The Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer

All the Things You Are

2011-08-27T02:19:00.000-07:00

This was a special request from one of my youtube subscribers but I can't remember who! Pete forgot all the mic stands (I don't know how that happens!!) but that's OK. There's a certain freedom when you're not standing still behind a mic stand. Not that I have ever stood still. I can't!
I'm wearing one of my oldest dresses from Sportsgirl, bought at a time when they had a real designer working for them. It's a beautiful wash of different colors and 100% silk. I'm wearing a pair of David Campell boots (they were a substitute for the D-Squared I really wanted but couldn't afford).
Enjoy the video!

Fab 50's Fashion

2011-08-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

I just love the style of the fifties and none more so than my huge collection of hand beaded tops and dresses. This is one of the jewels in the crown worn with a cropped Jill Sanders suit jacket and some Nine West green pumps. (That's all beading on a wool background!)

The Connie Lansberg Quartet performs at the Bentleigh Club once a month and it's very nice there with a dedicated jazz crowd so I'll be bringing out the rest of collection as the months go on. There were a few older woman there who said they remember these dresses and how glamorous they were. They were tickled pink to see me wearing one. I've put My Romance on this week to celebrate my romance with fashion!

Back to Front

2011-07-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have turn things around. Literally! I love this 1961 Lindsay Lohan "designed" matt sequined number but I find the big beige vee in the front a little hard to work with.

Since the zipper is on the side I had no problem turning it back to front, pairing it with a little brown sweater and it looked great under the lights. I wore my bronze high high heels and instant glam!

This weeks video is How High the Moon and gives a great close up of Tom's masterful piano playing.

Black and White

2011-07-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'll say right now what a terrible shame that Amy Winehouse, a prodigious talent, died today. Where are the poeple who are supposed to be looking after her?

So, Cry me a River is a fitting tune to post.

I wore a lovely slinky sheer Broadway and Broome top I got from Shop Bop, the best US fashion site, because their International shipping is free! It looks like such a simple top but it looks great on.
I teamed it with a pair of Morrison velvet harem pants and my Sam Edelson platform sandals.

Love for Sale? How Much??

2011-07-07T05:47:00.000-07:00

I was going to wear something completely different for The Bentleigh Club gig which, by the way, was fabulous. It's rare when the venue tells the band that they are fantastic. Never happens so, we were very pleased. It was a great audience. But, I digress. I was going to wear my new velvet pants and a top but a great photographer friend of mine, David Gilliver, said he was coming down so I thought I should wear the fifties style dress that I wore once before so that I could use the photos for posters.

It looked great on my normal Zoom Q3 which broke less than a year old and looks fine in the photos, but now I have an Zoom HD which really does no one any good! Makes everyone wide!
It was freezing cold so I wore lace leggings and boots when I should have worn my lovely little red Karen Millen shoes.

I thought the video would only get the top half in. I can't see anything through the lens so it's always hit and miss whether I have all the band in.Well, I got more than the whole band in so here is
Love For Sale.

A Love Letter

2011-07-03T03:08:00.000-07:00

Julie London's version of Love Letters can make my significant other cry. I aspire to make him cry too! So, even though he couldn't play with us last Friday (turncoat has a great blues band too) I did this for him while wearing my gorgeous Zambelli dress with the huge flower at the side. The green and cream pattern looked like a painting on the film and the little black bolero gave it a lovely shape.

Because the new HD camera goes long way instead of up and down you can't see the great lace leggings and Dolce Vita black boots. I still haven't found a screwdriver small enough to take the Q3 apart. I like to fix things! Enjoy!

Twinkle in Every Sense

2011-06-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

It has to be exactly the right weather conditions to break out the sequined leggings. Nice and chilly and gets dark early. Perfect. My Zoom Q3 broke down so I now have to use the Zoom HD which I hate because it is wide and I need it to be tall or I get cut off. Never mind. If I can find a small Philips head screwdriver I'll have a go at fixing the Zoom Q3 myself.
This week was just the trio so I did one of my originals for you. It's called Twinkle Twinkle to go with the leggings!

Art Deco

2011-06-09T02:40:00.000-07:00

I've been sent another photo by a lovely jazz fan Tim, who looks like a good American! Thanks Tim

What a smile!!!

I love my Outnet sleeveless jacket so I wore it with a really inexpensive flapper dress from Aesos and was so glad I was dressed up because not only did the owner arrive with his Kloe Kardashian look alike daughter but who should show up but the ever fabulous Patrizio Buanne the Italian crooner. He sat it with the band and sang Fly Me the Moon, hamming it up all the way. But he's got the big notes that's for sure. Enjoy!

Oh, And I'm doing a super fast version of Down With Love.

Retrospective

2011-05-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't post last week because we tried a new camera and I wasn't sure I liked it! Plus, I was wearing all black because it was freezing and I couldn't make myself get into a dress. So I put together a slide show of the last couple of years worth of gigs and outfits with my single, the one you can download here, Even So. Enjoy.

