jesskbaldwin

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Jess' Favorite Music: 2018

I didn’t do my usual music zine best-of-list listen-thrus this year. I tried the more organic (read: less compulsive) approach of just letting Spotify and my friends recommend stuff. It felt a little lazy, but, man, Spotify really did a good job pointing me toward a bunch of great music, and my friends always have great taste. Here’s what played most:

Favorite Albums Released in 2018

Alina Engibaryan // We Are

Hablot Brown // Soulection Black Label: Hablot Brown

Louis Cole // Time

My Brightest Diamond // A Million and One

Parker Louis // All Good Things, Pt. 1 and 2

Snazzback // Hedge

Tom Misch // Geography

Vulfpeck // Hill Climber

WILKES // Sam Wilkes

Favorite Albums Discovered in 2018 (Released Earlier)

Aaron Taylor // Better Days (2016)

Adult Jazz // Gist Is (2014)

Andrew Ashong // Andrew Ashong EP (2014)

Boom Clap Bachelors // Mellem Dine Laeber (2011)

Clarinet Factory & Alan Vitous // Out of Home (2010)

Dave Buker & The Historians // For Every Heartbreak (2015)

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment // Surf (2017)

F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm // Tag Eins Tag Zwei (2016)

Funkmammoth // Night Shift (2017)

Hobo Johnson // The Rise of Hobo Johnson (2017)

Joon Moon // Moonshine Corner (2017)

Kiefer // Kickinit Alone (2017)

Knxwledge // Hud Dreems (2015)

Lambchop // FLOTUS (2016)

Nico Muhly & Teitur // Confessions (2016)

Noam Pikelny // Universal Favorite (2017)

Nomo // Upside Down / Nocturne EP (2010)

Steve Hauschildt // Strands (2016)

Stoop Kids // Already Out of Time (2015)

Stro Elliot // Stro Elliot (2016)

WONK // Castor (2017)

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CCM Institute 2018

The CCM Institute at Shenandoah University has become my home away from home. Since my first summer there in 2009, I've fallen in love with the people and the work. I went there to study contemporary vocal pedagogy, but I started my path as an artist there, too. 

On the surface, it is simply a place to learn how to teach popular music singing styles (the vast majority of academic programs don't touch them). But in the process of teaching how the voice works in these styles, the vast world of music is also being valued and affirmed as something beautiful and important and diverse and accessible. The teachers who attend are surprised to find themselves opening to the possibility that they've really wanted to sing this music all along, but weren't given the opportunity or the encouragement by their teachers. They open up. They try new sounds. They learn how to foster authenticity in singing and in artistic identity. They learn how to hold a safe space for developing artists, including themselves. By the end of the week, the connections are strong and plentiful. 

I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the faculty last summer. It's crazy to me that my name appears beside the vocal pedagogy giants on this team. They're so knowledgable AND so warm. After 10 years together, we're truly a family.  

Artistic Director Matt Edwards carries the bulk of the teaching for the week. Executive Director Kathryn Green works behind the scenes to make sure all of the logistics work. It's a gargantuan amount of work for both of them. I'm amazed by how they make it happen. 

The rest of the faculty teaches segments on their specialities (science, pedagogy, styles, improv, etc.) while also running breakout sessions and teaching private lessons. My responsibilities for the week included teaching breakout sessions on vocal function, giving private lessons, playing piano for all masterclasses and open mic nights, co-teaching a class on rock/pop styles, and co-teaching a session on commercial gigs, songwriting, and running a private studio. When we're not learning together, we're all hanging out, catching up, and getting to know each other, usually out by the pool at the hotel. It's a crazy, non-stop 9 days, but it's a blast from beginning to end. The collective energy keeps us going.

The Institute made a shift a few years ago to being a place where many contemporary singing approaches are recognized and discussed. Artistic Director Matt Edwards is passionate about the field being one where we learn from each other for the sake of the craft. The Institute began giving the Lifetime Achievement Award last year to people who've made major contributions to the contemporary vocal pedagogy field. 

This year, we honored the amazing Mary Saunders-Barton with that award. Mary teaches at Penn State, and started Bel Canto Can Belto, which was one of the first vocal cross training programs in the world. She also recently published a great book on vocal cross training with Plural Publishing. She was SO lovely in every way. Great teacher and wonderful person. Learned so much from her.

We also had Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock as our guest speaker on roots music. In addition to her great lecture, she led us in singing in African and African-American styles. 

