Have I mentioned that I am a singer? It’s true, I’m a soprano, drawn towards the jazz end of the musical spectrum, Jazz, gospel, stuff with rhythm… Rythym and harmony … Looooooove harmony.
Singing is my joy, I can’t help myself, sometimes I find myself singing at all sorts of weird moments but I am pretty ok at it, so usually people smile when I launch into a chorus of “Summertime” or “Paper Moon” rather than look at me like I’m off my nut… (they save that for other times… )
Anyway, I came to Sydney to study singing and completed a three year course at the end of 2001. It was great, not just the singing but the best mates I made, Surf was one of them actually, but he’s not a singer… Kirky was another, she’s my best mate and the mother of my godson… and a singer too.
But I digress…
… I mostly employed my skill in our church, singing on Sundays, or Saturdays, both in the choir and on the ‘frontline’ where the big singers sing. But… (you knew there was a but coming right?)
But… one of the casualties of the rather difficult work situation of the last 3 years was that there really didn’t seem to be any way to do all the things I needed to do and so unfortunately, and against my will, I gave it up.
Fully… no singing… Not a bit.
Ghastly.
I used to sing in a real live black gospel choir in Montgomery County, Md, USA and with the Whangarei Harmony Chorus where foundations of my love of jazz harmony and a capella music were set. Passions? they seek to be indulged and here I was, harbouring an itch without a scratch…
Because there was a New Year, and because the state of work resolved itself in 2004, the urge to do something with the singing thing become unbearable, so I began to explore options to exorcise it, this time outside of church context.
I answered an ad in the paper and went along to rehearsal. As soon as we started to sing I felt as if I were an amputee whose arm had been sewn back on.
So? Now I sing with ‘Jonah and the Wailers’. (Sorry about the name, they had it before I got there… ) an amateur chorus which has about 60 members who rehearse in separate locations across Sydney and all get together to perform gigs once a term. It felt so good to be doing it again that I called Kirky all excited and told her all about it, and you know what?
Now she’s a Wailer too…