Wedding Finery

2011-05-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

I really thought that since we were going to be playing the same time the "Wedding" was being broadcast here in Australia, that the Cap would be quiet and we'd get a really good clear sound for the recording. Ha! I was right on one thing. There were very few people there. Quiet? No such luck. We had one big table complete with 25 little kids who thought they were watching an episode of playschool and danced around and screamed into the camera. They thought they were going to be on TV.
I also had to take my migraine medicine because I used a new hairspray and it set off the aura that precedes a migraine. I'm always thankful when I actually do get an aura because at least then the medicine seems to work. Usually it doesn't and I'm laid up for four days in pain and extreme agony! The point being that the medicine fries my brain and I forget all the words and come in at the wrong place to boot!
Fashion wise I finally got to wear the beautiful Allanah Hill yellow sequined bolero with a silk, watermelon pink Seduce dress I found on Ebay. I teamed this ensemble with a pair of Stuart Weitzmen pink and black swirl slingbacks. Very wedding appropriate.

This week's video is a mash up of two very romantic songs, The Nearness of You and That's All, the only two bits of the whole show that didn't have a child in it!

Going Back to School

2011-04-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

I love this flirty little Lipstick dress. I found it at Forever New (in fact I bought 2 of the same design, different colors) It's the perfect Day Dress and you can wear different color slips underneath. It has a base of deep lilac with swirls of yellow, red and cornflower blue. I just didn't feel like wearing tights so I pulled out my deep magenta knee socks, teamed them with a pair of Steve Madden wooden soled sandals and there you have it. The grown up school girl look!
Now, I realize that I don't really talk about my lonely life because I don't feel the need to complain. I was alone all day today but I wrote a very complicated song using the chords of No More Blues, it took about four hours and I was exhausted! I also saw a doco on a Canadian pianist Glen Gould that was really interesting. He had control issues which I could learn from! I just let the boys do whatever they want with my songs but I like that. I'm quite limited and they bring my stuff to a whole new level.
The clip this week is "Georgia" which is on my album at iTunes because I love hearing my lovely Norwegian genius pianist Tpm Hanssen play the blues.

Red, White and Yellow???

2011-04-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

I think I found the look.

I was wearing a lovely 50's inspired Zambelli dress with a scrumptious pair of Karen Millan red pumps, singing Fly me to the Moon when a feeling came over me that this all made sense. The audience understood the look and the music.

I felt like Julie London!

Although, what does that do to all my cutting edge outfits? Do I stick with letting the outfits broadcast the "jazz" element or do I just follow my fancy and wear my modern looks for when I sing my originals? I don't know! We finally did some work on the originals because even the best jazz guys can get lost in a chart they've never seen, or can't remember, so I can't wait to see what happens. Here's a very blurry vid of Fly Me to the Moon.

The Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer: It Might as Well Be Spring!

2011-04-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer: It Might as Well Be Spring!

It Might as Well Be Spring!

2011-04-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

This posting is late once again due to head implosion known as migraine. Honestly, God could not have smyte me more. Four days of agony and starvation (it's why I don't bother dieting). Things could always be worse. Right? I just wonder what it's doing to my brain???

The weather warmed right up again so I pulled out my special dress, a gorgeous silk Trelise Cooper in a bouquet of colors and tiny ruffles. There is an olive green running trough it and I teamed it with olive green tights that ran right into my Jeffery Campbell olive green boots. My drummer called it the glamorous combat look.

Is this not a Monet inspired dress??

So here's a my ode to Spring. "It Might as Well Be Spring."

Tea Party

2011-03-26T01:26:00.000-07:00

It was Tom Hanssen's suggestion that we do Tea for Two as a really slow ballad and I just loved it. It took the story to a whole different and sad place! Love it.
This week the weather turned quite cold so I pulled out my Bassike
http://www.bassike.com/whats_new_for_women.html
harem pants in black (I just ordered two more pair in oatmeal and navy blue!)beacius ethey are so comfy and very cool. I teamed them with a J. Crew sequined top that my sister delivered to me in person because they won't ship to Australia. WHY NOT!???
I topped that with a little short sleeved jacket and a pair of Dolci Vita boots. I was accused of not being dressy enough in the last post but really, we are performing in a cafe not Carnegie Hall.
Here's Tea for Two just for you.

Rocking the Sister/Wife look

2011-03-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry about last week. I just couldn't post because I hated the outfit. So not me but it turned really hot and I panicked!

This week my Review long ruffled maxi arrived from Ebay and was fabulous. I teamed it with an old Armani jacket in a lovely grey blue (one of my favorite hues) which was a perfect match. I was able to pull out my Dolci Vita blue suede shoes that I got last winter from shopbop.com but had not worn yet and there you have it.

The groovy Sister/Wife/ Utah look in honor of my sister being here (my real sister!) from Salt lake City. This week I'm posting an original tune that I thought the band did a great job on. It's called Thin Line, a song about that point in a relationship where you have invested so much into it that you can't go back but you can't go forward either.

THIN LINE ©2011

HOW DID I FALL IN LOVE WITH A BOY

SO DETERMINED TO FAIL ?

WHEN ALL I SEE IS HIS BEAUTY

INSIDE AND OUT        THOUGH HE DRESSES IT IN DOUBT

AND I WANT THINGS TO MOVE

BUT I WANT TO MOVE THEM MY WAY

AND I WANT THINGS TO WORK OUT

THE WAY I PLANNED

BRIDGE

BUT YOU GOT A WAY OF DIGGIN’ IN

AND I GOT A WAY OF GIVING IN TO YOU

CHORUS:

