The CD is done! The promotional material is out and we head to Germany in late October for a series of concerts. I cannot wait to play with these wonderful musicians again soon! We’ll also be appearing together at Christmas time in the Pacific Northwest.
The album will be released on September 13th but you can preview it here.
In this society, if we can’t label it neatly, we don’t know what to do with it… and yet when it comes to art and music the very thing that can make a work so special is its ability to move, to stir, to teach in a way that is all at once personal and startling.
Recently I’ve had the privilege to be creative with an outstanding group of artists for an upcoming CD that has been loosely called Coram Deo (translated: in the presence of God.) Jeff Johnson, Brian Dunning, Janet Chvetal and Marc Gremm are the core musicians with an excellent supporting studio cast. We’ll be doing some touring in the Fall and Winter 2011 with a scattering of individual dates this Spring.
When I’ve tried to explain what the music sounds like to friends and family, I find myself at a bit of a loss. It’s not Classical, it’s not Celtic, it’s not…it’s not… but what I can say is that I love it! As I worked on my parts, I have to admit that the occasional dimly lit cathedral with a hobbit wandering through flashed through my mind.
I tell you what? Come to one of our upcoming concerts and let me know how you would describe the music. I can’t tell you how to package it but I do believe that it will stir your soul. For my local friends, the concert at the Grotto on April 16th is going to be really special! I know that some of you might find the idea of such a formal setting daunting for a spring afternoon, but if you have never been to the St. Mary chapel, it’s like being transported into an old European cathedral (less the nasty airline food and 13 hour flight!) And it’s right here in NE Portland!
One more thing: If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that I am now frequently playing with the wonderful Jeff Johnson… but you may not have had the privilege of having heard Janet & Marc….considering they live in Germany. But “Chant?” you say… “sounds boring…” Trust me… these vocalists are in a league unto themselves. Janet actually played Christine in the Viennese production of Phantom of the Opera and Marc has performed in Les Miserables! Don’t be afraid of the formality—The music is intelligent but very accessible.
We have played this song many many times but it still tugs at my heart every time. The paintings and the “set” were created by Kathy Hastings. The creative energy in the room the day that this video was shot felt electric! An added bonus: I finally learned what a dolly grip and a best boy are. I always chuckle when I see those terms whizz by on movie credits…now I know—they are real and important tasks!
It was really special to be a part of this video—thanks Jeff Johnson, Brian Dunning & Kathy Hastings, the Johnson family, and everyone at Global Net productions who made the day go so well.
I’m the type that likes to be busy so this December’s wild and wooly pace really suits me just fine. We are 2/3 of the way through the Celtic Trio’s Christmas tour. This is my second year participating in this ensemble with longtime American/Irish Contemporary Celtic duo Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning. So far we’ve been to the San Juan Islands, Seattle, Eugene, Corvallis, Albany and Portland playing to a lot of full houses. Check the schedule at Ark Music for remaining dates!
Our new CD Under the Wonder Sky was recently chosen by John Diliberto, host of NPR’s Echoes program as the CD of the month for December. Our interview airs December 14th. You can listen online and read the online review by clicking here.
When I return from tour, I’ll be presenting two concerts of my own—the 7th annual Acoustic Christmas Concerts with Wendy Goodwin & Friends. Joining me this year is a wonderful and eclectic cast of musicians including Violinist Alexandra Kazmierowicz, Cellist Ashley Peck, Bassist Nolan Staples, Mandolin Virtuoso Jacob Jolliff (home on Christmas break from a national tour with Joy Kills Sorrow), Guitarist Nate Macy, Pianist Bryan Clark, Percussionist Bill Nippoldt and vocalist Bethany Cibolski. That’s a total of nine people including myself: woooooo—hooooo!
Tuesday, December 21st
7:30 PM
Cloud Seven Cafe (NW 10th & Johnson—Pearl District, Portland)
Concert is Free. Desserts, espresso drinks and local wines available for purchase.
Wednesday, December 22nd
7:30 PM
West Chehalem Friends Church (16700 NE North Valley Road, Newberg) MAP
Concert is Free—family friendly and all are welcome.
