Month: October 2012

07 Oct

Beds, Breakfasts and Improvised Music

Jessica Boykin-Settles0 CommentsConcerts, TravelBaltimore, MD, Michael Formanek, Rachael's Dowry, Windup Space

Hi All, The hubby and I are just back from a fantastic weekend in Baltimore, MD. We went up to hear bassist Michael Formanek's ensemble perform at the very funky, very hip Windup Space on W. North Avenue. My husband surprised me with an overnight stay in THE most beautiful and welcoming bed and breakfast. It's called Rachael's Dowry and is owned and operated by the most adorable brother and sister team ever! Norman and Tish have this thing on lock! The house is gorgeous, the food is amazing and the ambience is very relaxed. There are many delicate things around the…

02 Oct

Diminished Scales…AAAAAHHHH! (running away screaming)

Jessica Boykin-Settles4 CommentsPracticing, Practicing Jazz Singing, Uncategorizedplaying diminished scales, singing diminished scales

Hi All! A quick overview of yesterday's session: I started with my warmups. Afterwards, I noticed that my voice was not cooperating like the day before. There was a lot of fuzziness and I don't quite know why but it remained for the duration of my practicing. Weird...I sang through the "Ornithology" transcription and then worked on the first two major chord patterns. After taking them through all the keys, I practiced them both over the chord progression for "You Stepped Out of a Dream." It was fun to use them in context or at least out of the context…