Avsnitt
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Join us for a conversation with Jack Budekke, a pianist, guitarist, composer and educator whose improvisations and compositions come straight from the soul. He holds several music degrees with an emphasis on jazz, and has a wealth of wisdom, bravery and grit that makes everything he does as a musician incredibly inspiring. The piece featured in this episode is his original composition Su Hermano Siempre. He'll tell you all about the beautiful and heart wrenching story behind this original piece, as well as his vulnerable share on wrangling with an anxiety disorder all the while striving to allow his music to be a service to those around him. For more from Jack, visit his website buzzardsovervienna.com.
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In this episode we’ll be talking about the first of sixteen intentions in A Journal for the Musician’s Soul. This interactive journal is a co-authored collaboration between my musical colleague and friend Ashlee Young. If you haven’t heard of this journal yet and you’d like to, check it out at stephaniebernards.org/inspiration. You can order your very own copy there! We would absolutely love to have you be apart of this experience with us!
In this episode, Stephanie digs in to the purpose of this journal: which is to explore what’s possible when you connect with your deep, authentic self. The first intention in A Journal for the Musician’s Soul is Connection, which is what we'll dig in to today.
Get in touch with Ashlee on her YouTube Channel and Instagram, or ashleejyoung.com!
Get in touch with Stephanie at stephaniebernards.org and follow Artistry with Heart: Conversations for the Musician's Soul!
Until next time, be you and stay inspired!
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Jay is a sound engineer for Low Bar Chorale and also has a really expansive musical history. In this episode, we talked about how he got involved in the music scene as a musician and a sound engineer. Jay also shares his story of a time that he was pulled away from music, and what brought him back.
Enjoy this conversation with Ashlee Young, Stephanie Bernards and special guest Jay Cosnett from the archives of Connection Experiment podcast.
For more from Jay visit his website https://pineappledigitalproductions.com.
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Get inpsired by a conversation with Arietta“Mz. Etta” Ward, an incredible vocalist and inspirational human being.For more information on Arietta, visit her website at mzettasworld.com.
Show Notes:
Welcome, Arietta. We're so excited to have you. I have played a couple of shows now with Arietta through the Low Bar Corral, which if you haven't heard of the Low Bar, it's pretty amazing. And you got to check them out. Ben, who leads the group was like, "Oh my gosh, this is such a cool podcast, and you have got to talk to Arietta because she is amazing and so in line with what you gals are doing." Arietta I can't wait to hear from you. But before we start, can I introduce you a little bit with your bio? Absolutely.
Okay. So Northwest vocal powerhouse, Arietta Ward's mission is to spread music, joy and happiness in the masses through song. Her diverse musical background and vocal versatility has allowed her to perform as a bandleader and in various configurations with artists such as Esperanza Spalding, the late West African master drummer Obo Addy, the late Linda Hornbuckle, Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones, Nigel Hall, Jared Lawson, Tony Rozier, final Newton and Tyrone Hank Hendrix while starting out with her mother, the famed Northwest legendary pianists delete Janice Scroggins so welcome Are ya know, right. It's funny to have people read back all the things that you've done.
It took a long time to get to where I am. And oh, I reflect all the time and I look around me I have like different things around my house. Oh, I did that or Oh, that was when… My first occupation my first career was a cosmetology instructor, I taught people how to do hair and cut hair and do nails, and facials for 20 something years and I'm not gonna say it's a byproduct, but it's the family business. For me. And I know what I'm supposed to do now I have to figure it out. You know, sometimes you have to go through things to understand your true calling. And this is I ran from it from a lot of for a long time and it's it's what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to make people happy.
I feel like there's a lot to unpack there. Do you mind sharing about your journey with music or cosmology and how you left that and found music again, just tell us whatever you're willing to share? Because it sounds like there's a story there.
Oh, if it is if there were layers, just like you know, Shrek, there’s layers and I know “Onion- there’s layers”. I love cartoons. Anyway. One of the one of the biggest things for me it was my stage fright. It was crippling. It pops up every now and again. And it's something that I actively have to work on. And that stopped me for a lot of lot of years and with cosmetology you know, you make people beautiful and stuff and you're in front of people. I am an introvert and I don't really like to be out in crowds, but you see me on stage. You're like how can it be? It’s a switch. And in 2008 I turned the switch on. It was just that somebody had made me very upset. And one of my mother's things, she always just used to say is if somebody makes you upset, then write it out, sing it out and do that. It won't stay in your body, it won't fester and turn into something awful.
At that point in time, Tony Ozier became one of my dear friends and we had a mutual acquaintance and we used to hang out all the time. And I told Tony look, I want to sing something. I didn't know what it was. But I sang on a recording and that just turned on things. And then the rest is history. But it was slow moving and the journey… When I was actively teaching and doing I would justhave dreams about being on stage because I was around my mom all the time and round all these wonderful players and like Curtis and Lloyd they're, they're considered family to me, and I didn't realize their placement in the music here in Portland and they were the way mixers for a lot of blues. And that I just recently found that out late last year.
I didn't realize how much royalty I was around. Me singing on stage and I was like how can that be? I don't sing,I teach people how to do hair. I said it for years and I got in a really really big argument about it. I said I'm the wrong sister. That's my sister because my sister and I'm sorry and she's a wonderful vocalist herself and when when I look back now, I can't imagine myself without music.
It's literally, you make choices in life and things turn on when it's supposed to have them and there were different there's different cliffs I jumped off to elevate and a lot of it is about self esteem and, and a lot of self talk negative self talk and all kinds of depression. There's a lot of different things that I had to work through to get to where I am and when you start to remember who you are, when you know that the gift that you're giving is not yours to sit on it for the greater good and you have to use it or you’re gonna lose it.
