I Feel A Song Coming On!

Music, rather than poetry, has consumed my life lately. My upcoming gig at The Ellington Jazz Club has been the reason for this (you can see the promotional fliers I had made for the event below). This gig will be one of the most important gigs in my singing career. In preparation, I have been rehearsing regularly with Mint Jazz Band (like our Facebook page if you haven’t already) and attending concerts to inspire me. Mint played its first gig recently at The Wild Fig Café in Scarborough and they liked us so much that we have been booked to play there every Friday night from November 23^rd to December 28^th! This is really reassuring and exciting for me because it will be the first musical residency I have had since I sung every Sunday at the New Orleans Restaurant in 2009! In terms of concerts that I have attended recently to inspire me, I had the privilege of seeing The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra (read my review in my Freelance Journalist page) and I recently saw the musical “A Chorus Line”. I was really inspired by the characters’ struggles to succeed in the business and I related heavily to some of their experiences. It has definitely assured me that I am not alone in the struggle to be a successful entertainer.

Last Sunday, I attended a vocal workshop master class with Speech Level Singing teacher Greg Enriquez. It was a life-changing experience. Prior to that morning’s class I thought that my vocal range was that of a bass singer. I was astonished to find out from the exemplary vocal coach that I am in fact a leggireo tenor! With his aid, when I relaxed and sang naturally, the sound that came out of my voice was incredible to me. He said I have “a beautiful voice” and after the class a few others came up to me and said the same thing. As a result of this class I now firmly believe that, once I train the upper registers of my voice and work on overcoming the bridges in my voice, I will be able to sing as good as I have always believed I could sing; that is, as good as I have always wanted to sing. To reach my vocal potential will be a dream come true. I am going to start singing lessons very soon. In fact, my first class is this Monday with Chloe King. Wish me luck and come see me at The Ellington or The Wild Fig Café if you can!