Voting for THE JOHN LENNON AWARDS is open through April 27, 2012. Our song CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON is a Round II Grand Prize Winner and is now competing in a head-to-head online voting battle to become the Lennon Awards Winner in the World category! The song that receives the highest number of votes in its category will be declared the LENNON AWARD WINNER for that category!

TO VOTE FOR CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON IN THE WORLD CATEGORY:
Use this link to go to the home page

http://www.jlsc.com/

Find this image on the homepage  to vote

WHEN YOU VOTE:

Follow the prompts, you will be asked to enter your birthday and email address. You will receive a  confirmation e-mail from Sonicbids. You’ll have to use the confirmation email to cast your first vote. Every day after that you can go to JLSC.com and vote once a day until April 27 midnight. Please share this with your friends.

REMEMBER YOU CAN VOTE ONCE EVERY DAY

HOW CAN I THANK YOU ?

***Don’t delete the confirmation email because, if you forward it to: info@kjdenhert.com  you could be chosen for a Free Brunch for you and a guest at Smoke Jazz during my weekly residency of Saturday Sessions in April or May 2012, or  receive a complimentary ticket for you and a guest at one of our late shows at The 55 Bar every other Saturday!!

FORWARD YOUR CONFIRMATION E MAIL AND WRITE  “SMOKE BRUNCH” OR “LATE SHOW 55 BAR” in the body of the e-mail and we’ll reply to tell you how to take advantage and what dates are available. DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE.  If you don’t live in NY or can’t attend a show but would like to receive a free download, just say so in the email you forward. You’re already receiving the option of a Free Download of Choose Your Weapon – just for visiting the contest page! You’ll be able to hear the complete song and the other Round I Grand Prize winner’s song as you vote.

Download:  Choose Your Weapon from the winners page at John Lennon Songwriting Contest

THANK YOU:

Thanks so much. I have never made much of a big deal promoting the idea of getting votes, I never want to bother anyone.  I usually post a link and figure whatever happens will happen.  This time, the prizes are so very helpful to an indie musician like me, that I am asking for everyone’s help. Choose Your Weapon played a pivotal role on my Album No. 9 by winning the 2011 Independent Music Award in the category Sing Out For Social Action. I believe the song is aligning with it’s larger purpose and winning this award will get the message out in a much larger way.  See the lyrics below and thanks for your time.

ABOUT THE SONG

Choose Your Weapon was co-written with my songwriter friend Johnny Witter, aka Johnny Be.  Johnny was inspired by the words of his friend, blues musician, Gaye Adegbalola. I am inspired by the collaboration and the impeccable timing of this honor for our song Choose Your Weapon!

“Speaking your heart is your weapon”

-Gay Adegbalola

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
KJ Denhert/Johnny Witter   (c) 2011

You say you don’t believe in war
Brother neither do I
You say you don’t believe in war
Sister neither do I

If you don’t choose a weapon
War will choose a weapon for your child

War takes your hard earned money and builds another bomb
War takes your hard earned money and builds another bomb

If you don’t choose a weapon
War will choose a gun for your son

Choose your weapon
Choose your weapon
Or war will choose a gun for your son
(your son and your daughter too)

I tell you what you don’t need a gun
Need to learn a love for everyone

Your weapon could be a microphone or the power of the pen
Your Weapon could be the check that you write to the brotherhood of men
Your weapon could be your intellect come on and use it use it

You say you don’t believe in war
Brother neither do I
You say you don’t believe in war
Sister neither do I

If you don’t choose a weapon
War will choose a weapon for your child

Choose your weapon
Choose your weapon
Or war will choose a gun for your son
(your son and your daughter too)

On March 16^th I am celebrating a 15 Year Anniversary with my band, the New York Unit.  I’ve got a brand new EP called Destiny  that should arrive in time for the special  Spotlight Concert at Tribeca PAC. The concert will musically  take a look back at some of the songs and people who have inspired these milestones.  These are the program notes for the concert:

