For the last day of Black Music Month, I’ve decided to be a little selfish. It’s all about me! Jazz is one of my favorites genres of music to sing. Anytime I have the opportunity to exercise and enhance my chops, I’m taking it! Here’s a throwback performance from the RIT days of “Georgia On My Mind” featuring Jamil Khan on the keys. Hope you enjoy it! đ
Syleena Johnson is a Grammy-nominated vocalist, songwriter, and producer. The daughter of legendary Blues/Soul singer, songwriter, and musician Syl Johnson, sheâs proved to be one of the most promising R&B/Soul singer-songwriters in the industry. Sheâs a soul singer â point blank. You canât help but be moved by her powerful, sexy, gritty, and emotional voice. She has old school sensibilities that flourish in a contemporary soul environment. Her style can, at times, be reminiscent of of Betty Wright, Millie Jackson, Mavis Staples, and Tina Turner (to name a few). Since 1999, sheâs released 6 albums. Her most recent release, âChapter V: Underratedâ (2011), was released on her own labelâAneelys Records. Itâs her most ambitious and satisfying album to date. This summer, Johnson will be featured along with Faith Evans, Nicci Gilbert (of Brownstone), Keke Wyatt, and Monifah on TV Oneâs âR&B Divas.â  Shot primarily in Atlanta, the show chronicles their true personal and professional lives as women in the music industry and their tight bond as friends (through it all).
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To usâyou are our everything.
We depend upon you for our way of life.
We need you to nurture us, guide us, and protect us.
Even though we sometimes go about our days as fearless as can be,
We need you,
Sometimes more than you know.
That’s why it hurts us so when you don’t hear us,
When you don’t see us,
When you aren’t listening or paying attention to how we feel or what we’re trying to say.
And we internalize it, thinking it’s something that we did to make you act this way,
not knowingâor always awareâthat what happens or has happened to you
or what affects your mood and how you treat us often has nothing to do with us.
But how can we know when you don’t know how or are scared to talk to us openly and freely?
We may not be grown but it doesn’t mean we won’t understand.
And if we don’t, we can at least try.
What we often don’t understand is why we get hurt so
when we don’t get what we need from you,
Or when we get taken advantage of.
It’s a whirlwind that can leave us lost;
Some of us sadly never find our way back home.
But those of us that do successfully breakthrough.
You may not fully comprehend how much we need you or how much you need us,
But one without the other simply isn’t right.
If you would only think about the great impact you have on usâso much would change in this world.
Just imagine, this world could become the world we’ve always dreamed of.
And what a world that could be. Â
© BuddahDesmond
Thereâs something about Adriana Evans. Listen to any of her five studio albums and you will be spellbound by her rich musical landscape. Her music is an intoxicating mix of classic soul, funk, hip-hop, jazz, rock, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. Her voiceâan instrument that is reminiscent of the preeminent jazz vocalists of our timeâis the soulful, sweet, sublime element that brings everything together. Evans made her self-titled debut album (featuring the singles âSeeinâ Is Believingâ and âLove Is All Aroundâ) back in 1997 with music that was then being dubbed âneo classic soul.â But even then, it was clear that there was so much more to Evans and her music than that. Her most recent album was 2010âs âWalking With The Night.â If you havenât already, give Evans music a spin. It wonât be long before you canât get her hypnotic music out of your mind.
Cassandra Wilson is a jazz vocalist, musician, arranger, and producer. Sheâs arguably the best jazz vocalist today. For nearly 30 years, this two-time Grammy winner has mesmerized audiences with her moving, sultry, rich, resonant voice. She inhabits songs. With the slightest nuance or phrase, she can take you places others can only dream of taking you. During her illustrious career, Wilson has expounded upon the jazz songbook with her ingenious interpretations of classic folk, pop, country, soul, and blues tunes. Like the greats before her, she has a distinctive style and can make any song her own. Wilson is a trailblazer that continues to transform and push the boundaries of her talent and jazz music. Her most recent album is the critically acclaimed âAnother Countryâ (2012).Â
The King!
Legend.
Icon.
Innovator.
Trendsetter.
Humanitarian.
You were truly gifted.
An inspiration to many.
You were the greatest entertainer in the world.
Touched so many of us with your heart, soul, and spirit.
There will never be another like you.
So we are grateful that God kept you here as long as he did.
We are sad that you had to go so young.
But it was time.
You were called.
And now peace is finally yours.
You will truly be missed.
Your music and legacy will continue to inspire, uplift, and shape us all.
You will never die.
You will always live on.
We will always love you, Michael Joseph Jackson!!!
~ BuddahDesmond
Robert Glasper is a multitalented jazz pianist, composer, producer, and musical director. Though he may immediately be identified as a jazz artist, itâs hard to deny the heavy influence of Hip-Hop and R&B/Soul on his music. He has an ingenious style that has reinvigorated jazz music in ways that very of his contemporaries have been able to. His most recent album, with his band The Robert Glasper Experiment, is entitled âBlack Radioâ (2012). On this release, Glasper more than proves heâs an artists without limits. The album features smooth, eclectic collaborations with Lalah Hathaway, Musiq Soulchild, Chrisette Michele, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra), KING, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stokley Williams (of Mint Condition) and yasiin bey (Mos Def) to name a few. As described on Glasperâs website, Black Radio âboldly stakes out new musical territory and transcends any notion of genre, drawing from jazz, hip-hop, R&B and rock, but refusing to be pinned down by any one tag.â Black Radio is a groundbreaking album that may serve as the blueprint for other artists who want to make great music that challenges the notion of genres and categorization yet resonates deeply with the audience.
I’ve written about Phyllis Hyman several times. I never grow tired of talking about her or listening to her timeless music. There’s so much that can be said about her artistry. She really knew how to get inside lyrics. Whether you had experienced what she was singing about or not, you couldn’t help but to feel it. A supreme song interpreter and a dynamic performer, Hyman proved that she was in a league reserved truly for the greats.
Like The Roots and The Brand New Heavies (and Tony Toni Tone before them), Mint Condition is one of the best bands in the business. Mint Condition has carved a unique path for themselves, and after seven albums–theyâve stayed true to it. Theyâve been a consistent musical mainstay for over 20 years. Never to be limited by formula, style, or genre, Mint Conditionâs music is progressive, versatile, and infectious. Whether itâs funky up-tempo numbers, rock or jazz-inflected mid-tempo grooves, or smooth, soulful, heart wrenching ballads, they can play it all with ease (and sound even better live). With consummate artistry, superb production and instrumentation, relatable lyrics, and vocals to die for, Mint Condition will remain in a league of their own.
Dubbed as “The Queen of Indie Soul,” Conya Doss is a singer, songwriter, and producer who defies categorization. She makes organic, feel good music that touches the soul. Doss has a unique style that feels both old school and contemporary. Like Mary J. Blige (whose timbre her voice echoes slightly), Maysa, and Adriana Evans, she’s very versatile and can sing anything. Since 2002 Doss has released 6 albums, her most recent is entitled “A Pocketful of Purpose” (2012). Like a true artist, growth, maturity, and wisdom are evident with each release. Happy Black Music Month!!! đÂ