Moments, Memories, & Jazz

April 8, 2019

Authenticity (Happy Birthday Billie Holiday)

“Everyone’s got to be different. You can’t copy anybody and end up with anything. If you copy, it means...

by Laurie Early

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March 31, 2019

Free Inspiration

The best things in life, like inspiration, are free. I walk down a new street and chance to...

by Laurie Early

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February 28, 2019

Carousels – Not For Me

This weekend I will be avoiding the luggage carousel by traveling light. I will also attempt to avoid any...

by Laurie Early

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January 30, 2019

NYC – A Day in the Moment

Certain things grabbed my attention recently as I traveled from commitment to commitment. Manhattan is full of activity, but I...

by Laurie Early

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December 31, 2018

Shift Happens

We can stay “in the moment” all we want to, be mindful and appreciate each passing second–but, even if...

by Laurie Early

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November 30, 2018

Current, Flow, Swing, and Reflection

“Big Red Swing” 1971 Theodore Ceraldi Some months speed by, like a rushing river flowing through a narrow gorge....

by Laurie Early

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October 29, 2018

Vocalese 101

“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the...

by Laurie Early

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September 30, 2018

Signs, Guides, and Flow

I really had no clue what I wanted to write about this month, until a sudden epiphany yesterday at...

by Laurie Early

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August 30, 2018

Ten Years After

Anniversaries are a natural time of reflection. So I am commemorating ten years of my new life in jazz....

by Laurie Early

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July 25, 2018

Moments of Silence

Silence can be the loudest sound in the world, especially if you are longing to hear the next note,...

by Laurie Early

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June 18, 2018

Lyrical Triggers & Process

Sometimes it is as simple as a title I have no control over; an inspiration that opens a floodgate...

by Laurie Early

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May 4, 2018

Sometimes I’m Happy

Things are getting really interesting this year! I am taking an improvisation class with saxophonist, Bob Mover, and have...

by Laurie Early

April 13, 2018

April Showers of Poetry and Prose

Do I have regrets? Yes, I do. I do. I regret every lost opportunity to look towards you and...

by Laurie Early

March 20, 2018

Roman Moments (I Never Knew)

I am back in New York now after a particularly poignant Barry Harris Jazz Workshop in Rome. It was...

by Laurie Early

February 10, 2018

Tips and Tricks on YouTube

YouTube is an inspirational online platform for musicians and songwriters. It is so much more than an online-radio. We...

by Laurie Early

January 31, 2018

Easy Does It

“Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see”….for a while that song meant everything hopeful....

by Laurie Early

December 10, 2017

88 Keys + 88 Years = Barry Harris

Dr. Barry Doyle Harris will be 88-years old next week. Born on December 15, 1929, he has lived one...

by Laurie Early

November 21, 2017

Poems for Billy Strayhorn (IV)

The technical side of this piece began when I read a songwriting book that suggested opening a set of...

by Laurie Early

October 1, 2017

A Burgundy Twilight

I feel a major shift in my life, starting today, October 1, 2017. Without going into details, a nine-year...

by Laurie Early

September 12, 2017

Ornithology

September–still warm from the end of summer, yet moving towards the frost. I am thinking of all the wonderful...

by Laurie Early

August 18, 2017

Childhood, Mindfulness, & Avocados

You might think my title for this month’s post is a strange trio of words, and I agree, but...

by Laurie Early

July 30, 2017

London Falling

“Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved?” that is the quote* I blurted last...

by Laurie Early

June 13, 2017

I am always singing to YOU

I love creating music; I enjoy the process, the experimentation, working with other musicians, and I really like sharing...

by Laurie Early

May 4, 2017

Introspection and the Collage Process

I have made paper collages since I was very young, maybe 4 or 5 years old. One of the...

by Laurie Early