Montgomery, Nikki Grier, guitarist Cedricke Dennis , and drummer Michael McGee.

The day before the Yoshi's show, my friend Candace Johnson, an extraordinary soprano with whom I work, invited me to a dinner party hosted by my fellow Oberlin alum, Robert Sims. Unfortunately, the party conflicted with my Yoshi's gig and I was afraid I’d miss the party. But no! The Yoshi's gig ended in time for me to pack up my gear and whiz over to the party just as the music was to begin! The party was attended by a few fabulous singers and happy listeners, including Robert Sims, Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, Hope Briggs, Candace Johnson, and the incredible Jacqueline Hairston, who’s not only a wonderful pianist, but a superlative composer. The rules were that each singer would perform 1 or 2 pieces, starting with Robert. Many of the pieces were spirituals arranged and accompanied by Jacqueline. Beautiful music expressed through stunningly beautiful voices. I was in heaven! Candace and I performed Jacqueline’s work “On Consciousness Streams”, a 3 song cycle, with piano accompaniment that is certainly challenging. My sight-reading skills were put to the test (I hadn’t played the pieces since December and was rusty)! But I had such a great time! I love my job! Nights like that make me even more determined to figure out how to parcel my time so that I can practice not only Wonder music, but also keep my sight reading chops and my virtuoso music in shape. I’ll get there…

Gotta be here, gotta be there...

This was a busy weekend for me. Despite still recovering from yet another cold (what’s going on this year???), I performed for a group of children and youth in San Francisco on Friday. PB&JAMM is a program for children in the underserved community living mainly in the Tenderloin, 6th & Folsom Street areas and the Mission District in San Francisco. I was invited to speak and perform for the kids by singer/songwriter Carmen Gonzalez , host of blogtalkradio’s “Women (and Legends) who really rock”. The kids were really sweet and enjoyed my performance. I took some time off for myself Friday night (except for 2 hours to practice for my Saturday gigs).

Saturday morning, I taught students, and then drove to the South Bay to play for a wedding. A pianist friend of mine had an accident and ended up with a hairline fracture. Fortunately, she’ll be able to recover, but her doctor warned her not to play for 2 months! A week before the wedding, she called me to substitute for her. Turns out I was available, and gladly stepped in to her help out. The wedding was in Santa Clara, but the ceremony was outdoors in Los Gatos. So, after teaching, I had to drive to Los Gatos, set up my keyboard, microphone and amp, and then drive to Santa Clara to play the piano in a church. Once I arrived at the Los Gatos location, I noticed that the clouds above were gaining in density, implying rain. I was not at all comfortable with the idea of leaving my keyboard potentially exposed to rain, so I set up just the stands and my seat, certain that I’d be able to set up the electronics quickly upon my return.

The wedding was beautiful, filled with all the joys one hopes to observe from my seat as wedding pianist. The wedding party and guests all seemed quite pleased with my performance, and offered lovely feedback. As soon as I finished the recessional, I jumped in the car and drove to Los Gatos, hoping to arrive just enough ahead of the guests so I’d be playing as they entered. Suddenly, my windshield was splashed with a short spurt of, yep, rain! Uh-oh! I did a little sunshine dance behind the steering wheel, praying for the rain clouds to disperse. I arrived at the reception site to find the back gate (where I had set up) locked. Uh-oh! Luckily, one of the caters happened by and was able to open the gate so I could drag in my keyboard. The clouds, still heavy, seemed to be moving slightly. Keyboard still in case, I walked back to my car to find parking.

Parking was tight. There were apparently 3 other events being held in the area, and the lot was filled to capacity. Uh-oh. No worries! I did a little parking shimmy behind the wheel (I do dance a lot in my car), and drove around optimistic. And around. And … “excuse me, are you leaving?” No. And around. Still optimistic. And around. And…upon spotting a wedding guest “excuse me, could you please go inside and ask the caterer if there’s a reserved parking space for the pianist?” Of course, my keyboard is sitting outside, still in its case, not set up at all. The guest replied “sure, no problem”. Still optimistic. And…wait! There’s a couple. “Excuse me, are you walking to a car”. “Why yes”, they replied. “Right here”, which happened to be directly across from the entrance to the reception area. Perrrrrrfect! Big smile on my face…

So, I was able to jump out of my ideally-parked car (I have superb parking kharma!), and whisked my keyboard setup into place, beginning to play just as most guests were arriving. Everyone enjoyed the music, and as I played and sang, the sun came out, casting lovely light upon the afternoon. Ah…

I finished my performance, jumped back in the car and headed to my friend’s studio in Campbell for a quick minute, then off to my gig in Danville, arriving just in the nick of time to play and sing. I was starting to feel pretty lousy, thanks to my cold, but my friends Michael, Evie and Chris came out to hear me play, and their wonderful energy perked me up. I wasn’t in my best voice, but considering that I’d lost my voice completely on Tuesday, I can’t complain. I try not to anyway. But after finishing the gig, getting home and in the bed at 1:30am, when my alarm rang at 5am, I was having a hard time not complaining!