YOU GOT ME WALKING ON A THIN LINE

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE AND THERE’S NO TIME

AND I CAN’T GO BACK I’M NOT GOOD AT THAT

AND I CAN’T GO ON ‘CAUSE YOU WON’T RESPOND

AND THE LIGHTS GONE DIM AND THE LINE’S TOO THIN

V. I GOT SIX DIRECTIONS I CAN GO IN

SO WHY AM I STANDING STILL

AND I LIKE THE LITTLE HOUSE WE LIVE IN

BUT I GOT A LOT OF TIME TO KILL

I THOUGHT THE QUESTIONS WOULD BE BOTH OF OURS

BUT YOU STOLE THE WHY’S AND NOW THEY’RE YOURS

AND STILL THERE ARE NO ANSWERS

BRIDGE: F

BUT I GOT A WAY OF DIGGIN’ IN

AND YOU GOT A WAY OF GIVING IN TO ME

CHORUS:

BRIDGE 2:

YOU SWORE TO ME YOU KNEW

HOW TO GET US THROUGH

THEN YOU FELL ASLEEP WITH YOUR EYES OPEN

BRIDGE CHORUS

Pretty in Pink

2011-03-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

I got accused of being very pink last Friday. I was wearing a little Sass dress that I love. It's very feminine being white with a small pattern of pink and green flowers with a silvery grey leaf pattern with little sequins and diamante buttons. I was wearing a hot pink slip that I found in an op shop for $2 ages ago which showed through the white material and then topped it with a hot pink cardi with little dogs beaded onto it that I found on ebay for $6. Thus...very pink! Mind you, I saw lots of pink in the audience as well so it must be in the zeitgeist. The shoes were an Ozsale.com.au purchase so very on sale. Very high, very pink!

This weeks video is a special request from one of my You tube subscribers. I love it when they ask for a song and I can accommodate!

Am I Blue?

2011-02-27T03:31:00.000-08:00

I waited a long time before wearing this lovely electric blue silk Seduce dress. And now summer is over before it's began! Still, I didn't have to turn on the aircon in the bedroom once this whole summer. That's what I call good weather. I shall have to get a move on to get through all the summer dresses I've yet to wear. I either need many more gigs or dress other singers! I have tried to dress my boyfriends' sister and she looks fabulous in a lot of my gear but she's too shy to wear them. Shame!
Anyway, here's Deed I Do. I love this song and we had a special guest, Howard Cains on the double bass.

This Can't Be Love

2011-02-24T03:01:00.000-08:00

I saved my new Polici harem pants (remember my obsession) for last Friday and promptly dropped my dinner on them! I hope the dry cleaner will be my hero. Then I came down with a massive migraine that lasted for 4 full days and so this little modest weekly posting is very late! I'm never sure what an outfit will look like on camera. It's total hit and miss. I think the harem line needs a shorter top so that even though the hips are full you still have a waist. I wore them with a little sequined bolero I found at Sportsgirl ages ago and it was all very beige! I think I'll have to go back to some intense color.
Here's the band with This Can't Be Love.

Sometimes I'm Happy.

2011-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

It's a lovely thing when a band grows and gets more and more in tune (no pun intended) with each others musical language. I've been working hard on my singing by using Cari Cole's Warm up exercises.
http://www.caricole.com/ I haven't looked at her other stuff but the exercises are really good. If you're singer I highly recommend them as a daily workout.

This week I chose the first two songs because the crowd wasn't too noisy yet. It really is the only disadvantage working in a big cafe. People won't shut up! Plus the coffee machine...one day I will have my own venue! Here's Sometimes I'm Happy (think Sarah Vaughan) and My Foolish heart (think Carmen McRea). I wore a lovely little dress that I found on Chapel Street about 4 years ago and just hadn't worn yet. My bad. I teamed with some Italian Fem Blu lavender pumps which come from an outlet shop not too far from me and my fantastic HUGE flower ring that I found on the Modnique website.

http://www.modnique.com/ Just remember, though their shipping is cheap, it takes at least 8-10 weeks for the object of your desire to arrive.

Harem Scarem!

2011-02-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I'm hooked on Harem Pants! I love that draped front and the tight ankles in all types of fabric and I hope they stay in fashion for a long time because I have a lot of them now. I made an attempt to do some Ebay selling to pay for my new pants but no joy. So if you see something on the blog you like just contact me directly and we'll work something out! I'm wearing my Y3's (which you'll see in the video) that I got from THE OUTNET http://www.theoutnet.com/ which lets you choose from a US site or an English site. The US site is the same in currency so I'd head for that site. Once again it was a hot night and I had another shirt planned but I decided to go with a pretty little Lisa Ho top I found on Ebay. Oh, and the lovely little yellow sandals are Cole Hann that I picked up in the states a couple of years ago out at Camarrillo Outlet shops which is more like a small city.
(That's the lovely Vincent there on Bass)
The video this week is Pixie Lott's little tune Mama Do which I'd like to record with my jazz band!

Flowers and Swedish Clogs

2011-01-30T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well, not every outfit works on camera. I really wanted to wear my new Swedish Hasbeens but I think they belong on a walk next to the canals in Holland! It was very hot last week so I pulled out an old Fleur Wood dress that is always good for hot weather so I ended up looking like I left the goats outside. Never mind. The song is just lovely. Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory originally sung by the marvelous Gene Wilder.
Oh, and the necklace was a vintage find on Ebay.

Billy Boy

2011-01-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here we are in our 43 week at Capital Kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. It's a busy and groovy cafe as you can see by people walking through the camera shot constantly.
My piano player , Tom Hanssen, who I just think is fabulous, loves Bill Evens, so I have been doing my best to learn as many of his tunes as I can. It's really important that your band likes the material you pick, (as well as each other). The boys in my quartet get to do a fair amount of instrumentals too. I'm hoping that keeps them happy. So this week I'm posting "Waltz for Debbie" which is a gorgeous song that I love doing.