I’m still teaching my private students too whenever I land for a moment back in town. I have a few little ones who are on the verge of completing Suzuki Book 1… I keep telling them “before the sun sets on December 31st you WILL complete Gavotte!” It’s fun having concrete goals to shoot for. I am so proud of my kiddos.
Last night I was able to join vocalist Tasha Miller for a private party as a part of her “Educated Band.” It was a real privilege to share the stage—er the fireside room—with pianist Kerry McCoy, Bassist Kevin Dietz and Guitarist Dan Balmer. Tasha knows how to entertain… decked in a red taffeta party dress and standing in 5 inch heels the lady had the room captivated with sassy renditions of Santa Baby, gospel infused Silent Night and some folk and jazz standards.
It would be easy to get a little crazy with all of this coming and going, different music to prepare and all, but I just keep reminding myself to just enjoy every new experience and not to take myself too seriously!
How is your Holiday season shaping up?
Things are buzzing here! Yesterday I recorded the string parts on two tracks for folk singer Adam Sweeney’s upcoming release. I crafted the arrangements at home over the last several weeks through listening to the basic tracks and dialoguing with Adam about his “vision for strings” and then yesterday I laid down the 2 upper voices. Cello should be added next week along with some fiddle solos.
The wearing of multiple hats is something that I would say is a strength of mine. People often ask if there is a difference between a violin and a fiddle. The answer is that it’s mostly how you play it. I like being able to do both—I like that when I sit down to write a string arrangement, I actually use the music theory that I labored through in college. Then when I’m fiddling, it’s great to be able to just focus entirely on that one feisty voice—linearly rather than horizontally.
Last month I did a combination of writing and improvising string parts for another Jeff Johnson/Brian Dunning affiliated recording project—Coram Deo. The CD features the amaaaazzzzzing vocalists Janet Chvetal and Marc Gremm. I first met Janet when I was still pregnant and no joke, my baby girl kicked like a cha cha dancer whenever Janet would sing! The CD is being mixed and I’ll have more to say soon but keep an eye out for concerts in and around Easter 2011. Some of the recording was actually done at the iconic Neuscwanstein Castle in Germany.
Also in the works is Christmas music!!!! I’ll be touring again this year with American/Irish duo Jeff Johnson (keys/vocals) and Brian Dunning (flute/pipes/whistles…lots of cool stuff). We’re promoting our new CD Under the Wonder Sky. I can’t wait. Last year’s tour was one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my entire life. We kick things off here in Portland on the 24th of November—Sunset Presbyterian Church Thanksgiving Eve service. This is one of the only local, free shows so take advantage of it if you’re not trying to figure out how to thaw your turkey!!! More info at www.arkmusic.com.
Last but not least there will be 2 Acoustic Christmas Concerts this year with my band. This is the 7th installation—one show will be at Cloud 7 in the Pearl, the other at West Chehalem Friends Church out in Newberg. Stay tuned—some details are still being finalized but I will be sure to blog all about it.
For a complete listing of upcoming concerts, please visit the concerts and news page of this site.
Blessings on your Fall!
Things can look great on the outside but if there isn’t quality underneath, what’s the point? A few years ago, I was in a house fire—we awoke at about 3 in the morning to confusion…smoke so thick you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. It was complete mayhem as we rushed out of the house with what we could carry, waited for the fire trucks to arrive in the cool Autumn east coast night and watched most everything else be either charred or saturated beyond recognition. The next day we learned that it was because of the thick, old fashioned beams that this attic fire had not collapsed the ceiling on us while we slept. Good internal construction saved our lives.
Quality ingredients, carefully prepared equals better end result. This is just something I believe to be inherently true in life…and in music.
So lately I have not been as active with shows on the performance calendar but I have been working hard at my music and have been taking part in some recording projects including a Christmas album for Jeff Johnson which I cannot wait for you to hear, and a jazz album by sultry vocalist Tasha Miller which is still in production.
I’ve been honing my jazz vocals—combing material for what feels true and works with my voice, and thinking about what it is I’d like to play as a jazz violinist who is more enamored with beautiful lines and tone production than churning out slick hooks.
