Lauren Kinhan

Hyssop’s Whisper
July 21, 2024
By Lauren Kinhan

I don’t know the poplar, I don’t know the reason
footsteps in the forest start at the beginning

Trees in perfect union timber in the middle
Good luck dodging branches, this is your decision

following the path unknown
Sticks and stones can break the conversation
Like mythical creatures under leaves
Knocking over limbs in lines
Stepping over hard tripping vines

I am a nomad in this admission
shaking every branch till it knows
the raven’s cry, the hyssop’s whisper
And the buzzing of the bees

Watching my morning animations and learning.

Doesn’t matter the candidate anymore, just vote Democrats down the ticket. There are too many extreme thinkers interested in squashing your voice, entering your bedroom and removing the safeguards that make checks and balances….balance.

Say what you like about Biden, but I’m all in and praying the trickery and frustration one feels with the choices don’t dissuade you from voting and fighting for the value system that is for among other things:

WOMAN’S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
VOTING RIGHTS
LGBTQ+ RIGHTS
HEALTH CARE
CLIMATE ADVOCACY
GUN REGULATIONS
RAISING UP EVERYONE, NOT A PAN-EUROCENTRIC POPULATION
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
REMAINING IN NATO
EDUCATION AS A RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE

GAS PRICES AND SUPER MARKET PRICES ARE REAL CONCERNS, but EVERY PRESIDENT HAS HAD TO RUN ON THESE ISSUES. THE POLICIES, HUMANITY AND COMPASSION A CANDIDATE EXHIBITS and ADVOCATES FOR WILL DICTATE WHAT THEY WILL LEVERAGE AND IMPOSE UPON THE COUNTRY AND THAT SHOULD BE THE KITCHEN TABLE WE’RE ALL PREPARED TO SET, SIT AND COMMUNE AROUND.

ITS TIME TO BE REALLY REALLY SMART AND STEADFAST. PROJECT 2025 MEANS TO HARM AND EXCLUDE EVERYONE THAT IS OTHER, AND SURELY DISEMPOWER AND DISENFRANCHISE ANYONE THAT STANDS IN THE WAY OF THAT IDEOLOGY. SO IF YOU ARE A TRUMPER, THESE ARE THE VALUE SYSTEMS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS PEDDLING. IF YOU ARE IN LINE WITH THEM, I CANT THINK OF A MORE UN-AMERICAN VALUE SYSTEM TO BE MANIFESTING INTO SYSTEMIC DOMINATION.

VOTE, RESIST, REMEMBER

What is Project 2025? Project 2025 Explained | 5 Criticisms of Project 2025 Have you heard about Project 2025? In this video, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about Project 2025 including 5 criticisms. Remember, if you dis...

You Can Be Good Without Being Great

Its cogs and wheels at work
Its best of the worst all the time
You give what you will and take what you want
And leave all the wee bits behind

You grieve what you never had
And love idols circumspect
Literal dummies and half baked ideas
Where permission to hate is the bait

You’re dazed and confused
Driving flags
crying foul on four wheels
God is great, God is good
‘Specially when you can get them to claim…

you are right all the time
You’ll find any excuse to be mean
To the ones you don’t like
Women, black, yellow, queens of the night

Throw the book at ‘em all
when they’re ‘Them’ they mean nothing at all
To the small and unsure …..
You can be good without being great

-Lauren Kinhan
June 25, 2024

Hello Summertime people.

I just got home from the UK and a little birdie told me a few spots have opened up for our annual WMU-NYV Vocal Jazz Camp!!! What! We sure hope this inspires you to join us and dig in for some good singing, laughing and learning.

Register Today and we'll see you soon. Go to newyorkvoices.com for more info.

Moss's Reunion at Joe's Pub was Radiant
Individually and collectively wonderful are these 5 singers

Thank you Rob Lester for following our little musical collective. With a few more gigs we could call ourselves a band with a capital B!!!!

It's been a week since we wandered into Joe's and shared a set of songs. I'm still buzzing from the vibe and the senses it woke up to encourage the intrepid veteran artists to keep going. Maybe we should.....

Review: MOSS's Reunion at Joe's Pub Is Radiant MOSS sang at Joe's Pub almost 20 years ago before making their first (and, so far, only) album. The occasional reunion of this group is an occasion for rejoicing! They were back for one of their regions and sound splendid. They are MOSS and they are marvelous.

My girl Janis Siegel is on the air at WBGO.org with Lezlie Harrison right now raising money and promoting their segment they have taken over for our beloved Michael Bourne, Singers Unlimited. This show is so important to our singer’s community. Let’s show the love this morning.