Tribeca PAC March 16 8 pm  199 Chambers St. 8 pm

KJ Denhert
An award-winning singer-songwriter and bandleader, KJ Denhert is making a name for herself around the world and at home in NYC. She has a thirteen year ongoing residency at the legendary 55 Bar in New York’s West Village and has been an artist- in- residence for eight seasons at The Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, returning with her band in July 2012. She has performed in St. Barth in the French West Indies each January for the last eleven years. On Saturday mornings this spring KJ is performing with a trio of  New York all-stars at Smoke Jazz  Club on the upper west side.  A self taught guitarist, she remains relevant to jazz, R&B, blues & folk music with a style she calls Urban Folk and Jazz. KJ Denhert has earned multiple Independent Music Awards and in 2009 she was named one of Jazz.com’s top female vocalists. She’s just received a John Lennon Songwriting Contest award for her reggae anthem Choose Your Weapon. She has nine albums and a new EP with the full length album Destiny due later in 2012.

Special guests

Jen Chapin- (emcee)

In 1996, KJ moved back to New York City and Jen Chapin’s band was the one to watch ! A lasting friendship of mutual respect ensued. KJ invited Jen’s band to perform at her very first CD release party. Many musicians that have played and recorded with Jen have appeared in the New York  Unit. Jen Chapin’s music is urban folk soul.  Critics have hailed her work as “brilliant.. soulfully poetic” (NPR), “thoughtful.. worth-savoring. Using the highest form of flattery, KJ stole the term ‘urban folk’ from Jen en route to defining her own style as urban folk and jazz! www.jenchapin.com

Vicki Genfan

KJ & Vicki met in college and began to perform and write together almost immediately.  In the 80’s they reunited to form a duo called The Life.  KJ credits Vicki Genfan with raising the bar for guitar playing and musicianship from an early age and helping to make KJ who she is today.  In  2008 Guitar Player Magazine crowned Vicki Genfan “Guitar Player’s Superstar”.  Vicki has several brilliant albums and instructional videos available at www.vickigenfan.com

Adam Falcon

KJ and Adam met in 2004 and began sharing guitar licks and tea in the parlor which lead to a CD called The Songwriters Notebook, a tour of St. Barth and KJ’s second Independent Music Award nomination.  Adam is a storied singer songwriter, one of New York City’s most sought after session and touring guitarists. He has worked with Phyllis Hyman, Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, Sophie B. Hawkins, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Arif Mardin, and Robert Palmer to name a few. www.adamfalcon.com

Tomas Doncker

Tomas and KJ met in 2011 when the club owner from St. Barth’s Baz Bar brought Tomas to hear KJ at The 55 Bar. The enthusiasm exchanged between the two lead quickly to co-producing and recording two songs from KJ’s brand new EP Destiny. Tomas Doncker’s third CD, Power of the Trinity began as a meditation on the life and legend of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie and is available now at www.tomasdoncker.net

Who is playing in the NY Unit on March 16?

Mamadou Ba- bass

Mamadou has performed with KJ since 1996, the senior member of the NY Unit. They met when he was playing with Jen Chapin at CB’s Gallery. Born in Dakar Senegal,  Mr. Ba is a self taught bassist who  came to prominence touring Europe and Africa before emigrating to the US. He went on to become the musical director for the Harry Bellafonte band and has appeared and recorded with a number of  top artists including Regina Carter, Malika Zarra and Leni Stern. A black belt in karate, he is a gentle giant who brings impeccable groove to KJ’s music and has inspired her to keep moving forward over the last fifteen years.

Ray Levier- drums

Ray joined the NY Unit in late 1997. It was Ray who suggested that KJ try to get a gig at The 55 Bar, which led to the residency of over thirteen years. He remains in the first chair position as drummer since he joined. His inspirational story has been featured in Modern Drummer magazine. Ray has recorded a jazz album with a number of high profile guest musicians like Mike Stern, John Abercronbie and vibraphonist, Joe Locke to name a few. He has appeared on seven of  KJ’s albums, has a great sense of humor and keeps KJ laughing on the road. www.raylevier.com

