True Stories: Jazz According to Jesse Boyd

When I think about jazz, I think the late, great Norman Granz of Verve Records said it best, “Jazz is played and listened to by all people -- in harmony together.  Pigmentation differences have no place.  As in genuine democracy, only performance counts.” 

Jazz lovers in New Orleans agree, Jesse Boyd’s performance counts. In fact, his music has such widespread appeal, that on any given night, you will find him performing with the distinguished Charmaine Neville, Ingrid Lucia, Leah Chase, Bob French, Michael Pellera, Troy Davis, or Ellis Marsalis, to name a few.  Aside from performing on stage nightly, Jesse is also a professor of music at Loyola University.

Born in Greenville, N.C., Jesse is the son of a Pentacostal minister.  His youth, was immersed in gospel music, as he spent many hours in church with his father and brother.  Partnering with his family, 12-year-old Jesse recorded his first album.  Later that year, he recorded several other gospel albums, too. 

Jesse spent his high school years in Boise, Idaho.  While attending Capital High, he joined the choir - the Capital Singers - and recorded yet another album.  At age 18, he moved to Los Angeles, Calif., and rocked with many touring bands.

Jesse realized the life of a rocker wasn’t for him, so he decided to move to New Orleans to finish his education.  After receiving his bachelor’s from Loyola University, he continued to study music under Bill Huntington and Ellis Marsalis, and obtained his master’s in jazz studies from the University of New Orleans.

Influenced by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Paul Chambers and Bill Evans, the musically gifted Jesse Boyd can play any instrument, but his personal choice is the upright bass. His musical style ranges from an accompanying melody, to the conversational counterpart.  One thing is dazzlingly apparent - the uniqueness of Jesse’s sound is simply marvelous.  And, mastering the sound is something he stresses to his students.

True Stories, his recently released CD, is about people, places and events in his life.  The elegant sound of a jazz trio flavored with a touch of Latin, a kiss of funk and a dash of blues, ensures this CD has something for everyone. Torn Meadow is about divorce.  Big Pine is about partying in the Florida Keys on Big Pine Key.  Jessica was written for his children, Jessica and Dylan, when they were small.  Philip St. was written to celebrate the joy of being home after Hurricane Katrina.  Uptown Blues, my personal favorite, was written to introduce the 12-bar blues to one of his classes.  (Hmm—if the nuns who taught my music classes would have done something like this, I’d still be playing!)

In these, as in the other songs on True Stories, you can feel the passion of Jesse Boyd’s heart, as you listen to the emotion of every note.

Happy listening y’all …

2011 Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake

2011 Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake, a set on Flickr.

Stirred by an autumn breeze, the turning leaves of the trees rustled in the wind. Cool temperatures and clear skies created the perfect setting for the Second Annual Harvest Balloon Festival at Sterling on the Lake in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

In case you didn’t know, the hot air balloon is the oldest, successful, human-carrying flight technology. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created on December 14, 1782 by the Montgolfier brothers.

Sterling on the Lake bustled, while people gathered amidst of colorful hot air balloons as they filled with heated air, expanding slowly like behemoths stretching after a long sleep. The balloons covered the park-like setting with color and form. And then, they slowly, majestically, silently lifted off the ground, floating up into the sky. There they paused shortly, hanging like ornaments decorating the blue sky, before flying off.

Later, guests celebrated fall with pumpkin carvings, hayrides, face paintings, tasty treats, games, and live music throughout the day.

The celebration ended with a balloon glow that evening. It was quite extraordinary to behold, as one hot-air balloon after the other ignited its burner … and, finally, all of them were lit up, creating a beautiful effect against the evening sky.

Admission into the festival was free.  Money raised through parking fees and purchases benefited the National Military Family Association, which provides support to families of the military, and Challenged Child and Friends, an organization that serves children with disabilities through educational, therapeutic, nursing and family counseling services.

Fall for Apples

R & A Orchards, a set on Flickr. 

There is something special about picking apples in the fall.  Ellijay, Georgia - located about an hour and a half north of Atlanta - offers the ultimate apple picking experience. R & A Orchards (http://randaorchards.com/), a family-operated orchard that is open year-round, is a must-see!  It provides an intimate experience in picking apples without the masses.  Of the several orchards visited, R & A was – by far – my favorite.  Nothing beats southern charm and a gracious staff!

R & A Orchards was established in1947, when Ann Futch’s father, Leonard Payne, planted his first tree.  A visit would not be complete without hearing “Miss Ann” tell you the story of her father and how/why he started the abundant orchards.

My leisurely walk in the orchards started with a lesson.  I learned that apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the center, so the apples on the outside of the tree will ripen first. Picking apples directly from a tree is easy. Roll the apple upwards off the branch and give a little twist; don't pull straight away from the tree. If two apples are joined together at the top, both will come away at the same time. Don't shake the trees or branches. Once picked, leave the stem on the apples … they will last longer.

Winding through the numerous rows of trees, I stopped on several occasions to take in the beauty of the landscape.  I spent about an hour roaming the orchards and picking apples. 

My advice:  if you are going on the weekend, it is best to get a very early start.  It does get a bit crowded in the afternoon.   

Being a lover of history, below is a bit of apple history:

Apples originated in the Middle East (in an area between the Caspian and the Black Seas) more than 4000 years ago! They were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans. Apples arrived in England around the time of the Norman Conquest (in 1066) and English settlers brought them to America in the 1600 and 1700s.

Johnny Appleseed really did exist; his name was John Chapman, and he was born on September 26,1774 near Leominster, Massachusetts.

Apple Facts:

• 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
• 7500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.
• About 100 different varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States.
• Apples are grown commercially in 36 states.
• Apples are grown in all 50 states.
• Europeans eat about 46 pounds of apples annually.
• 61 percent of United States apples are eaten as fresh fruit.
• 39 percent of apples are processed into apple products; 21 percent of this is for juice and cider.
• The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
• Apples are a great source of pectin. One apple has five grams of fiber.
• The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit produce!
• Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
• Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.
• In Europe, France, Italy and Germany are the leading apple producing countries.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 bushel boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.
• 25 percent of an apple's volume is air … that is why they float.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
• Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.
• In Colonial America, apples were called winter bananas or melts-in-the-mouth.
• China is the leading producer of apples.  The U.S. is number 2 and then Turkey, Poland and Italy.
• Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
• One of George Washington's hobbies was pruning his apple trees.
• America's longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard, and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866.