Inspiration Is Present...Always

Portland, OR 04/06/07
(photograph by Kate Harvie) 

2012. Even the number looks good. 

People talk about their resolutions for the new year. And this year needs to be about revolutions.  Your revolutions. Your business's revolutions. Your friends', colleagues', lovers', family's. 

How on earth does one find the courage - and inspiration - to revolutionize life? 

I can't speak for everyone and what follows here is my Q&D (quick and dirty) of who inspires me. While I'll describe each one briefly here, I hope that you will take the hyperlink path to each one's lustrous and luxurious combination of the heart and the head.

Danielle LaPorte

Author of The Fire Starter Sessions, speaker of White Hot Truth (which should be trademarked) icon, no bs talking, motivator, truth teller in the most believable and trusting voice, straight up badass.

Chris Guillebeau

Author of The Art of Non-Conformity, creator of Six Ways to Change the World, provider of some of the most generous and informative material for new businesses, expert on world domination (and that is not exaggerated).
 

José James

Singer, composer, lyricist, leader on stage like few performers today, absolutely eclectic and deeply talented, one of the best artists I have seen in the last five years, someone who has you hear and feel. Concert side note: happily, blessedly I will see him (and Taylor McFerrin) perform for the fourth and fifth times on 02/10 and 02/11.  

Susan Sparks

Author of Laugh Your Way to Grace, stand up comedienne who is laugh your ass off funny, preacher at Madison Avenue Baptist Church, attorney, teacher of this truth: the armor we wear is a living, breathing force. 

Check out each of these righteous and inspiring people. I'll be listing more remarkable folks throughout this year.

In the words of a sign I saw on a wall in Tribeca during the summer of 2008, Today is the Day.

Change of Season Means Amazing Music - Autumn '11 Greatness

We're officially in October and autumn is my favorite season. I mean, I love spring and the lush joy of spring doesn't last that long. Autumn, however, goes for weeks. From the crisp chill to the change of leaves to the apple picking to the ways the sunset looks different to the amazing concerts that happen once we're in a new school year.

And I saw two such spectacular shows within the last week and a half. If you aren't familiar with these artists, please become familiar.

Van Hunt. José James. Remember these names.

Van Hunt

Van Hunt, The Studio at Webster Hall, 09/19/11
(photograph by Kate Harvie)

Growing up in Cleveland, there were two memorable things about Dayton, Ohio: horses were bred there and apparently Rob and Chad Lowe are natives. More important than both of these is that Van Hunt was born and raised in southern Ohio.

A master of R&B, soul, electronica, stagecraft, and lyricism, Van Hunt self promotes like no agent could. In his many albums (LPs and EPs from 2004, available on iTunes and on his stellar website), you accompany him gladly and intensely on a journey of passion, grit, joy, anger, realization, and truth.

And a talent like his must not go unrecognized.

The new album, What Were You Hoping For?, dropped on 09/27 and is him at his most complex and questioning. Tracks like "Eyes Like Pearls" and "A Time Machine Is My New Girlfriend" are sung and played in voices heavy and intense. Yet they are rooted in the emotional searches for things we can't provide ourselves. To paraphrase Mr. Hunt (and my favorite track on the album), "It's A Mysterious Hustle." And one we can manage for ourselves. 

His tour continues today through 10/04 in Austin, Dallas, and Little Rock. If you're in these cities, go to his show.

José James

José James, included here with permission from the artist from his website

There is something remarkable about the mesh of jazz, soul, beatbox, and hip hop. José James blends all those in a series of songs that tell stories, prompt responses, and while he conjures memories of and respect for Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane, he is his own musician.

At his shows at Jazz Standard (full disclosure: I attended on 09/29 and 09/30) which run through 10/02, Mr. James not only did us the honor of performing his first completely composed piece before it's released, "Trouble," he introduced us to and celebrated his accompanying exceptional artists: Chris Smith (bass on 09/29), Ben Williams (bass on 09/30), Kris Bowers (piano and keyboard), Francisco Mela (drums), Takuya Kuroda (brass), and Taylor McFerrin (beatbox and vocals on 09/30). 

This kind of partnership and leadership are rarely seen in vocalists. Mr. James managed the stage with panache and power, and you could hear every musician contributing yet not competing. When he performed "Equinox" which John Coltrane (who would have turned 85 on 09/23, of which Mr. James reminded us) there were tears streaming down my face both nights. This song was a new side of Trane and while honoring him, Mr. James brings it to life in a way that identifies José James as an artist who is redefining vocals and spoken word.

Like Mr. Hunt's, the albums released by Mr. James are a spectrum of so much. They're on iTunes and Amazon.

Mr. James is appearing next in NYC at Le Poisson Rouge on 10/18 alongside Taylor McFerrin, and Robert Glasper Experiment. Join me there. I already have my ticket.

Welcome to October. Enjoy the shift to cooler temperatures and more rugged apparel. Discover artists and composers who remind you that well delivered reverb carries the music's messages.