janice's Experience

Most nights I play solo piano at the Center Bar in the Time Warner Building in NYC. I know a lot of songs. A lot. This I think makes me pretty, shall we say, salable. And, I keep trying to learn more. I’m pretty open to different genres, but I play them all with the jazz intention of really making it my own. I play this background gig as musically as possible, while also looking out for who is there and what they might want. Being a person that likes people has helped. My afternoons are often spent playing on a boat called The Bateaux. On this I get to sing as well as talk to folks. My friendly skills definitely help. I try to be authentic and have fun. This allows the folks to be that way as well. Otherwise, I play all sorts of other gigs- big band gigs around town, small group, backing up vocalists. My favorite thing is when I get to play at one of the nice jazz clubs with my trio such as at Kitano or Mezzrow. I have a Live at Kitano CD that I’m pretty proud of. I’ve played pretty much all around the world and the country, in many different high profile places as well as the dives. Being willing or even driven, shall I say to be authentic and creative helps. I always want it to groove. I always want the music to make people feel- the musicians on the bandstand- I want them to feel heard and that there is real response there. The people in the audience, I want them to trust and follow the flow and enjoy. It’s about trust and love. I make this the first priority and that helps keep the ego at bay. Speaking of CD’s, I have maybe 4 or 5 as a leader and about 25 approximately as a side person. They are all available thru www.CDBaby.com. One is trio before I started singing, one is trio w/vocals on all cuts where it’s pretty much split between my own tunes and well known standards. Then I have one that’s solo piano w/a few vocals. And, the mos recent is The Live at Kitano CD. The good thing about NYC is that you can’t stop and rest. Everybody is working hard at their music. I’m no different. My free time, which is not much, is spent working on music- practicing, composing, working on lyrics, arranging or doing rehearsals or jam sessions. I’ve been teaching since the age of 9 all different things- piano, jazz, improv, composition, theory, teaching vocalists what vocalists need. I spent a decade teaching at Rutgers in Newark and now pick and choose my students here at my home. I think my ability to figure out what the person needs, what they want to know and how they learn has helped me as a teacher. I feel like I’m a combination of loose, easygoing and type A and this combo helps to make teaching music both fun and also clear. It helps me make the lesson work for the individual. I’m a believer in sharing the music. We all want to be the best. That is human nature. But, musicians are my family and I can almost always hear the good in what folks are striving for. I’m with them.