WBGO - Homepage | WBGO Discover Jazz Anywhere, Anytime, on Any Device - WBGO

Moss - Reimagined and Replanted

MOSS: Replanted Grab a chaise while they last We're tilling the soil and waking up the music that lays under that lush green carpet of earth. Tunes from the record and new works being debuted. It'll be a garden to roam. Featuring Keith Ganz, Kobie Watkins and Butler Knowles in Durham and reuniting with our Moss producer Ben Wittman and Matt Aro...

I have known this fabulous young woman since she and Ella were in LaGuardia High School together. She always approached her passion for music with her eyes, ears and arms wide open. She is a maverick, a magnet, a creator and a positive light.

Since she has been at Berklee, she has been zeroing in on her path, collecting her musical heritage and working very very hard to bring it to life in her own likeness. Her voice is absolutely gorgeous, her mission is contagious and she is launching her plan. I cannot recommend any higher offering your generosity to her crowd funding page.

Manuela Sánchez Goubert, I’m following you and your story!! Go get it. You are a leader big time and we’re lining up!!!

Brava Diva!!

Last night NYU Village Voices brought the house down!! So much deep singing, intention and inspiration, Janis Siegel and I could not be any more pleased. An ambitious and varietal set, as pictured, we visited Brazil and Paris, eras near and far, and just plain had a ball.

In addition, of our 14 VV singers, we have 11 graduating seniors!!!!! We are so grateful to have worked with these amazing humans and look forward to them coming back to visit us throughout the years. And as a result, VV is nearly a total rebuild for the Fall. Let’s go NYU, we want to hear from you in August and join our family singing circus!

Thanks to the trio, especially our devoted accompanist Yuma Sung!! We adore you!

Have a fabulous summer, wherever the sun takes you, Janis and I will be waiting with bells on in the fall.

As the final credits begin to roll, Ella Marcus is completing so many mile markers in Boston.

This week she showcased with her fellow BoCo graduating seniors for the Boston audience. It was such a treat watching so many of her friends we have known and watched blossom over the last five years strut their stuff!! Bravo Tutti. We’re headed to the NYC showcase next week!

And then today Ella performed at the annual Women in Law event produced at Northeastern University. NEU has the highest enrollment of women studying law. How cool is that? And this room full of great thinkers are doing such important work everyday. Last year the focus was on “Reproductive Rights are Human Rights.” This year it’s on Voting Rights. Now more than ever women must vote as a block to wrestle back the reins that are being ripped from us.

Ella sang a stripped down version of “Just a Girl” by Gwen Stefani. It rang in the room intensely with all its strange irony and truth and a standing ovation later, she thanked them all for their important work and advocacy. We all have to serve however we can to fight for the groups that need to be fought for, and most times there are too many, but pick a lane, pick a song and aim true and somehow, be a part of the fight where you can! We’re grateful Mielle Marquis has asked Ella to be a part of this important conference for the last four years and we’re ready to show up any time should the offer still stand in years to come.

The keynote speaker this year was Juliette Kayyem who is a power Goddess in Homeland Security, a special CNN news consultant and all round go getter. We were moved and motivated by her speech, again reminding us to Name what we see, and don’t give oxygen to the lie and liars. If we can be more neutral in recognizing when inspirational speech is actually triggering people to use violence, politics are not important, only the underlaying violence that it’s trying to spirit and encourage. We were in a room full of brilliant woman and it made us feel just a tiny bit more hopeful. Thank you and keep doing the good work.

Hey Friends,

This is my last planned solo concert until the fall!!!! Come out and hear new music I've been working on in preparation of my next solo recording. Be the first to hear what's been rumbling around my crowded, curious mind. PLUS, I've invited my soon to be college graduate daughter Ella Marcus to sit in on a few tunes, as well as other special guests....It's gonna be a swell, not to miss kind of night. Get your tickets today!!!

May 5th
Birdland Theater
Sets 7:00 and 9:30 PM
https://www.birdlandjazz.com/tm-event/lauren-kinhan-band/

Featuring the wonderful and charming Sean Fitzpatrick, Marcello Pellitteri, and Dean Johnson

Gotta fill both these shows, so please help me spread the word and pack the house!!!

Hello Friends and DC area Music Lovers,

NYV will be playing at the iconic Blues Alley in Washington DC April 18th through the 21st. We are part of the annual Ella Fitzgerald Great American Songbook Competition presenting two concerts every night - 7 and 9 PM - while celebrating all the events surrounding the crowning the new winner.

Come out and see spring busting out all over and NYV busting in for a delightful residency.

Get your tickets today and tell your friends.

https://www.bluesalley.com/events

Come to my show this Tuesday at the Zinc. Love to see you.

Here's a little news for your Sunday reading.

Have a Happy Day

Scaling Life Where it leads, nobody knows....