I’ve also been crossing my T’s and dotting my I’s in regard to my albums licensing, my status as a songwriter and my presence on the web. It’s not always as much fun as playing and singing for a live audience, but I think it’s very very important to make sure that I’m going about things in the proper way. It frustrates me immensely that so many artists record and distribute cover songs without getting permission. While one can argue that it’s the “big record companies” and all that nonsense about the little struggling artist, one can make the same case for stealing stuff from a large department store or not paying taxes. Okay…maybe some of the same people do that too! At any rate, I am trying as best I can to make sure that I do things right. I’m thankful that the people who built the cottage I slept in on that October night a few years back chose to properly construct the beams or I might not be here to be blogging today about my musical journey!
NEXT WENDY GOODWIN SHOW: THURSDAY, AUGUST 5th at Sherman Clay Moe’s Pianos 7-8:30 PM
I’m struggling to find the right adjectives to properly convey how much I loved singing and playing with George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz and Ron Steen last night at Wilfs. For one thing, it’s as if these three gentlemen of jazz share a collective brain when they are playing-each giving authoritative pizzazz yet always playing as a team. As a guest artist, it’s the musical equivalent of being supported by 3 pairs of strong arms… not so scary to lean out over the edge when you’re in such secure company!
I was also blessed to have such a great group of friends come out for the show. Looking out and seeing the familiar faces dotting the landscape who support and encourage me in so many ways was awesome.
To top it off, some other fantastic jazz artists were at the show and performed a few tunes—the iconic drummer Dick Berk and smashingly talented vocalist and pianist Laura Cunard.
If you are just getting acquainted with me, and wondering why you haven’t seen me around town, it has to do with a few things-
1. I tend to play in unrelated genres—right now, I’m working with Celtic/Contemplative Seattle based artist Jeff Johnson and Puck Fair Flutist Brian Dunning. While these two gentlemen actually have plenty of connections to the Portland Jazz Scene, the Celtic trio performs in churches and concert venues and tours seasonally.
2. I play a LOT of private events—after finishing school, I started Effesenden Music, a wedding and event music company. Effesenden gives me the opportunity to play lots of styles of music with a variety of musicians. It gives me an excuse to do a lot of arranging of pop music for strings, and it gives me the chance to help people with a special day in their lives. And to be totally honest… I LOVE weddings!
3. I have played in bands and appeared as a side woman with many different artists including Rising Violet, Lori Willcuts, Drew Grow, Kelly Jones, Nate Macy, Michael Allen Harrison, Michelle Tumes, Laura Gibson, Tasha Miller, Adam Sweeney, Bryan Clark and more, but have only recently begun appearing under my own name. Though I love performing, I have always been sort of embarrassed about drawing attention to myself. In the past I’ve often appeared under the name Effesenden. When I started writing music though, it seemed natural to start appearing… well…as myself!
I’m looking forward to what lies ahead—in a couple of weeks I’ll be at Sherman Clay Moe’s Pianos (August 5th 7-8:30 p.m.) If you’d like to be kept in the loop of future shows, drop me a line.
Back in 2000, my roommate Cary and I were living in a little vintage apartment on the Park Blocks near Portland State while I was working on my masters. It was a depressing year… missing friends from college, the end of a relationship and the fact that our apartment’s windows faced a sliver thin inner courtyard meaning virtually no natural light was to be had.
One of the only things that kept us sane was a constant diet of good music and a favorite of ours at the time was the Windham Hill album “A Celtic Christmas.” Okay, Okay I’ll admit it: I’ve been known to listen to Christmas Music year-round. Who would have guessed that almost 10 years later, I would find myself going on tour with none other than the writers/performers of three of the songs on the album— Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning.
I’ve already had the chance to play with Jeff this past Spring at the Grotto in Portland and up on Camano Island, Washington. He and Brian’s music is wonderful—peaceful and joyful at the same time. I can’t wait to be a part of these special concerts!
You can check out the tour dates on the Upcoming Shows page of this site.