MP3 Jocelyn B. Smith - Live in Berlin
A live concert in Berlin famous Jazz Club Quasimodo, music mix of soul, jazz, funk - power for your soul.
13 MP3 Songs in this album (71:30) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Jazz-Pop, SPIRITUAL: Spirituals
People who are interested in John Fogerty Chaka Khan should consider this download.
Details:
Jocelyn B. Smith was born in Queens, New York on the 22nd August 1960. Her parents Joan and Kenneth recognized her passion for music early. Jocelyn started classical music training at the piano with the age of five.
With her basis of over 17 years in classical music, there arose a natural instinct to expand and compliment the many and often chartered waters of music´s dictinctions. Early 80´s Jocelyn was invited to Lenny White’s European tour, which immediately opened an even wider musical world for her. On this tour she was introduced to Marcus Miller who would leave a great musical effect on her music.
One year later, 1982, Jocelyn toured with the band CHANGE which opened up for Rick James as he toured the United States. During that tour Jocelyn became friends with Lisa Fischer, who recieved a Grammy for her work, which was produced by Luther Vandross. Another highlight was singing with Ellen Foley (former Meatloaf) while touring with the Electric Light Orchestra in large stadiums across the USA.
In 1984 during the European "Tribute To Platters" tour and after an appearance in Berlin, Jocelyn decided to stay in Germany. "Berlin is a large, multicultural city like New York, and first of all alive!" so the singer about Berlin. She celebrated her first successes in Berlin playing concerts at the QUASIMODO her, as she says "second homeland". The CD LIVE IN BERLIN was recorded in the Quasimodo and is for many fans an experience of a special class. There is a special spiritual presence in Jocelyn´s music on this recording, wich was taped just 2 weeks before the birth of her first child.
In 1999 the the internationally acclaimed composer HEINER GOEBBELS invited Jocelyn to participate as soloist in his work SURROGATE CITIES. The opus was played live at the Jahrhunderthalle with the Bochum Philharmonic Orchestra, 2001 in Dessau, 2002 in Edinbourg (UK), 2003 in Brisbane (Australia), as well as Luzern (CH) and Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle.
In 2005 she opened LA BIENNALE in Venice (I) at Teatro La Fenice with SURROGATE CITIES, followed by former performances in Modena (I), Bologna (I), Aarhus (DK), in 2006 in Stockholm (SE) with the Royal Symphonic Orchestra and in Groningen (NL) with the Noordnederlands Orkest.
In 1999 while performing with Germany´s Sinatra Harald Juhnke on his farewell tour, Jocelyn and Harald Juhnke were confronted with cultural views of skepticism between Jazz and german text. As a result, considered by the national press and national TV, it was an explosive success. Again another challenge for her achievement, celebration was her´s with the birth of her 2nd child.
In 2001 the Hymn "Amazing Grace" was sung by Jocelyn on Sept 14th 2001 for the mourning demonstration of 200.000 at Berlin´s Brandenburg Gate for the victims and families of 9/11. This song has worldwide been broadcasted by CNN.
After a meeting with MIKIS THEODORAKIS, they developed the idea to work on songs and texts of the greek composer and to translate them into Jocelyn´s language of everexpanding music. MARGARITA is the titel of this CD and it was blessed by Theodorakis as Jocelyn´s discovery of "Greek Gospel". The highlight of this recording is the duett in greek and english with Mikis Theodorakis himself, Schubert’s "Der Lindenbaum". Cheered concerts in Athens with Maria Farantouri and in Delphi followed, with George Dalaras in the antique temple of Apollo where the Oracle of Delphi resided.
For a ficticious meeting of Weill &Gerschwin Jocelyn recieves the JAZZ AWARD of the IFPI in the year 2003 for the CD BLUE LIGHT & NYLONS. The FAZ writes "This woman is an entire work of art itself".
Meanwhile as life calls the mother, creativity and deep faith are the engine of various activities. Jocelyn was asked to sing the translated text of Sir Elton John´s "Circle of Life" for Walt Disney´s film THE LION KING for German speaking countries.
After the success of her special Christmas CD MY CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE in December 2001 BACK TO SOUL appeared in 2002. With over 70 concerts the artist toured through the year. In March 2004 she produced her second soul-"ole school"-album: PHENOMENAL WOMAN - a dedication to Maya Angelou´s classic, with guests like TILL BRÖNNER and TONY LAKATOS.
With 10 albums already under her own label BLONDELL PRODUCTIONS, Jocelyn felt the creative pause nearing. After a concert appearance as opener for Bobby McFerrin in 2004, Jocelyn woodshedded for 1 1/2 years. A creative quietness indeed was the engine that fueled her latest release in Nov 2006: EXPRESSIONZZ (live CD & DVD), an experience in the higher spritual quality of music, texted with poems from the "book of psalms" taken from the Bible. It is the much debated topic of tradion applied to the person and her/his life today. The live taping of EXPRESSIONZZ happend in Berlin’s tRÄNENpALAST - Palace of Tears -, the former known East Border into the DDR. This concert was a dedication to ArchBishop Desmond TuTu in honor of his 75th anniversary, and under the patronage of Berlin´s Mayor, as a gift from the "Rainbow Children of Berlin".