Aaron Heick- sax

KJ first heard Aaron while being inspired by the Richard Bona Band at the Izzy Bar in the late 90’s. Aaron joined the NY Unit in 2007 and was featured on the 2008 album Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz.  He also appears on KJ’s Album No.9.  After recording with Chaka’ Kahn, Aaron was invited to join the Chaka Kahn band and toured for eight years! From there he went on to tour with Richard Bona for eight years. This year alone  Aaron has recorded with Steely Dan, Sting and has a regular chair in the Broadway sensation Spiderman. He performs regularly at the 55 Bar and will join KJ on her return to the Umbria Jazz Festival this July. He has recently released his first solo CD Daylight and Darkness. www.aaronheick.com

Koko Jones- percussion

Koko joined the NY Unit in 2007. Signed to the same label, Koko was then leader of the Latin – jazz band, 10th World after spending years with The Isley Brothers and Whitney Houston in the eighties. In late 2010, Koko, who was previously known as Kevin Jones made the brave decision to come out as a transgender musician and changed her name officially to Koko Jones in 2011 marking her transition. She continues to appear regularly at the 55 Bar with KJ and is working on her own CD and stage show to tell her remarkable story. www.kokojones.com

Adam Klipple-keys

On piano and keys, Adam is the newest addition to the NY Unit. In 2010 he jumped in seamlessly, adding a burst of what we call “the full  Klipple” bringing his dynamism to the band. He appears for the first time on Destiny and in the live video recorded in St. Barth. Adam is a band leader of several projects and a producer living in Brooklyn with his family. He has performed with the Sun Ra Arkestra and has toured with Lauren Hill. www.adamklipple.com

I’ve been calling November my new song month but it’s been a lot more, it’s my new challenge month, it’s been my perform at no less than five
benefits month. It’s been a farewell to old friends month as we paid tribute to singer-songwriter Terence Martin whose untimely passing has left me saddened but motivated after sharing so many evenings within the great community of musicians and singer songwriters in Wetschester, New York and beyond, who paid tribute to Terence. On Nov 20th – I posted in Facebook “Happiness is playing your hometown with your very own band”. When you see the photos that Ellen Marzelli took you’ll see the joy. As the band came on stage to a full house at The Budarz Theatre, in the Ossining Public Library, I almost started to cry. I have Alan Marzelli and Jen Chapin to thank for this!

There is so much more to tell and do. I couldn’t be more pleased to begin the journey that will be the next recording and the celebration of a fifteen year anniversary which will take us to many places around the world in 2012. I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and will close by thanking the many uber-talented musicians who have supported me as members of my band loosely known at the New York Unit. In truth we are family now. For this I am unspeakably thankful.

———
Before closing this note I would like to honor the memory of a great musician & producer, Ned Mann, who would have celebrated his birthday today, he produced Girl Like Me or my fourth album and was a brilliant and compassionate man. I cannot escape the coincidence of today being the first birthday since his passing. May I direct you to his writing on the subject of Acceptance, Forgiveness, Gratitude & Hope

———

All Photos: Ellen Marzelli 11-20-11
Budarz Theatre Ossining Public Library
Words and Music Series closer Fall 2011
Produced by Alan Marzelli

Band
Etienne (ATN) Stadwijk- piano
Mamadou Ba – electri bass
Raymond Levier- drums
Aaron Heick – sax
Jennifer Vincent- acoustic bass

Jeremy Rainer- sound engineer

I certainly have a lot to be thankful for- the new website is here and ready for a test drive! Huge thanks and praise to Janice Bond and Liqui-Site Designs for making this happen, and happen on schedule!! Also arriving today is a very cool video update from Emmy award winning editor Rob Weir from The Big House Production Group. Please have a look. The first draft arrived this morning in my inbox. I have to say I love it so much that I made no edits beyond adding my logo and said this has to go up today! Special thanks to Jackie Weir, the director, that I discovered in my hometown. Actually Jackie discovered me at a concert here in Ossining and we had lunch at her suggestion- boy am I glad. Another big up to musician and first time collaborator Tomas Doncker, whose terrific energy you’ll notice immediately in the video update, filmed at Hal Winer’s Bicoastal Studio’s also in Ossining.