Hello NYC Friends,

I have two sets at the fabulous Zinc Bar on March 5 with my pals Sean Fitzpatrick, Dean Johnson and Marcello Pellitteri. Sets are 7:00 and 8:30 PM. We'll be doing lots of music from my tribute to Nancy Wilson as well as other torchy offerings.

If you haven't been to the new and re-swanked Zinc Bar, it has all that old world charm, plus new plush seating to sink into while you sip on an elixir or two from the talented mixologists.

Get your tickets today and tell your snazzy friends.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/charlescarlinipresents

As the wagon pulls up to the venue for load out, we have one more matinee to put a bow on this lovely experience working with The Washington Ballet, The Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, choreographer Dwight Rhoden and all the folks at The Kennedy Center.

Being up close and personal with this ballet company has given me the opportunity to see we are who we believe we are. There is so much thoughtfulness and love between and among the dancers, their production team and the mission they are committed to. Respect, admiration, love and collective expectation bind them to a unified vision…I imagine this is true for each show they perform, because what is on display is a vibe that is practiced and honed to a perfect plie.

After every performance, the curtain falls and once we are in private, applause amongst the company breaks out, soaking wet hugs are exchanged with smiles so wide my heart gives a tug. It’s joy, it’s life’s accomplishment’s great sigh before leaving the energized space that was alive only moments before with collective bodies, voices and instruments moving to a final crescendo.

Call me lucky, you should. Whether attending a performance or being part of it, energy is energy and perspective is everything.

Here are some more behind the curtain photos that show the deep spirit and camaraderie of this ballet company.

And if you want one final chance to see flying bodies meet swinging sounds, you should catch the 2PM matinee at the Eisenhour Theater.

Thank you Washington DC, you kissed me on the cheek.

Lauren Kinhan News

I'd love to see you at the upcoming concerts and events. 2024 is off to a great start.

RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT WOOPS, there goes January. I'm back on my pony, or should I say the Long Island Expressway. The City has been calling my name in ways it hasn't for years, and now I'm visiting my old friend, my old stomping grounds, and coaxing opportunities out of every corner. It's cold outside, but not for the fa...

I'm looking forward to playing at the Jazz Forum in Tarrytown this Sunday, Feb 4th. Sets are 4 and 6 PM. Joining me at this lovely Brazilian Brunch are Sean Fitzpatrick, Dean Johnson, Marcello Pellitteri. We'd love to see you there.

Lauren Kinhan Brazilian Quartet feat. Marcello Pellitteri Lauren Kinhan at Jazz Forum. Sunday, February 4, 2024, 4PM , Tarrytown, NY

A great New York City Day.…try to recreate, you can’t….yet…wake up another day and beat the pavement and watch the people and places change.

I started teaching at The New School and met my 8 new students who I’m thrilled to be spiriting along the music discovery path. Let’s Go new chapter!

I walked 10 blocks north to David Darlington’s recording studio where Janis Siegel is producung her Vocalese record. She pulled charts out of her archives she has long been wanting to put a stamp on and we’re lucky she nudged JaLaLa out of repose to sing a couple songs. It was an absolute thrill to be in a real studio instead of my livingroom and recording with live, breathing, singing bodies. I just plain forgot what in the room chemistry can do for one’s soul. Laurel Masse sounds as beautiful as ever and well, Janis…she’s killing it. She has other special guests and the band swings so hard, no surprise with John Di Martino at the helm. Stay tuned for the release date.

And then I walked another 20 blocks north to Birdland Theater where I heard the bell tones of rising star Joie Bianco. I’ve known her since she was 15 and there are many other New Yorkers who have been following this whipper snapper even longer. Tone for days, soul and swing flow in equal parts with always a quick wit and engagement with her audience. Her band was on point and her best friends visited the stage twice to share another emerging vocal trio, Sun House Singers (Kate Kortum and June). Gosh can these young women sing. Soloists, all of them, and then they unite and it’s so special. That’s what friendship sounds like in music, their years together learning, laughing and exploring the planet are the roots of their sound. I can’t wait to hear where that adventure takes them. Go forth and create.

It was nice to be on the town, visiting with the debonair Jim Caruso who is always fresh and fabulous, hugging Gabrielle Stravelli who is one of my fave singers and bumping into old friends left and right. New York, you are a beguiling city.

I peeked in on Dee Dee Bridgewater who is tearing the building down with soul, sass and swing. You better go see her at Birdland.

Thanks to my dear pal Jessica Webster Sendra who spontaneously joined me for the evening frivolities. She connected with a lot of new talent to program into her beloved radio show on WEMU 89.1, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Thanks for reading. 11,323 steps later, I’m grateful for days like that that show me I have a few more miles left on the engine.