My niece Naomi had been selected to participate in Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE event in San Jose. Naomi was one of several childhood cancer survivors being taking around the event course in pedi-cabs, but we had to BE THERE at 6:30am. Ouch! These kids are the stars of the show. They have endured pain and faced mortality in ways that would give the toughest adults pause. Naomi requested that her big brother, 8 year old Jeremiah, and I, her Auntie, ride with her. We jumped and were chauffeured by our gracious pedi-cab rider, Rene. At the children’s request, Rene put on the speed and pedaled as fast as she could! It was a lovely day but after helping with the kids and a disabled family friend all day, but 9pm, I was spent!

Naomi, Jeremiah and Rene:










But alas, my alarm again sounded at an un-Godly hour: 5:45am. Why? Today, Monday, was Naomi’s bi-monthly oncology appointment. Everything went great, but we had to be at the hospital at 7:30am! Ouch! Today, it’s back to teaching and my “normal” schedule, but despite the fatigue, it was a good weekend!

Naomi with her Nurse Practitioner:

Fireworks and Finales: Victoria Theodore July Performances

"I never dreamed you'd leave in summer
I thought you would go then come back home
I thought the cold would leave by summer
But my quiet nights will be spent alone"
– Stevie Wonder

Hello Friends!
Fireworks: I hope that you all enjoyed a lovely Fourth of July holiday. I spent the day trying (unsuccessfully) to stave off a cold. I'm feeling better now, but I'd lost my voice, which is not cool! I did spend the evening with family, enjoying a delicious meal prepared by my aunt and uncle.

Finales: One the way to the second stop in Stevie Wonder's recent short tour, we learned that Michael Jackson died. It was quite a shock to all of us musicians. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, and like so many little girls, loved him! His music is so full of vitality, hope, love and joy, and his dancing inspired me and countless others to appreciate and embrace dance. I remember spending hours learning every move of the "Thriller" choreography! He was an incredible talent.

I've only watched about 45 minutes of the memorial that was broadcast on Tuesday, but what I've seen is beautiful. Especially moving for me was Stevie's performance of "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer". That song is probably my favorite of his heartbreak songs, and I thought a perfect farewell to Michael, followed by the beautiful "They Won't Go". Stevie held nothing back in his performance, and brought tears to my eyes for the first time since learning of Michael's demise.

On a lighter note, I'm trying to figure out how I can fit dance classes into my already ridiculously busy schedule. Wish me luck!

Here's where you can find me performing (music, that is!):

JULY 2009

Sat, Jul 11
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144

Wed, Jul 15
8pm
KBLX Presents Benjie Ross with special guests Nikki Thomas (KBLX Morning Show) and Arlington Houston Quartet with Valinda Love
Jazz / R&B
Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.238.9200
$15

Fri, Jul 17
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144

Sat, Jul 18, 9pm-12:30
Kymberly Jackson
Jazz / R&B
Oyster Reef Seafood Restaurant
1000 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606 | 510.836.2519

Fri, Jul 24
10:30am (PST)
Radio Interview: Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro
"Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro" is a one-hour weekly LIVE Internet radio show, hosted by Carmen Milagro

Sat, Jul 25
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144

Fri, Jul 31,
8-11:30pm
Kymberly Jackson
Q's Lounge
Jazz / R&B
Everett & Jones Barbeque • 126 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.663.2350

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

Montreal Jazz Festival 2009

Can you distinguish the sound of 1,000 from that of 10,000 people? How about between 10,000 and 50,000? 50,000 and 100,000? 200,000 people? I can tell you this much, the roar from the audience in Montreal (estimated to be over 200,000) was beyond thundering, beyond explosive, into the realm of unfathomable! The cheers that Stevie elicited from the crowd from his mere presence shook my body to the core. And that was with my ear monitors in place! As far as I could see, people were crowed into the street that lay beyond the stage where we performed. We were supposed to start the show at 9:30, but were postponed by 30 minutes due to rain. Shortly after Stevie walked on stage, the rain subsided. Coincidence? Maybe…

We all poured our hearts in the 2.5 hour concert that night. The music of course included several of Stevie’s hit (Master Blaster, Higher Ground, Superstition, etc), but also included homage to Michael Jackson. The band performed “I Can’t Help It”, and grooved along while Michael’s recordings of a few hits (“The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Billie Jean”, etc.) were played over the PA. In a nod to the fact that we were performing for a Jazz Festival, we also performed “All Blues”, “Giant Steps” and “Spain”. The concert was a beautiful experience for all of us onstage, and most reviews and comments I’ve read online indicate that the massive crowd felt the same emotions that we performers did.

Milwaukee Summerfest 2009

For the first time since I’ve been touring with Stevie, we had an opening act tonight. John Legend performed a set with his full band. I decided to first do my make up and hair for the show, and then walked to an area next to the audience so I could watch John’s performance. He and his band sounded great! They performed a series of his hits, including his latest “Green Light”. But, I was waiting to hear “Ordinary People”, which came towards the end of the set. Satisfied, I returned to the dressing room to finish preparing for our show.