For the first time, we had group singing as a part of each open mic night. It gives the participants a chance to just sing for fun. We're not always great about that in academia...so it was a breath of fresh air to do this with peers and colleagues. Thanks to colleague and dear friend Julie Dean for making that happen this year. Here's one of our group sings:

I was over the moon to meet vocal jazz composing/arranging/everything giant Greg Jasperse, who was a participant this year. The WV All-State Chamber Choir did one of his pieces a few years ago under the direction of Mike Engelhardt. The Institute got to experience Greg's amazing piano playing at the open mic nights and jazz masterclass, and he sang and played a beautiful reharm of Skylark at one of the open mic nights.

I also got to meet participant Carla Stickler, who plays Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway. Elphaba is always used as an example of extreme high belting in our videos, but this year we got to hear Elphaba in person, off-mic when Carla agreed to sing for us. It was eye-opening (ear-opening?) for everyone to hear what the voice is doing with and without amplification in "Defying Gravity."

And it's always a blast to serve as pianist for Sheri Sanders' master class. LOVE that woman. Her work in diversity and healing through the medium of musical theatre is astonishing.

It's tough to put into words all that makes that week great, but I hope that gives you a glimpse. The Institute is really special to me, so I wanted to make sure I shared it with you guys. :) Hope you're all having a great summer! 

[jesskbaldwin]

I want this yesterday.

What if there were women’s cleanliness products that were marketed the way Old Spice stuff is? Like they had names like “Lioness” and “Sycamore” and “Wildfire” and “Hunter’s Moon” and they were touted as making you smell like a warrior queen who does not suffer fools and conquers all she beholds

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Jess Baldwin Live at Appalachian Listening Room

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Eric Gnezda & Jess Baldwin on NBC4 News in Columbus

Last year's Songs at the Center performance with Todd Burge, Bob Thompson, and host Eric Gnezda will air this summer! The 4th season premieres in just a few days on WOSU and around the country. Eric and Jess went on Columbus' NBC4 segment Columbus Music Makers this morning to talk about it.

WOSU airs Songs at the Center on Saturday nights at 11, right before Austin City Limits. WOUB just added it to their programming, so my Marietta fam can catch it, too!

[jesskbaldwin]

Studio News: March 2018

Here's what our studio family has been up to so far in 2018!

All State Choirs

Auditions

Awards

Competitions

Festivals

Musicals

Recording

Touring

Television

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Jess' Favorite Albums of 2017

Here's the playlist.

Here's the list in alphabetical order:

After Laughter // Paramore All Flowers // Space Captain Amar Y Vivir // La Santa Cecilia Beyond the Years EP // Diggs Duke Dayyyyyyy // Diggs Duke December Avenue // Tomasz Stanko New York Quartet Drunk // Thundercat Echolocations: River // Andrew Bird Elektrac // Shobaleader One, Squarepusher, Strobe Nazard, Company Lazer, Arg Nution Elevate // 30/70 Everybody Works // Jay Som French Kiwi Juice // FKJ From Deewee // Soulwax The Gold String // Devon Sproule Good for You // Aminé Halo // Juana Molina I // Niia Jardín // Gabriel Garzón-Montano Joan Shelley // Joan Shelley The Kid // Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Kõrvits: Moorland Elegies // Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Ladilikan // Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet Laila's Wisdom // Rapsody Last Leaf // Danish String Quartet The Lonely, The Lonesome, & The Gone // Lee Ann Womack Métropole // Anomalie Mr Finish Line // Vulfpeck No Shape // Perfume Genius Onism // Photay Out of Land // Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani, Andreas Schaerer, Michael Wollny Painted Ruins // Grizzly Bear Palabras Manuales // Danay Suáres Passin' Thru // Charles Lloyd New Quartet Planetarium // James McAlister, Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly Process // Sampha Pure Comedy // Father John Misty Remembrance // Diggs Duke Twin Solitude // Leif Vollebekk Villains // Queens of the Stone Age Yes Lawd! // NxWorries

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Pam makes her second Halloween appearance. #costumerecycling #pampoovey

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Columbus studio ready for singers! Just a few finishing touches left. :) #franklintonartsdistrict #jessbaldwinvoicestudio (at 400 West Rich)

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Full of happy at my birthday party on Friday, surrounded by wonderful humans. Impromptu sparkler photo session by sweet @zetetic23

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Three wonderful high school students ready to sing their first gig share together. (at Jeremiah's Coffee House)

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Just picked up the keys to my new Columbus studio space at 400 West Rich in #franklintonartsdistrict (at 400 West Rich)

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Gorgeous day to play music at #wvwineandjazz 2017 with @therealfatsnaps @zetetic23 @beanmachine777 @inghram_bass (at West Virginia Wine And Jazz Festival)

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Night 2 watching @esperanzaspalding @lalahhathaway and crew. Amazing.

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Amazing watching @esperanzaspalding and her crew live in the recording studio.

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sound check (at Hoover Auditorium)