It was in between hot and cool so I wore a silver sequined trapeze top I found on sale at Saba http://www.saba.com.au/ with a cute take on the boyfriend jacket, (although I'm not wearing the jacket in this clip) by The Edge-Supertrash (doesn't that say it all!) The sleeves are very intricate and a great piece to bring down the bling just a little. This was from THE OUTNET http://www.theoutnet.com/
The shoes are Robert Robert from Myers. I don't know why I can always find them in my size and on sale. (I really am going to start my Ebay store soon!)

I Used to Be...

2011-01-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

It took me a very long time to learn to write charts for the band especially a jazz lead sheet for my original stuff. But, I'm getting better at it and since we've had no time to rehearse I thought I would throw the band this song I wrote and see how they did. When I record it, I'd like to add flute into it but after hearing the boys and what they did with it I'm pretty happy with it. Here are the lyrics and I've posted another jazz classic (Everything happens to Me) below. Oh, and I'm wearing a cute little Armand Basi rust colored ruffled dress with a little bolero and a pair of adorable Sam Edelman platforms. I promise that I will open my Ebay store soon!

Written by Connie Lansberg

I USED TO BE YOUR GIRL

YOU USED TO BE MY WORLD

MY WORLD HAS COME APART

I HAVE A BROKEN HEART

MAYBE IF I SIT STILL

AND KEEP MY EYES CLOSED TIGHT

AND I DON’T TAKE THOSE PILLS

THEY GIVE TO US AT NIGHT

THEN MAYBE I’LL SEE YOU

LIKE I DID TODAY

LOOKIN’ BEAUTIFUL

AS THE DAY YOU WENT AWAY

I USED TO BE YOUR GIRL

YOU USED TO BE MY WORLD

MY WORLD HAS COME APART

I HAVE A BROKEN HEART

I WHISPER IN YOU EAR

YOU DON’T SEEM TO HEAR

THERE’S SOMETHING IN MY HEAD

BUT NOTHING IN MY BED

I WANT TO GO OUTSIDE

I NEED TO FEEL THE SUN

BUT I SHOULD RUN AND HIDE

MY HEART’S COME UNDONE

I USED TO BE YOUR GIRL

YOU USED TO BE MY WORLD

MY WORLD HAS COME APART

I HAVE A BROKEN HEART

Hitting the High Notes

2011-01-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

I don't have any film from NYE because it was just Tom Hanssen and myself playing for a captive audience at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. I got to sing every ballad I know. It is a bit harder though without bass to keep us in time. We did all right though. I know that sometimes I do get very lazy about actually practicing my scales and exercises so to motivate myself I bought Cari Cole's warm up exercises. I found them to be very worthwhile as they brought back things I knew but had forgotten. I highly recommend them if you want to quickly improve your tone and control. Here's the link: http://www.caricole.com/
I was hoping that APRA, our collection body in Australia would bring her out here for a workshop.

Now, I wanted to take a close up of the fabulous, well I can only call it a bib, that I got from one of my favorite on line shops, Shopbop.com, but I dropped my camera and broke it! Very upsetting. I shall just have to describe it and you can see it in this weeks' video.

It is a oblong shaped bib covered in amber and brown beads that ties around your neck to create a front piece for any plan top or dress you might be wearing. I did a little alteration on it though. I sewed the cloth tape ties together so they were at a certain level and I took the excess and sewed them on either side to turn it into more of a string vest. I think you can see it in vid. Made it much more comfortable to wear since it's rather heavy. The piece is from a designer called Haute Hippie which you'll find at Shopbop and Polyvore. I teamed with my Basikke (pronounced basic) harem pants and a silky little top from Aus label Basque. It was extremely hot that day and it's always hard to dress up when it's hot.
Here's Both Sides Now with my A team band. Once again, this is a very busy and popular cafe so it's always noisy!

Oh Holy Crap!

2010-12-29T18:24:00.000-08:00

Alice and Olivia Sequined tank Dress

This gorgeous and comfy dress is from http://www.shopbop.com/ a great site that has world wide free delivery! If you can find something on sale in your size it's really worth it. The picture doesn't do the rich deep olive color justice. I wore it with a little Free the People cropped hoodie and a pair of Steve Madden wooden sandals also from ShopBop.
Now, I was dared to post this church song and I had a massive migraine during this gig (I missed the next gig and Christmas entirely as it lasted four days) which means I missed the last opportunity to bring out the sparkles. (Except for NYE) but since it will a hundred and ten degrees that day....
Here's my little attempt at Oh Holy Night. Try and find Stan Walker doing it! We are at opposite ends of the scale. He is utterly amazing.
Have a great NYE!

Ring a Bling Bling

2010-12-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

My sequined legging came in the mail on Friday in time for my gig so I had to rethink my outfit for that evening. I wasn't sure if the leggings that I found on ideeli.com http://www.ideeli.com/closed
(I'm sorry, I don't remember how I became a member) were going to look any good but because they have un-sequined strips down both the inside and out side leg, they look great. Ideeli doesn't ship overseas (damn them!) so my mother who lives in Ca. sent them over for me. I could have gone very rokstar with the look but this is a jazz gig so instead I put a sheer Cohen et Sabine http://www.cohenetsabine.com.au/ black scooped neck dress over the pants and it soften the look right up but still great for the Christmas shows we've been doing. I found the dress on Ebay and had yet to wear it. Mind you, some boots and long t-shirt, a frilly vest and Ring a Bling Bling! Cool.My clip this week is Have Yourself a Merry Christmas. Pete my drummer had to leave early so we did it as a trio which was lovely.

