Jami Jackson's Newest Release, "Let Love Live" is Now Available!

How are you doing?? It has been a year and a half since I last blogged!! Can you believe how time flies? A lot has happened to me during this time. I moved back to NC after living in NYC for 9 years and have started a PhD program in statistics at NC State University. Leaving NYC was a really hard decision for me, but I really needed to go back to school and further my education. So far, school is great! I have also finished a song that I have been working on for over 3 years and now it's finally released to the world! My song, "Let Love Live" is now available for download on CD Baby and iTunes. I appreciate your support!! Also, please leave a review on CD Baby and iTunes and tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about the song to spread the love! You can take a listen to the song on my website at jamijackson.net. I hope you like it! Tell me what you think :) And if you have any ideas for a music video for this song, let me know.

Are you on Pinterest? I just started a board for "Let Love Live". Follow me and I'll follow you back!

What have you been up to during this time? I would love to hear your stories and updates!

There is a Balm in Gilead

On Sunday, April 10th, I lead two songs for church service, "There is a Balm in Gilead" and "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired". I sang these songs without practicing beforehand, but what I like about singing at my church is that most of my performances are on the spot. The choir director asks me to sing and so I sing. It really helps me to learn to sing on the spot and to deliver a message right then and there. I have been working on how I sing the songs, so I try to experiment with my voice while I sing to sing songs differently each time. It's a lot of fun, so I'm glad I have a chance to express myself vocally in church.

"You Alone are God"

During church service on March 27th, I sang a gospel song called, "You Alone are God". This song was written by Ron Hubbard and has been sung by Marvin Sapp. It was the first time that I sang this song live, so it was a really moving. I love the words to this song because it is so true; there is only one God and he deserves the praise. The music is also so pretty, and the choir really helped me to sing it. I have also included another video of me singing "Guide My Feet" at the end of church service.

Divas Underground Concert Marathon on St. Patrick's Day

On March 17th, I performed for the Divas Underground Concert Marathon, sponsored by the MTA. The MTA started a program called the Music Under New York program to help underground musicians be a part of an official music program. In New York City, it is common to find musicians performing underground at different subway stations, but this program allows musicians to perform with amplified sound. It is illegal, otherwise, to perform underground with amplified sound.

I have been a part of this program for two years now, and it has been a wonderful experience! I love singing underground in front of unsuspecting travelers. Setting up for the show is always a little hectic, because I'm trying to test the sound while the travelers look at me curiously, but can't stay to listen. But once I start singing, it's nice to see the crowds start to develop. They just don't suspect the my strong voice in the noise of the subway station! Because it's underground, the crowds get larger and smaller, depending on the song and where I am in the song, but I always get people who ask for a flyer, who tell me that I should be on American Idol and the X-factor, you know, the usual!

This event was particularly fun because it was an all day event. There were female performers at Union Square from 12pm to 8pm, so it was day of diverse kinds of music. It was also St. Patrick's Day, so there were many people celebrating that holiday that night. I always enjoy the opportunity to perform in front of new people. Here are a couple of short videos and a picture from that night. Enjoy and share with your friends!

FLEX Cuban Choir gets Gold Award for singing "Keep Walkin' On"

On November 21st, 2010, 2 translators from Cuba came to present to me a recording from the FLEX Cuban choir and a note of thanks. The translators gave the presentation in front of my church during service. The story about the translators is actually really funny - they never met the choir before they go the recording. It just so happened that they were in Cuba, and their tour guide was the father of the choir leader for Flex Choir. The tour guide found out that the translators were from Brooklyn and said, "Oh, so you must know Jami!". It just so happens that my church is in Brooklyn, so it worked out that they were able to get in touch with me and present to me the gift. The FLEX Choir really wanted to show their appreciation for the use of my song, "Keep Walkin' On". They participated in contests in Cuba by singing the song and won a number of awards. They won a Gold Award in the competition with all the different schools of Havana University. They also won a Gold Award at the university level. Lastly, they won a Bronze Award at the provincial level competition with the other universities. I was so excited to listen to the recording and to read the words that they had to say. In the letter, the choir talked about how they sang the song with love. It was truly a touching moment. The video above is a recording of the choir performing the song live.

Mentoring in Medicine Walking Program

On December 4th, 2010, I performed for the Mentoring in Medicine Walking Program and Closing Ceremony. There were over 500 people in attendance for this event. The walking program's theme was, "Celebrating our Steps", so my song, "Keep Walkin' On" fit perfectly with the event. Everyone really enjoyed the song. A few people after the event inquired about the music and wanted to hear more. I also met Dave Nash, a former NBA player. It was so awkward to be standing next to him, because he is 7 feet and I am 2 feet shorter! But he was really nice and seemed to be used to the response to his height. I felt really good to sing an inspirational song for the purposes of healthy living.

FLEX Choir Performs on April 7

Here is a picture of the FLEX Cuban Choir while they were having their performance at the Festival in Havana. They performed "Keep Walkin' On" and they have advanced to the next level of the competition with my song. There were 44 youths in the choir, though 10 boys were missing in the picture. Their next performance will be on April 28th. I'll let you know how it goes!! They are having a blast with their shows!