So that's where I am now and I'm working I'm working and things are moving and I've met so many beautiful people like yourself and all those different different circumstances and happenings has been serendipitous and all these different types of things. You know, nothing happens by coincidence and happens when it's supposed to.
I believe that I believe in coincidence anymore. I think that everything kind of opens up in this really serendipitous sort of way. It's too perfect, you know, and I I don't want to go so far as to say everything happens for a reason because I know a lot of people I don't know where I stand with that. But I do believe that when you look back, you can see this beautiful web of events that have created this opportunity for you to be exactly where you are.
Where did you see serendipity manifest, you know, with your whole like, coming back to music after leaving like what what was it that moment when somebody made you upset or was it was there another moment where you're like, Hmm, this is too perfect. Like it was kind of like a hit you over the head moment from you know, whatever source you follow? Was there a moment that was sort of like okay, this is not coincidence. I'm supposed to do music?
There have been a lot of one was when I did the beloved festival, I was asked to to bring a gospel ensemble out to the beloved festival that's in Tidewater, Oregon, and that was in 2017. It was crazy how we got there, and you know, I was singing with the Burlington Interfaith Gospel Choir and that is led by LaRhonda Steele. And if you're not familiar with it, it's intergenerational, inner faith, you know, it’s like is everything everybody under the sun come together to celebrate Black American music, Gospel.
It’s all inclusive and it doesn't matter who or if you believe, you honor the music and that's where it is, you know, because music is universal period. Anyway, we were singing up at the Grotto and I sang the song and the monitors weren’t working. And I was like, well fine. So I just moved the mic out of the way and sang, and it was during the holiday time and somebody that was contacted me to put something together for this festival and I think okay, well, that's fine. I wanted in a traditional way. Well, we're going to do it. How am I going to do it? Anyway, write it up. And when I came over the ridge, and at least 10 of us that went, you know, and I had a LaRhonda and her daughter had my sister, my niece and so many different generations, all women. And we sang and it wasn't until I saw the stage that I realized that I had seen it before. And it was the weirdest thing. And it's not weird. It's one of those come around mums, right? Yeah.
It was early, a few few years ago, is before my mom passed. And I had a dream that we after I started. We were all seeing, you know, the kids were singing together on a wonderful stage. It was big and everything so everybody was there, including my mom, as this happened in 2017. My mom passed in 2014. And so when I came over the stage and it was purple and gold, and purple and gold were my mom's favorite colors. So I was like oh, she is here. She's running it. So those types of things happen all the time. I see different things or different instances that I have glimpses or, you know when you get a special kind of thank you for you know singing a certain song or a song is on your heart and I don't know who it's for, but somebody comes up to you. specifically says something about those words. For me, it's vessel ship. I don't know where things come. You know, just, you just share messages that are brought to you and you lift people up. And it's what you supposed to what you're supposed to do. I have a lot of those moments. I look in the mirror, I see pictures of me in front of a mic. And I'm like, thats me singing… I said I would never do it. 15 years ago you couldnt tell me I would be making a living off of music. I didn't think I was strong enough.
Arietta, that is so that's an amazing story, the purple and the gold stage, just your mom being present there. And also Yeah, just like you said, you can't sit on it and hide it. You know, you need to search for it and share it and be a vessel of that message so other people can hear that song that they need to hear or whatever it might be. And I think just it's so easy to get caught up with, being fearful of being judged or being thought that you're not good enough to do that job. I think what we forget is we bring our unique personal experiences to the music that we play and sing and that makes that makes our message really important and unique and special. And something that only we can do as individuals.
I hear you It's interesting when you look back and you're like, I don't think I music would be the thing I did professionally but I think the more we talk about that the more we understand how similar we all really are, you know, and maybe some people are farther down the path than others but really it's it's we all have that something whatever it is, maybe it's singing maybe it's something else music or maybe it's art or whatever you do have that unique voice because of our life experiences that we owe it to ourselves but even more so to others to share you know and give.
I'm just so grateful and you are such a phenomenal and inspiring performer. In the few performances that I have gotten to be a part of, you really do warm the stage with your energy and your spirit. I want to wrap up with a question. With everything that you're bringing with you, do you actively honor your authentic musical voice?
My own authentic voice. I don't know how to be anybody else. So I just remember, everybody has their own thing. As a collective, we shine as bright as we can. And it took me a long time to figure out how to shine and to remember that nobody can shine like me. So if I see somebody, you know, going across the water to London or I see somebody doing this world tour or playing this big stage or you know, I remind myself that it's not my time to be there, it will happen either on a different time and it's okay. But, you know, you just gotta, I just walk that's all I know how to do. And when I just walk I you know, Ijust flash a smile, be authentic in my walk and don't compromise. I can't say it like that I don't compromise. What I mean is don't allow people to try to shift your trajectory from where you are supposed to be. You know how some people just talk in your ear and they just like, oh, maybe… there'll be people try to shift your step.
But it's, it's important to just walk walk in your power. And so I walk in mine, at times it's harder than others but I have to walk because there's people that are looking at me and I know that but also walk because I want to do it not because people expect me to.Keep your vision and your truth. This has been so rejuvenating!
If you have loved this conversation you can follow Ms.Arietta on social media and her website by following the links below:
Website: www.mzettasworld.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealMzArietta
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mzetta9, https://www.instagram.com/mz.ettasworld