123,223, 323,423!

2010-12-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

We're doing Christmas shows at Cap Kitch 3 days a week up until Christmas Eve and it isn't until you do that many Christmas songs in a row that you realize most Christmas tunes are in 3/4. Waltzes. I'm going to spend 2011 writing my own! Just so we can swing.
Still, I can't complain because I get to pull out my collection of 60's to 80's fully sequined and beaded dresses that I rarely get to wear. The one I'm wearing in the video is a lovely deep blue. I did discover though, that they are very uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time. The Cap only has metal stools and since so many Christmas tunes are slow I decided I would sit for these gigs. But it hurt after a while! So for this tune, I'm standing. I love this tune,
What are you doing New Years Eve? Diana Krall does it and Ella.
Enjoy!

Sequined Insanity

2010-12-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

I'm just mad for sequins. Not great big gawdy sequins, but dark gold and bronze.
I found this little number on a little site called Modnique:
http://www.modnique.com

Not a great deal of good clothes but when they do they're a good price. The only drawback is that the items take at least six weeks to arrive. Supposedly this little dress, and I use the term lightly as it really is a long top, was designed by Lindsay Lohan.
I surprised tht I found one that would fit!!
Here's a live version of my cover of the song Crush originally by Jennifer Paige.

Walking on By in Scratchy Pants

2010-11-30T03:23:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to get the perfect version of Walk on By and this is the best so far, I think. It wasn't as hot as I thought it was going to be so I put my new See by Chloe mustered and apricot pin striped dress pants on with a Fleur Wood top that used to be a dress. Also a lovely apricot color. I was pleased that I had something that was the perfect "go with" for the trousers. The trousers have a mustard base with metallic apricot pin stripe which looks great. It just doesn't show up on the video. I bought the Fleur Wood cotton dress a couple of years ago because it was so on sale and beautiful material but a bit of a sack, a shape that doesn't really suit me. I had been planning to make it a top and finally the pants gave me the motivation. I tried to get a photo of the fabric up close but couldn't capture it. Unfortunately, lovely as these trousers are...they are the scratchiest things I've ever felt. I had to wear thick Lycra leggings underneath to cope. Oh the price of beauty!

Frill Seeker

2010-11-23T04:32:00.000-08:00

I seem to be going a little nuts. Last Friday was cool-ish and I was looking in the shop that is my closet which should be the master bedroom... but it's not... it's the closet. I had an outfit already picked out for the gig, a cute little ruffled sweater dress from Review. It was probably the last time I could wear it before next winter. But the day before I had removed the sleeves from am Anthropologie ruffled thigh length sweater. The problem with the sweater is that it is too hot for mild weather and not warm enough when it's really cold. But I was in need of more vests so off came the sleeves and I was very pleased with the outcome. Then my eye caught a little black lacey tunic, also with ruffles at the hem and threw it on, just for a second, and tossed the my new "vest" over that, belted it and there it was, Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan, only more frilly! I slipped into the green Jeffery Campbell boots (pic in previous post) and I couldn't take it off. It was pretty wild thing to wear to jazz gig. But hey, what the hell?

I like to give them all something to talk about. It's a shame we don't start a little later. With daylight saving time and the days getting longer so the sun shines pretty brightly so the film is a bit bright.
But, it's about the music, isn't it? Isn't it?????
Here's Everything Happen to Me (the whole song because the lovely Ben 'loglin is soloing on the bass and it's great.

Stormy Weather

2010-11-15T03:50:00.000-08:00

I love wild weather as long as Mother Nature doesn't take it too far. I just thought I'd post this as I've never experienced a storm inside a venue before. It was very hot and muggy all day then wham! The wind blasted and the rain came in horizontally. The boys tried to keep playing but rain started to pour down the walls and into the sound equipment and amps so we had to abandon ship for a while.

I love the outfit I was wearing, a Basilik stretchy cotton black maxi skirt with the only thing I've ever bought at Country Road.... a nude silk top with a layer of matt black sequins and tied up with black bows at the back. I wore it with some groovy high heeled sandals from Wittner that I've had for ages. It looked great in person but a bit chunky on film, such is the smock effect. Oh well!! Still, the lovely owner and his family was in having a pre-Christmas get together so I was glad I was kind of elegant. I teamed the ensemble with some Wittner high heeled sandals that I've had for ages. They are still in fashion! This tune is It's Alright With Me with Vince Hopkins on guitar, Ben O'Loughlin on bass and Pete Hodges on drums.

Not Always to Plan

2010-11-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

Who would think in a city full of good musicians that we couldn't find a bass player to fill in for Vince. But that's the thing. All the good ones get booked quickly and I don't like working with students and the ones that have just graduated because they have terrible attitudes. Like you owe them something.
So, even though Tom HATES HATES HATES working without a bass player, we were stuck. But it gave me a chance to get my favorite trumpet player in, Tommy J.
He's such a lovely boy and and just scored a scholarship at Berkeley School of Music in Boston. Here' s just one example of his lovely work. And girls, he's single.

Isn't he gorgeous?

My outfit this week, as it was still chilly, allowed me to finally wear the green Jeffery Campbell boots.

