https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl3tU79VWI8

In 1988, I arrived in the US ready to start a career as a jazz musician. So my boyfriend (now husband for over 20 years) Peter Kienle and I formed a fusion group with a bassist and drummer from the University of Alabama where I was completing a Master’s Degree. But one day during rehearsals, I noticed that the bassist didn’t address his questions about my charts to me, but rather to Peter.  He asked Peter what ‘she’ wanted him to play.  I realized that it was very difficult for him to communicate directly because everything about me was different – I was female, I had a foreign accent, and my music was different too.

That’s when I started to search for role models, others that were like me.  As a fan of Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz show on NPR, I looked a bit closer at her history.  When she arrived in New York in 1950 together with her new husband, trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, she started her 10-year residency with her trio at the Hickory House. Her first review, from critic Leonard Feather began by noting she had “three strikes against her: she’s English, white and a woman.”  She managed to take exactly those three strikes and use them as the foundation of her extremely successful and long career. 

Today, we have many role models who are contributing their unique voices to the art form jazz.  My dream with this project is to showcase some of these iconic jazz women from all over the world who unfortunately still don’t get the recognition they deserve.  They inspire our next generation of musicians and audiences, just like Marian McPartland inspired me.  And so we are bringing you these iconic women on CD, DVD, on sheet music and more so you can hear, feel, and see what we already know – the power and excitement that these stars are creating for audiences all over the world.  The Whole World in Her Hands was released on Whaling City Sounds in June 2016 with the support of our initial crowdvunding campaign. The group completed a major release tour September 21-October 1, 2016 and was back in the studio October 3-5, 2016. The tour and recording were documented on video towards a full-length documentary. SHEroes will be released April 27, 2018.

The Featured Artists 

Some of the artists participating in the journey are world renowned jazz guitarist/ vocalist Leni Stern, Juno Award winning and Grammy nominated saxophone/ flute player Jane Bunnett, rising star drummer Arianna Fanning, Australian bassist Anna Butters, Lincoln Center Jazz All-Star and Duke Ellington band bassist Jennifer Vincent, Guggenheim Fellow and multi-award winning flutist, Jamie Baum, Cuban percussionist, band leader – currently touring with the O’Jays -  Mayra Casales, New York’s most-in-demand bassist Linda Oh, Motema recording artist Lakecia Benjamin, Grammy nominated Ingrid Jensen, and Italian saxophone phenomenon Ada Rovatti. All of these women have chosen jazz as their expressive voice despite many economic and social hurdles. 

The Investment

In order to showcase the talent of these outstanding musicians at the level they deserve, many resources are needed. The first recording and video documentation of The Whole World in Her Hands were completed in two recording sessions in New York, one at NYU and one at Avatar Studios.  Producer Suzi Reynolds has produced hundreds of recordings for artists such as Rufus Reid, Freddie Cole, Lynne Arriale, Diane Reeves, and many more.  Grammy-award winning engineer Michael O’Reilly also produces sound for the Letterman show.  My personal investment in this project was beyond $ 20,000 for studio costs, artist costs, video footage, engineering, etc for the first recording and a similar amount will be needed for the second recording, production, and video documentation.  The initial  campaign raised $ 10,000 towards the mixing and production of the first audio CD, sales recouped most of the additional costs.  The second CD was recorded at Teaneck Sound in New Jersey, produced by Suzi Reynolds, and is now in the Mastering process. I invested $ 10,000 of my personal funds and need support to complete the mixing and mastering process as my funds have run out. We live in the era of renting music and record label support especially in jazz has dwindled to mere distribution as most labels have gone out of business or had to change their models. Audiences are now the direct support system of artists and your pre-order of the music is crucial in making recording projects reality - in fact, by pre-ordering your copy now you can ensure that all your funds go directly to the artist. Thank you for your support!

Ways You Can Help

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about this extraordinary group of role models. Pre-order your copy now with any extras you desire and consider a lasting impression on the CD cover art by becoming an Executive Producer.  I understand if financial support might not be possible at this time, you can also help by sharing the link and info with your friends and we hope you will join us on this exciting global journey, your support means the world to us.