Tonight, 7:30 and 9 PM, Mezzrow, NYC

Tickets:
https://www.smallslive.com/events/27086-lauren-kinhan-sean-fitzpatrick-dean-johnson/?fbclid=IwAR0_L0ErdSLE46oZCXp6OnjJ87hRKFWABqCLU7p0--nCcSH8zApW6smdc4s

I had a wonderful time directing the Nassau All County Vocal Jazz Choir at Tilles Center. These student brought beautiful musicianship, spirit and voice to their work and filled the room with so much joy. I think fast friendships were made and many new seedlings took root in singing jazz. Lighting the match and keeping it burning is what we hope we accomplished.

Thank you to Christina Ciannamo and Kelli Chiarelli for inviting me. You are doing great things. Keep it up.

And it was great to work again with Robin Hall, who has a legacy of teaching vocal jazz on Long Island.

Mark your calendars and enjoy an intimate set of standards and originals with my band at New York's treasured listening room.

Hope to see you there.

Thanks for the swell evening in McMinnville and the Mac KeyNote Concert Series. Dana Libonati and his family curate a wonderful monthly event and I was happy to be the final show of the year featuring Randy Porter, Timothy Rap and Garret Baxter. It was made extra special to have my daughter and nieces join me on my Christmas original Holiday Kisses. The joy was overflowing.

The next day we enjoyed this groovy little town, thrifting and hanging at the spooky Oregon Hotel, where ghosts and aliens loom large.

Happy New Year to all, may the aliens finally show up to help us right our upside down planet.

New York Voices Winter Weather Schedule

Plus, this Friday, Nov 17, we're celebrating one of the first mentors of New York Voices. Dave Grusin of GRP Records launched our career among so many others artists. A luminous cast of musicians will be lighting up NJPAC with lots of Music and Memories. This is a not to be missed Sentimental Journey.

Hope we see you at the upcoming Holiday shows, too!!

https://conta.cc/3QVZR1d

The Holidays are Upon Us! We're celebrating Dave Grusin this week at NJPAC - Join Us. So Many Stars Under One Roof! New York Voices Holiday Tour     And a very special Celebration Concert for Dave Grusin, A Life in Music Novem

Lauren Kinhan Concerts and Events - Kansas City, New York City, and New Jersey!!! Hope to see you there.

Falling into Song Dear Friends, As the leaves turn their various shades of red, orange and yellow, I'm raking up songs from past and present to share in some upcoming settings. If you've ever had to go back in time and put on that old favorite sweater, inevitably, it doesn't fit the same, it doesn't feel the same, bu...

Lauren Kinhan - Summer News and Manifestations

Summer Events and Manifestations Lauren Kinhan

Hello Arizonans,

I'm playing Tucson and Phoenix, March 16 and 18 respectively. Come on by. Love to see you.

To Do List For This Week! LAUREN KINHAN with the Martin Bejerano Trio The Arizona Collab plays Tucson and Phoenix The Desert Calls My Name Oceans have been my resting places for most of my life, but having grown up in the wilds of the desert, I feel a deep connection to the rugged Saguaro forests and architecturally expressive mountains. And those sunsets.... drive into a few of them and there is no turning bac...

Hello Arizona,

I'm here in my old stomping ground, presenting two show with some fabulous musicians. You gotta come out and see us! I'm playing with one of my favorite pianists, Martin Bejerano, and some wonderful local artists, Arthur Vint and Colin Mcllrath.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

March 16 - The Century Room, Tucson
March 18 - The Nash, Phoenix

Tickets:
The Century Room
https://dice.fm/event/7q6ob-lauren-kinhan-with-the-martin-bejerano-trio-16th-mar-the-century-room-tucson-tickets?_branch_match_id=1059089479217632559&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXz8nMy9ZLyUxO1UvL1Y8wt0wxMjdKNE0xTAMAa6tySCEAAAA%3D

The Nash:
https://thenash.org/events/2023-03-18/

https://conta.cc/3EpddNS

New York Voices Dropping A Note of Thanks Check out the Tour Dates!!!! Thanks for the Great Summer Bring on the Fall!     Dear Friends, We figured the best way to say thank you for the summer is by sharing the rushes of our collaborations. Ge

Here Comes the Movement!!

Help me raise money for important women’s rights causes by enjoying this free download!!

Join me in using art as the great defier and changer!!!!

Here Comes the Son "Here Comes the Son" speaks to the 2022 overturning of Roe vs. Wade and how the United States is quickly moving from Anti Choice to Anti Woman. This anthem, written shortly after Kinhan heard the leaked draft from the SCOTUS stands in protest and calls it a betrayal of trust of the 50.5% of the popu...