Greetings to everyone at JMDL! I was trying to catch up with all of the digests before writing to you, but alas, I've only made it through mid-December. My heart was too full with the desire to say hello to this wonderful group of friends and to let you know that I missed you all terribly.
At the time of the last Jonifest, I was grappling with the beginning of some deep personal issues, but seeing all of the Jonilistas was such an encouragement to both Rob and myself. He thought you were the greatest people he'd ever met, and he really wants to come back to Jonifest 2003. Shortly after our return to Maryland and on top of my other personal dilemmas, we had to deal with the sniper attacks. It turns out the perpetrators were caught in the town right next to me, Clinton, MD. (I live in Waldorf) To make matters worse, I caught the Metro in Clinton every day to go to work in Washington, DC. As Lori from Maryland can also attest to, the whole thing took a huge emotional toll on the area. It was like winning the lottery in reverse. You never knew if it would be your turn. Waldorf's only saving grace is that it is riddled with (long) stop lights and is a very hard place to get out of quickly. Most of us here will not even discuss the sniper attacks because the wounds are still too fresh. We're trying very hard to get on with our lives and life almost came to a stand still at that time. So I am now trying to get back to the musical part of my life. I've met some people in the area in the music business and have even had the chance to play a gig replacing someone who canceled at the last minute. The audience was small, but I realized finally, that I can play live and do well at it. The jazz scene here is unbelievable and for that reason alone, I know I made the right decision to move to the DC Metro area. As I start playing out more, I'll keep everyone posted. After coming through this personal ordeal, I realize that I am stronger than I thought I was and my confidence level has risen tremendously. I plan on going back to Ohio to redo my vocals on the CD and to add a few things I thought were lacking, and then I will make the push to release a serious CD. I plan on including "Edith and the Kingpin" because it is one of the greatest songs Joni has ever written. I wonder if she feels comfortable with artists paying homage to her by recording her songs and I wonder if she has a problem being a legend to others because that is what she is to me. Speaking of Joni, I am very intrigued about T'log and can't wait to hear it. As I was reading the many posts on the subject, Billie Holiday came to my mind as well. There are many differing views on her voice in her later years. I especially liked the post by William Chavez on 12/15/02 which made me think. My wanting to do one of her songs is out of the deepest and utmost respect. I think she should allow herself to be a musical legend and if she's not already doing it, she should allow herself to sit back and feel the affection from those of us who have loved her for years. She should just be the icon she is. If T'log isn't as good a recording project as her previous works, for me, it can't take away what she's already accomplished. I think that for every time, there is a season and that I want to let her life take it's natural course. This is just my personal opinion, but if her voice wanes, it wanes. She's still my Joni. I am one of the few that appreciates Billie Holiday in her later years. I love the scratchiness of Satchmo and the growl of Tom Waits. I love individuality and wish I were a stronger person to stand up for my own. Just wanted to add a last note to let Mark from Seattle know that he will be sorely missed and to let Ashara know that my heart goes out you for your loss of your best friend, Pippin. I miss you all and will hopefully be in contact on a regular basis with the list. In the meantime, feel free to drop me a line at [EMAIL PROTECTED] I love you all! Sherelle
