Truly a #CharmedLife

I sit in a quiet house now. Everyone has gone off to bed. Festival life is fun and exciting but exhausting. As I sit, writing and munching on yogurt covered almonds and toasted cashews I'm thinking about my #hashtags I often use, #puttingthatlovelyinyourearholes and #CharmedLife. I realise more and more that these are truly my life.

Illness has tried to embattle me for many years. I first lost my song after a thyroidectomy. It took a year to gain a proper speaking voice and it's taken 10 years to cultivate my current singing voice. Trouble struck again 3 1/2 years ago with partial diaphragm paralysis and the loss of use in my right lung in the process from nerve damage. No matter the circumstances, I have fought back to SING. I have to SING. It's what the Creator has always guided me to do. I have had to work too hard to be able to sing. To put as lovely sounds as I am capable, to fill the earholes of the people I am lucky to encounter along my journey. It's all I can do. It's all I have asked for everytime tough times have graced my life. I get to travel spreading the joy of the thing that has kept me alive for more years than any medical diagnosis has every expected. I say I have a Charmed Life. That doesn't imply an EASY life. I never asked for easy, nor fame, nor fortune, nor my name up in sparkly lights. I asked to be able to do what I loved so I would never "work" a day in my life.

Thank you to my husband, Per Tore, who believes in my abilities when my own falters, that is most important. Thanks to my music partner and best friend, Paul David Longstreth. He has helped me drag my way through some of life's toughest moments. Thanks to Ytre Suloens Jass-ensemble, for giving me a new music home and the new group of musicians of TOKLE who have set a new fire of creativity in me. Most of all, my tiny little mama, Lolet. She set the spark and stoked the fire of my creative world. She's ALWAYS believed in me. She is my fairy godmother.

Yes, music life is not always easy. It can bruise the ego, beat up the spirit and sometimes piss upon you from on high, yet it can fill your world with such joy, there's no other calling for me. So yes, I lead a #CharmedLife.

Hello Jazz Ascona!!!

 

The Bootleg Duo is in Ascona, Switzerland for Jazz Ascona 2015! There will be great music and big fun all around in this beautiful city. Check back often to see Teedy & Paul David's musical adventures during this fantastic festival. To see photos and read Tweets from this event, visit www.bootlegoperation.com

 

 

Remember, support LIVE music!

 

Later fa you!

 

-- Later fa you!!!

Kråkeslottfestival In Senja Was FUN!

We had a great time in Senja for the Kråkeslottfestival. It was an amazingly beautiful place and such a creative environment. It was a boat house and lighthouse from a century back and is now converted into an artist house and place for creative souls. The festival had an eclectic group of musicians performing and I was there with YSJE. We had 2 packed concerts with a beautiful response!


The guys joined the Sykepleierforeningens Trommekorps for the opening of the festival.

Later fa you!!

I'm Heading To Senja!!

Shiny New Music Projects!

Oh yea!! Music is treating me oh so well these days. I am involved in 2 great projects right now and it's taking me straight to my extra happy place. My music partner, Paul David Longstreth and I are re-tooling our longtime duo set, including new covers, duets and ORIGINAL MUSIC! The Bootleg Duo is up to some really great things. We started the Southern Louisiana Living Room Concerts. You can find out so much more about this at, www.bootlegoperation.com

I've also become a part of a new and exciting project called TOKLE. This was the brainchild of Kristoffer Tokle, the young drummer that I work with in YSJE. Find out about all of that wonderful-ness at, www.tokleband.com

Get out there and support LIVE music. Your earholes will thank me.

-- Later fa you!!!

The Warm Heart of Novosibirsk

I had a beyond fantastic trip to Novosibirsk this year. The purpose of the journey was to be a part of a concert at the new, Arnold Kats State Concert Hall with the truly talented group of musicians of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. The concert was in two parts, the first was with Novosibirsk piano player, Roman Stolyar with his original compositions and the second half was with me, singing songs from the American Songbook, Singers & Songwriters material and some American Popular musics.

The Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society puts on several different music events that includes the chamber orchestra, the philharmonic orchestra, the SibJazz Festival and also many other musical performance events.

2 years ago I was a part of the SibJazz Festival. My performance received a very positive response, so I was contacted again the following year and asked if I would be interested in returning in 2014 to work with the chamber orchestra. Of course, I was thrilled to be able to work with these amazing and talented musicians. We made the arrangements and I was, once again, heading to Siberia!!!

People hear Siberia and they think, cold, desolate place. The cold part is right, some parts are desolate but Novosibirsk is a large, vibrant city. A city rich in history and culture. Music is a large part of that culture and the audiences who attend the concerts that are hosted by the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society are filled with warm and passionate people with a deep love of good music.

The three lovely ladies who handle these arrangements, make it such a pleasure to make this journey. Aliona Bolkvadze, Natalia Miller & Anastasia Sheveleva. I can't forget the artistic guidance from the leader and talented violinist of the chamber orchestra, Yulia Rubina.

The song list that I performed with this great group:

I Loves You Porgy

April In Paris

The Island

Dindi

Everything Must Change

And I Love Him

Don't Explain

When I Fall In Love

I am humbled by some of the incredible music opportunities that have come my way. I truly look forward to a future of more cultural and artistic co operations with Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society.

 Later fa you!!
Jetsetting Diva, out.

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Oh Yeah, It's Been a While! But Now...

I've been busy letting my life, in general, discombobulate me. Lot's of things have been changing in my music worlds and personal life so sometimes it's a bit hard to keep up with my posting.

My surgery for the diaphragm paralysis is scheduled after many battles going back and forth with the hospital. They wanted to do it YESTERDAY, but as I'm leaving today for Siberia, that didn't seem like it was going to work out. Bummer. The doctor who's doing the surgery is a specialist from another country coming in to do it, so now it will be happening in October. There you have it.

Now we're done with that tralala I can move onto music!!

There have been big changes made in YSJE, the band I have proudly been a member of for 13 years, this March. This year the band has seen quite the evolution. As 40 year band member, Jens Arne Molvær retired and passed the reigns onto talented clarinetist, Lars Frank, we now have only one original member of YSJE, Einar Aarø on banjo. With a lot of young talent in the band, it has gotten a new life in Traditional Jazz.

I'm still going strong as a featured vocalist with the guys in Funky Butt and Gumbo. My dear friends in Gumbo, Kåre Nymark, David Gald, Even Kruse Skatrud and Kenneth Ekornes will be joining, once again, Paul David Longstreth and myself for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It was a great success last year and they asked us to do it again! Lovely.

I'll be heading home to New Orleans to be a part of French Quarter Festival on 11 April and the release of the new CD that Paul David and I are releasing, Tricia Boutte & The Bootleg Operation's , Oh New Orleans, Here I Come! We will also do some other sets around town. I'll make sure to keep everyone up to date on where we will play.

Now, I've gotta run! I have to finish getting myself together to leave for Novosibirsk today.

Later fa you!!!!