Please read my complete letter  posted in my blog: http://www.kjdenhert.com/blog/happiness-thanks-new-music-and-remeberance

Joining the band for his second appearance on keys, is the dynamic Adam Klipple, he thrilled us all at the 55 and is signed on for a number of shows this fall. He’s just a great musician and I’m sorry that I can’t watch him on more than just the solos where I’ll back up and enjoy the show too.

Saxophonist Charlie and Roseann Lagond  have a music school right here in Westchester and tonight is the annual Charlie Lagond and Friends concert presented by the Friends of The North Castle Public Library- Here’s a clip from last years event with Charlie on sax and yes, drummer Omar Hakim supporting!

This year we are the friends – I’m really happy. Why, I even touched up my pedal board and Daryl offered to send me a photo. So here’s a view you wont get from the audience, a little piece of my world- a place where I can animate and intimate change with the tap of my toe.

Charlie and I will be opening the show with a song. From there, we’ll welcome my friends, my family,  Mamadou Ba-bass, Aaron Heick-sax, Ray Levier -drums and  guest star Adam Klipple-keys, for an early autumn evening of music with one intermission. Admission is free and it is the only scheduled full band appearance in Westchester. It sounds so civilized doesn’t it? why, you can even bring the children!

These two illustrations have ridden in my guitar case for maybe three years, They were drawn by a young man working as a dishwasher that season at a favorite restaurant of mine called the Wall House in St. Barth.

I knew I should have taken them out of my case, but I love seeing them there at each show- a little reminder of what I have.

I don’t remember the artist’s name. My favorite new expression is my “memory card is full” (said to me by Chris Shott, Denver Co May 28, 2011) Bilfra @xxxx.com is written on the back of these wonderful doodles.

The good news is that I still love to play and think that it was a lucky choice this music thing, because while the career tennis players and Olympians (ie. alternate careers I bypassed) are slowing down, my career ambles along offering new heights now and then plus enough challenges to give me something to talk about.

Ever since I left my day job at Dannon I figured that my life would be something like this. So what’s “this” really like. Have I become the clerk, glued to my computer as predicted? In many was yes, I have.

On my ride home from my last day as a full time employee, I heard the lead-in to a human-interest story on 1010 Wins, New York’s all news, all the time, traffic and weather station. It said something like this ‘ ever since I opened a fishing store I never have time to fish anymore’

My summer schedule is shaping up. I am playing some new venues, will do some travel and still have time to spend with my friends in between. I just picked up these cards last night, the vendor stayed late waiting for me. The Aug 6th date is listed as Aug 7 on the card- my FAULT!!

Sat June 18 Clearwater Revival Croton NY
Fri June 24 12 Grapes Peekskill NY
Sat June 25  55 Bar NYC
Sat July 7 Underground Wonderbar Chicago IL
Fri July 8 Club La Salle South Bend IL
Sat July 9 Private Event South Bend IL
Mon July 18  Woodsongs Radio Hour Lexington KY
Sat July 23 55 Bar NYC
Fri July 29 Bellayre Music Fest High Mount NY
Sat July 30 Rams Head  Annapolis  MD
Sat Aug 6 55 Bar NYC
Tues Aug 9 Cape Cod Jazz Chatham MA
 
Complete details at  the website
 Dates are subject to change so call in advance
                                                                       
Probably with all of the talk of the world ending last month, I got to thinking about what I would want to say or do. Even just hypothetically, it served me. I have been purposely instructing myself to practice wanting what I have.  

I have some new video and a piece from the archives.

We were so very young.  There’d be some whining about wanting to play rock gigs and be on the new hottest thing, MTV!  Stanley would find us work in the Catskills and Atlantic City where we made decent money and were booked for months on end. ‘Girls, girls”, he would say with a gentle sort of exasperation as he tried to manage expectations.
As far as Stanley was concerned, he had us working- period! We worked fifty weeks the first year that the band was together. After a typical lunch he’d tell stories where the moral came always with his trademark expression– “that’s not a gig?”