I wore them with a review ruffled skirt and one of those thin stretchy T-shirts with this green color in it, that I found in an outlet shop in Ventura, Ca. Someone told me I looked like Taylor Swift. OMG! I don't like dressing like a child but I often find myself looking at items of clothing on the net only to discover they are kids clothes! I'm shaking my head in shame.
Here's chilled version of Blue Champagne.

Round Midnight

2010-11-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

When I heard Lind Ronstadt sing Round Midnight I was completely taken. I've always loved Linda and her greatest hits album was played relentlessly. So, one of the advantages of a regular gig or a residency as it's called, is the chance to keep working towards great takes of my favorite songs. Although, every single tune I do at my gigs is one of my favorite songs.

This week, I wore a pair of dark blue harem pants with a really old top I found at Myers in the miss department years ago. I remember seeing it and thinking wow. How did such a great item get here? It's a thick cotton halter top with large metal circles sewn like a large necklace. What makes it great is the the bling is metal and bronze. I have a pair of fantastic bronze platform pumps that go prefectly. I wasn't wearing the top much at all but I never parted with it because it was inexpensive and fantastic. I've often thought they made a mistake with the pricing! Now of course, it's the perfect top with harem pants.

I teamed this with a little cropped denim jacket which was a great find as it looks great with dresses too and works whether it's hot or cold.
So, enough of the fashion, I hope you enjoy the clip.

Butterfly Princess

2010-10-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that I started and fronted an all girl big band for a while called The Sisters of Sass. We were a tribute to the all girl big bands of the 40's when the men went to war and the world discovered that women could swing more than their hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70p9kMJAM20

One of the reasons I started the band (besides my absolute love for the sound of the 40's and singing with 18 musicians) was that I have a huge collection of beaded tops from the late 50's and beaded butterfly tops from the 70's. My collection is pretty massive and the butterfly top I'm wearing in this clip is very rare in color (I paid way way too much for it) so I thought I'd bring it out and just team with a little black skirt and leggings with black sandals by Robert Robert that I got for $150 off at Myers. (I guess that almost counteracts the fact that I paid too much for the butterfly top). It was always a treat for me to see all the girls glittering away under the lights as they played.
This clip is one of my favorite Blossom Dearie numbers, from Guys and Dolls, If I Were a Bell.

Love the new 80's

2010-10-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying for the ultimate white girl version of At Last. I mostly sing it when Vince Hopkins is on guitar because I feel the country side of that song. So here's the latest version. I put it up into G from F.

This weeks out fit was fun. New harem-ish cropped black silky trousers by Armand Basi one of my favorite designers featured on Outnet. First rule of Outnet: do not talk about Outnet! and son on. You get it. It's hard enough finding the bargains in my size already. I don't want more people to discover the secret!
I topped the pants with a $5 Target T-shirt in cobalt blue to match the cobalt blue heels from De Cuba. Then I topped that with a severely beaded cropped Tuxedo jacket that I found in an op shop a few years ago. There you have it...update the 80's silhouette.
Here's Blue Champagne as well. Love this tune!

IT'S TUNIS!

2010-10-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

I was very exited to receive another picture today from one more my Jango Radio friends. This is Mohammed Ashour from Libya and it's lovely to see once again that music can travel freely thought out this world. No passport or visa's needed. Mohammed just informed me that this great photo was taken on Jerba Island TUNIS, and I love it! If you look up behind Mohhammed you see stacks of hand woven carpets. I have these carpets in my home and they look beautiful on the wood floors.I also like this style of pottery. Just gorgeous. Thank you Mohammed. My list of international friends is growing.

I'm also a little late posting the video as I went down with a four day migraine. But I'll get there!

Two New Friends

2010-10-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

I am always so delighted when my fans send me their photos.(Always nice ones). As I've said, they see my picture everywhere so it's not fair that I can't see all the lovely people who click me on Jango. Here are my two newest friends!
This is Steve, a man with superior taste in music and motorcycles.

Steve says this beautiful thing is his wife. Thanks Steve!

Still Cold

2010-10-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I've been ready to get into my pretty spring dresses and ditch the sweaters but it's just not happening. It's still freezing at night. I've been watching the forecast and the whole week is beautiful and warm except for Friday when the temperature is set to drop and the skies open. So, winter outfits still reign supreme.

This week, I'm posting a comp of Smile (did you know that Charlie Chaplin wrote Smile???) and Sometimes I'm Happy. Smile always gets a great response and I love to do the songs people really know. In fact, I put together a show of only the most well known Standards and ended up giving away many cards. Hmmm? I couldn't do it every week even though our audience changes. We play in a large cafe that refuses to advertise the fact that we're there and so our audiences aren't expecting to be an audience! That's our challenge every week, to delight and amaze the people who show up in an effort to get them to stay and drink more. I think we do all right.

So, because it was still cold I ended up wearing my FCUK long beaded tunic with a blue cardi and some new James jeans from the Outnet, my new favorite online store. They were touted as being skinny jeans but I had to take them in at the ankles to make them fit properly. I've actually pulled out the sewing machine this week and I'm committed to doing all the alterations needed so that nothing goes unworn! I'm getting ready to start and Ebay store too. I bought the first tunic when it first came out (paid full price) and then ended up cutting it to make it a shirt which worked out well. But styles change, leggings became huge and I really wanted to have it mid thigh again. To my delight, there it was on Ebay, so now I have a shirt length and a tunic length. Mind you the girl selling it on Ebay quoted the price as double what I actually paid and I felt it was my job to reprimand her for telling a lie. Don't tell lies on Ebay. It goes against the spirit and someone will know the truth!
Enjoy the video.