Critics applaud Jocelyn´s Mystic Jazz compoundation with the topic of the journey of the Soul and overboarderal views that scope the much needed bridging of cultural and spritual tolerance. For national critics Jocelyn has always taken much space in her texture applied for vocal signature and persona. In EXPRESSIONZZ it is obious that this "Mystic Voice" applies personal and authentic character to the conceptual depth of this work.
2007 - The year of special concerts and projects like EXPREZZ VOICES-Jocelyn B. Smith calls your voices to come on stage! On the occasion of the 31st Evangelic Church Congress in Cologne, Germany – Jocelyn B. Smith was allowed to sing – EXPRESSIONZZ – during her concert. As a result of this event, in the summer of 2007, the so called homeless-people’s choir “The different voices of Berlin” was founded, and Jocelyn voluntarily teaches and accompanies them to Church Concerts in Berlin.
MUSIC-room – Discovering and using the power of your own voice- Jocelyn B. Smith creates the Music-room in Berlin; music as a healing impulse for body, mind & soul. The work with music as a healing impulse was transmitted to Jocelyn B. Smith since she was a baby – in the 50’s her Grandmother had already founded the "Willia Ruth Hardgrow-Mental-Health-Clinic" in Brooklyn, New York –Jocelyn B. Smith continues the work of her grandmother with this project. In the Music-room she guides and accompanies people, by means of their own voices, on the path of healing and restoring their emotional and psychological health. The approach, to use music, especially the voice therapeutically, is initially carried out individually.
Concert-highlights - Jocelyn B. Smith has a long concert “ExpressionZZ” at the Tipi – the tent at the chancellery. In the summer of 2007, the “Classic Open Air” at the Gedarmenmarkt presents the “American Night”. Jocelyn B. Smith presented here classical works from different musicals. Some of the annual highlights are the Rheingau-Festival and the Kurt-Weill-Fest in Dessau. Here she gave Weill-Gershwin interpretations from her album “Blue Light & Nylons.” Jocelyn B. Smith travels to Turkey and meets there the composer, musician, writer and filmmaker Zülfü Livaneli. She has an inspirational guest appearance at the Bodrum-Festival and right afterwards Livaneli will invite her over again. Jocelyn will sing the newly arranged Livaneli-songs by Henning Schmidt on the popular Turkish TV Late-Night-Show „Beyaz“. She sang at the 56th Federal press ball (Interconti, Berlin) together with the Rock-legend Inga Rumpf. Christmas concerts followed: „my Christmas experience” and others, at the Tipi and in the Kirche zur Heimat – here for the first time with the choir „The different voices of Berlin“.
Encounters – In late autumn at the zoological garden in Berlin, she meets the archbishop and the Peace and Noble Price winner Desmond Tutu and during the placing of the “Global Stone” she sings for him the song „Where can I go from your spirit“ . She had already dedicated this song to him in 2006 during a concert at the tränenPalast. Jocelyn B. Smith accepts an invitation to go to an exhibition opening from Aktionsbündniss https://www.tradebit.com at the Berliner Bundestag. She and other well known people like Kofi Anan, Wolfgang Thierse, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Anne Will, Dieter Hildebrandt, Miroslav Klose and many more support the campaign to combat cluster munitions.
2008 - She shows nowadays her big social commitment as initiator and chairman of the non-profit organization Yes We Can (registered association), which supports children in need, especially the child victims of cluster munitions. With her song “Higher Love” which she sings together with children from Berlin, she intends to draw attention to the fate of these innocent victims and to fight against neglect, like Lady Diana once did with her campaign against landmines.
Building bridges - Music has the power to connect people beyond cultural and language barriers. Germany is especially associated worldwide with classical music, which is a gift for humanity and is accepted gladly around the world.
4 BRIDGES wants to use classical music segments in symbiosis with Jazz, Soul, World music...to allow the music to shine through a new garment. By using classical motives (like J.S. Bach, W.A. Mozart, Ch. Gounodua) Jocelyn B. Smith and her producer Volker Schlott want to fulfil the vision of music appreciation beyond boundaries. They softly build bridges across all music styles and language boundaries.
4 BRIDGES is living communication that overcomes verbal barriers and unfolds its healing power as people from different cultures interact synergetically.
Jocelyn B. Smith formed her own choir specifically for this experiment. They performed for the first time on the 5thof July 2008 at the American festival during the opening of the American embassy in Berlin.