I think he genuinely liked us. Most meetings were probably a chance to feel happy at lunch with five attractive women who were trying to look like budding rock stars. He seemed like a classic manager to me, talking about Joan Rivers and bookings in the Poconos. He would remind us that he was a manager, not a booking agent. He worked with agents! In New York State there is a difference by law, which only people who worked for agencies like William Morris would even know. My agent mentioned this law last year. I said “yes, I know” remembering that Stanley taught me this and so many other things by example. He was a gentleman and a pragmatist, a survivor.

Whenever I see someone with a gig that walks that thin line between survival and art, I say to myself – “that’s not a gig?”. I can hear his accent, the way his voice rose like a shrug of the shoulders. Again, it was just one of those things that you never forget.

While I was in St. Barth’ this season, I invited the keyboard player Adam, to come check out a guitarist from Spain who calls himself Soley. I met Soley six years ago on St. Barth’. This year, I found him playing in the sand at Shell Beach in front of the juice bar with his nylon string guitar. Soley is striking and beautiful, the way I imagine the devil must be, if you believe in such things. He has flowing blond dred locks and eyes the color of the sky at dawn. He erupts with bursts of classic flamenco strumming, singing so very hard with a sandpaper voice. He came over immediately and began to play right in front of me. I’m sure he knows I love him- and that’s ok.  I am fascinated – I think he is brilliant. I can’t believe he’s here playing unplugged in the sand. I also can’t believe that I payed 20 euro for two non- alcoholic fruit smoothies and tried to look cool about that.  As we left I said to Adam – “that’s not a gig?”

Epilogue: That night after my gig, when everyone went to sleep, I stayed on the terrace with my laptop and using Google and the name Stanley Flato, found the book A Brush with Death an artist in the death camps-Morris Wysgorod. The few stories I read were unimaginable. I gasped when I saw an illustration of Stanley-it is on page 140 (see below).  My mood grew dark so I said to myself, be grateful you’re in St. Barth’, maybe you’ll see a shooting star. I turned my head up and a shooting star flew straight across the sky as though it traced the line of my nose. That is when I decided to write the story remembering Stanley Flato- a man I will never forget.

There is a new video press kit about the CD with a few interviews and photos with some of the musicians and co-producer Hal Winer.

Speaking of coincidences- I just received a newsletter from Jen Chapin .Since our first meeting back in 1997 I have been inspired by her work.  I saw Jen playing with a trio in a little candle-lit cafe called Sine . I loved what I saw so much that I went right  out to see her again at the CBGB annex. Jen had a different bass player the second time I saw her perform and his name was Mamadou Ba, and the rest is history.  Mamadou has performed with me regularly since then. One night in ’97 Jen made a list of bass players for me I actually saved the page- she wrote ‘gorgeous groove’ next to Mamadou’s name, the next name was Stephan Crump! 

Today Jen is married to Stephan, and they are performing for the first time at The Falcon in  Marlboro NY on Friday Nov 12th.  I’m going going to the show because I love Jen and this venue, there is really excellent  world class music going on there every week, and I know that Jen will deliver more magic.

Jen writes and records music, helps the hungry, volunteers at voting polls and gets gigs for her friends bands- she is in the middle of recording her next album and I’d love to support her tireless work by sharing this link with you Help Jen Chapin record her next album

I’ll be back with my band at  the Falcon next April 1. Jen will be coming to Ossining in December to perform at the library here in Ossining, doing a fund raiser in my home town.

Speaking of Ossining, have any of you gotten hooked on Mad Men the TV series? The main character is from Ossining and that’s why everybody was telling me about it.I think it’s the best writing I have seen. I just completed three seasons and am completely hooked. The time period chronicles  so precisely, my first memories of the world, New York City, ticker tape parades and the sixties. I’ve been reliving memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis when my family fled to Grenada.  

My album has a fair amount to do with the sixties and the music I loved  as a little girl.Watching Mad Men helped me to understand a little better why the eclectic song selection is such a reflection of my earliest impressions of life. There is a wonderful review of Album No. 9 that really made me feel like  the writer, Mark Saleski understood what I was hearing, even down to my tips of the hat for example to Steeley Dan. – Truly grateful to see that.

Check out the Review Here.

Check out the first single from Album No. 9 Help