All the Way from Mexico

2010-10-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is my newest friend, Gerardo Arriaga who has moved from Mexico to North Carolina to get an MBA. He then wishes to live in an exotic Asian country. May I suggest Laos? The amazing Mekong River is it's lively hood but it needs champions to protect it from damming. There is a very rare species of dolphin, only 100 left, that will be destroyed if they put a damn in their way.

I'm very pleased Gerardo like my music and I wish him all the best!

I Love Harem Pants

2010-10-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

I love when a a new "line" is introduced or reintroduced into the fashion arena. I don't mean a new fashion line. What I mean is that we've been living with skinny jeans for a long time now and suddenly...we have HAREM PANTS! I know that many will hate them, steer away from them but I had an instinct that they would suit me. Actually, it's more what style mogels are calling draped pants... tight on the calves and lower thighs and the draping comes right at the upper thighs to disguise them. LOVE IT!! In this video, a comp of Walk on By and a song that I'm dedicating to Barry Thompson my A #1 fan and friend from Detroit called You Hit the Spot...waz up Barry?

I'm wearing the most comfy pair that I found at Fat. I wore them with some cheap, but great, gladiator high heel sandals, a dark grey/green Tee with sequined bunnies on it from FCUK and a really old designer black suit jacket that I never wear and now I'm so happy I already had it! I was so inspired by this look that I went on line and found another pair in a brown color from ShopBop (free International shipping) and found a a black pair of Robert Robert gladiator heels down from $240 to $40!!!!! Honestly, I have a shopping guardian angel. I really do.
I hope you enjoy the clip. I left all of Jon Wade and Petey in You Hit The Spot because it's so lovely.

Ebay International

2010-10-03T05:04:00.000-07:00

Last week, my drummer decided to actually have a look at this blog and decided he really liked it. Go figure. Still, at gigs he has never gone near the microphone, though in real life, he's hysterical. So you can imagine my surprise when he suddenly popped behind the mic and made a very loud announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think you will all agree that Connie looks spectacular tonight. Her outfit is brought to you by Ebay International". I nearly fell over. I went bright red and I couldn't stop laughing. I was just upset the tape wasn't running. The whole audience was laughing as I felt myself go red. It takes a lot to make me blush but he exposed my secret! So, I left in my admonishment of him as I berated him. I mean come on. It's a gorgeous fully sequined Scanlan & Theodore that, yes I did get on Australian Ebay. I wore it with a purple shrug, tights and heels but you can't see the color in the tape which is a shame because it was a great contrast.

End of an Era

2010-09-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

I love my vintage collection of beaded and sequined dresses. I feel bad when they hang in the closet, neglected. It was one of the reasons I started an all girl big band. Seeing those girls looking great in the 70's beaded butterfly tops AND playing really well was always a treat.

But, that's not the end of the era. The end of era is my piano player, Jonathan Wade moving to another state and Friday the 1st of Oct. will be his last gig with me. He helped me come to grips with jazz over the last five years and we always had fun! He's definitely is one of a kind. I will miss him!

More Friends Again

2010-09-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

I've been really sick with the flue and then a very bad migraine to follow up. I've had 3 gigs while being so sick so I'm only going to post video with the view of just continuing my documentation of the fashion. You have realized by now, I'm sure that half the fun of gigging is the dressing up bit. I was very naughty and ordered two!!! pairs of Jefferey Campbell boots because I fell in love. Do not even consider trying walk in them. Oh no. Just stand and then loll around with you feet out in front so everyone can see how utterly cool these boots are. The first ones with the yellow socks is what inspired the search. They are DSquared an cost over $600 US and that's on sale so Jefferey Campbell was the next best thing! (I had to go out and buy socks!)

Yes????? Anyway enough of that, In this video I wore the brown boots with an old Sportsgirl silk dress that I saw someone wearing on a TV show! I teamed it with brown knee socks and a belt I got in an op shop the exact color. The since it's still freezing, a Brown cropped jacket I picked up in the Sates a couple of years ago. AND...here's another of my new friends. Val Tims is from Russia. I always think of Russia as being cold and snowing this looks like a lovely spring day. Thanks Val!

OK, here's the latest vid but it's a bit hard to get the full effect of the boots.

More Friends

2010-09-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

This is Barry Thompson my number 1 biggest fan and all around great guy. Such a big fan is Barry that I gave him my whole album for free. Mind you, it's a well kept secret that most artist would gladly give you there CD for free because they're so happy you like them. It's only their business managers that won't let them! And...how else will they make their next album if you don't buy there first one????
All can say is, that if this is Barry's wife...way to go Barry!
There is nothing prettier than a smile and these two prove that.

Newest Friend

2010-09-07T03:33:00.000-07:00

I have asked all the lovely people who click the iLike or the Fan buttons on all my music sites to send me pictures because I love to look! I think it's only fair since there are pictures and videos of me all over the place. A few have responded, I know we're all busy. Here is my newest friend, Barbara,"I am from Sydney, I have been living in Sydney for 6 years now, I am actually from Poland. I have friends in Melbourne and go to visit once a year". Melbourne is where I'm living too which really is a great city. We have beaches and great restaurants and live music all over the place.