Another first: we started on time! Stevie spoke to the audience as we all entered the stage after him, and encouraged everyone to focus on the gift of Michael Jackson’s music, and to focus on love. Again, he started the show with “Love’s In Need”. Otherwise, the concert was a blend of the usual set list, spontaneous choices from Stevie’s catalog and Michael Jackson tunes. Stevie invited John Legend to come to the stage and sing several times during the night, including for “I Can’t Help It” and “Superstition”. Stevie also performed a more complete version of a song he’d debuted the night before, which he is dedicating to Michael and his family.

It was an extremely emotional night, with Stevie collapsing on his keyboard seat once during the concert. Aisha walked over to console him in his moment of obvious emotional pain. But Stevie pushed through the grief and gave a marvelous show. All of us on stage were affected by the shock of Michael’s death, and empathized with Stevie’s loss of a dear friend. I’m glad that we were all present to give Stevie our loving energy, along with that from the audience. What better balm for a grieving heart than love? None that I know!

As the parting note, the Michael Jackson montage that was played after the Kansas City concert was played again, with John joining all of us in a Michael Jackson dance jam. What a great show and what a lovely tribute!

Kansas City Blues

Last night, we performed in Kansas City, MO. This was the first show after the announcement of Michael Jackson’s death. We’d traveled to KS the day before, and upon landing, all of our cell phones received a deluge of text messages announcing the shocking news. We all wondered how Stevie was doing, given that Michael must have been like a little brother to him. At the venue, the Starlight Theater, the mood was melancholy in the oppressive heat, but not somber. We did our usual sound check, including several of Michael’s tunes, since we all guessed that Stevie would be performing at least a few of MJ’s hits. We started the show with “Love’s In Need”, instead of “All Blues”, which we’d been as the opening song since the 2008 Tour. The show flowed between Stevie songs and Michael songs. At one point, Stevie became overwrought with emotion and asked Keith John to sing the lead on “Never Can Say Goodbye”. At the end of the show, Stevie had the audio engineer play a montage of Michael Jackson hits as we all joined him at the front of the stage. This blog recounts the night’s events with photos:

Kansas City, MO

RIP MJ

As the plane landed, I turned on my cell phone and was inundated with a deluge of frantic text messages about the demise of the King of Pop. Surely, this isn't true! With the sudden fierceness of an unexpected storm, the entire plane was speaking in hushed tones about MJ: can you believe it?...Oh my God!...him too?... All of us traveling musicians were shocked. Surely, this isn't true!

Alas, it is true. I can only imagine the pain my boss, Mr. Morris, is feeling. Michael must have been like a little brother to him. I can't help it, but I feel overwhelmed with grief at the loss. I realize that grief is just Human Nature, but I'm surprised at my reaction, given that I'd never met the man and only know him through his extraordinary music catalog. I will always Remember The Time I first heard Ben as a girl. I fell in love with the voice of the Man In The Mirror immediately. I'm listening to his songs tonight. I have to prepare myself to perform his songs in tribute, telling myself Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, and really have internalized these songs.

And now he's Gone Too Soon. And I never had the chance to see him perform.

He will be missed...

Working Weekend

I performed again in Danville last night, and in Burlingame this morning, both times playing piano/keyboard and singing. I've been working on adding more songs to my repertoire, just recently added a Billy Joel song (And So It Goes) and Lauren Hill's version of Can't Take My Eye Off of You. Both were received well by my audiences. I tried "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz last night, but I need to find a better key. The original key is too low for me.

This afternoon, I accompanied 3 wonderfully talented young people. I participated in a youth scholarship program, accompanying a singer, a clarinetist and a saxophonist. On the program were 2 other singers and 2 pianists. It was great! Most of the students are also studying in UC Berkeley's Young Musicians Program, of which I'm an alum, so it was a challenge for me to keep it together watching and accompanying those beautiful young faces!

Few things in life make me more jubilant (or emotional) than watching young people pursue their dreams with dedication and determination. Very often, I'm moved to tears by their efforts! This is a huge reason why I'm addicted to my favorite TV show of ALL TIME: So You Think You Can Dance. Some of you know that dance is my secondary passion (behind music) and that I still look forward to one day dancing in a senior citizen dance company! lol Once I'm at the point that I no longer need to earn a living, I'm so all about the dance...and piano...and singing...and language...and science...and philanthropy...and food...and ok ok, I know I do too much! But I can't help it! Anyway, sorry to digress...watching the young dancers on that show takes my breath away! As someone who is highly disciplined, determined and passionate, and who has a tremendous work ethic, seeing those traits personified in the dancers on the show is utterly thrilling! So far I've only seen the first 2 episodes on TIVO (I NEVER have time to watch TV live), so please DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING about what's happened in the past 3 weeks. During the past 4 seasons, it's been heartbreaking to see any of the dancers voted off. My equally addicted friend Alexsandra tells me that this year is worse than ever because everyone is so talented. Yikes!!! Don't judge my one vice in life!! I love love love that show! ; >