Flying With The Phoenix: THEY HOLLERED WHEN THEY HEARD ME

WOW!!!……While I live for the thrill of travel and performing on foreign soil, I wish I had been home Tuesday when Barack Obama put another page in the history books. Studying history is one thing, but living it is a whole other story.

Singing & Swinging……Well, I got what I asked for. The audience loved Big Time Swing. Long story short, the response was off the meter. Not just an ovation, but a standing one. I started off the show in the shadows doing a bass line Acappella scat which leads right into an ensemble number. Then all tuxed and Zootsuited-up I got my singing all the way on with “Jump Jive & Wail,” "Birth of the Blues," “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and “Down With Love”. Hold up, a brother has joined the ranks of Michael Jackson, Chris Brown and Usher with the dance moves, props and all; and even flexed my acting muscle in a piece called “Competition,” a recreation of a dance competition from Glen Island Casino in the old days of New Rochelle, New York. By the time the closing number, “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” was in full effect, the audience was on its feet. I am definitely feeling the love on and off stage.

Onstage (t) and backstage (l) with my sexy co-star Shevon

Where In The World Is J. Phoenix…….Since Thursday I’ve been in Barcelona, Cannes
Florence, Rome, and Naples; and by the time you read this post I’ll be in Venice.

What’s Up With Masterpiece…….At last check on Friday things were looking good with two songs on the Indie Music R&B Top 100 Chart. “Money Don’t Mean A Thing” moved up to #43 from #98 the previous week, and Hate To Love You was at #16. At Reverbnation I was holding it down as the #29 pop artist, out of 6082, ahead of Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, The Pussycat Dolls, Kate Voegle, Madonna, and Natasha Bedingfield. Over at MySpace’s Top 100 New York NeoSoul artists things were looking good at #41.