I think that's lovely!

cheers,

Connie

Getting Serious

2010-09-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Most people don't realize that most jazz outfits do not rehearse! They think it's a well kept secret but I can tell you if you listen closely, it shows!!! I will be shot for saying that.
I don't like to play by the rules, I like to do my own songs and pop songs which most jazz guys wouldn't know. A good example, I guess I should bite the bullet and show you... Ok, I will show you how a lack of rehearsal ruined my segue idea. In the video you will notice how between Whisper Not and Blue Skies, they ignored the fact I was setting up a different tempo.

It's frustrating when, through lack of rehearsal a good idea fails. Rehearsal isn't for learning songs, a good jazz musician will know the song or have a high level reading skill. Rehearsal is to blend artistic ideas and temperaments. Just so the same Standards that all jazz bands do can be done with fresh ideas. For next week, I've put 3, three song segues into the show! The boys are going to have to really pay attention.
Of course, keeping good jazz musos on their toes is essential!! Here's a clip of a great tune called An Occasional Man. Oh and I'm wearing a cute little Cue dress with Italian cloth lavender boots.

Gig and Gap at the Cap!

2010-08-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

We just got our first Gap store next to my regular Friday night jazz gig at Capital Kitchen here in Melbourne thus...Gap at the Cap! I never shop there when I'm in LA so I can't see it holding any interest for me here. Not enough sequins!
Here's some footage from Aug 20 2010. The first song you'll know the second is one of my own jazz tunes called Twinkle Twinkle.
I loved this outfit. A Basque sequined skirt that was 50% off the 50% off price and also on sale, the top, which has big black sequins down the front from, believe it or not, Laura Ashley.

People are just the Cutest!

2010-08-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

I actually really enjoy the human race. Without exception I believe that one on one, you can find good in everyone. Or...at least a reason for their dis-function. I live to gig because in this world that is my best method of connection. Internet is all well and good but it is not a conduit for the information carried by the personal vibration of an individual. Anyway..... I have pictures and video's everywhere and my persona is out there for all to see. But I feel it should be a two way st. SOOO... I asked all the fans from jango radio to send me a picture of them so I could post it on my blog and website. I haven't worked out yet how to edit the website but I can start right here!

This is the lovely Amanda from North Carolina. If I ever get to NC I can take her out for a drink!

This is the fabulous Mississippi Heat from Evanston Ill. You can check them out here http://www.mississippiheat.net and I hope they'll let me sit in with them one day!

This is the very dashing Paul. Definitely "all that" in his day. He didn't tell me anything so a man of mystery!

Now this Eddie and his mates. Eddie is on the left. He's coming to Melbourne to see a show which is lovely! Only, I'm not sure he realizes I will be doing a fair amount of jazz tunes!

And just look at this gorgeous smile! This is Rico. And if he lets me know where we can here him play I'll let you know.

This is the very joyful Carlos who is a movie buff, www.guion.com.br
check it out!

Here is the latest pic. This is Justice Trillin (isn't that a great name!) from California. I asked him to find a venue near him for me to sing in when I get to California.

Thanks guys!

Capital Kitchen

2010-08-23T06:43:00.001-07:00

I just love having a regular gig and Capital Kitchen is a great place to try out new tunes, originals and some of the more difficult standards. I also get to get dressed up! Here's a compilation of outfits over the weeks to my cover song Crush.

I've been doing black and white a lot which is unusual for me but it has been very cold and black tights are a must! First clip a lovely Alanah Hill (on sale) with a fantastic little short sleeve jacket from shopbop.com I think. Clip 2, dark blue harem pants with a shortened French Connection dress that I made into a top. The next 4 clips are just a small sampling of some of the amazing vintage beaded and sequined stuff I have collected. Clip 7, what can I say. I saw it on the outnet.com and it was fairly inexpensive. Last pic is an Ebay purchase a lovely rich red Laundry dress I wore for the original show at the Cornish Arms.

Both Sides Now

2010-07-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

This is from a lovely quiet (I let the drummer off to play for the Hell's Angels that night) gig where it was just guitar and bass. This is one of my favorite songs. I had a dream that I should record it. It was recorded on a Zoom Q3 which I feel doesn't really pick up the bass very well. I'm also wearing one of my vintage sparkly tops. Very art deco. I hope you enjoy it!

Do the Dresses mean Hope?

2010-05-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

I think, that deep down I must believe I'm going to get somewhere with this music caper because I keep buying dresses off Ebay. I sold 2 singles this week, both original so also a good sign.

"Got me some high expectations,
not a lot of natural talent
so I stumble along
trying hard not to loose my balance
and I've run into so many walls
I got me a mansion
And I'm living here all by myself
Well, that's my intention.
What am I doing this for?
What am I doing this for...."
(from High Expectations)

Social Media Sucks

2010-05-05T02:57:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, keeping a blog is like having to cook every single night. I want good food but I wish someone else would do it.
I have a new piano player and it's interesting because this piano player seemed way out of my league two years ago. I heard him play at a festival and my ears couldn't take in what he was doing. I loved it and his vocalist is in my opinion Australia's very best jazz artist. I thought at the time wow, I don't think I could work with him. He's so complicated. But at the same time I wanted to work with him. And then, suddenly my regular guy, who I love, started to overplay horribly. Just no space at all, not even in the slowest of ballads. Why???? I was either boring him to death or his loyalty became split when his wife decided she wanted to sing with him. I couldn't find the words to tell him to stop so I just put up with it. When audience members started to comment on his overplaying I knew I had to be brave and call the other guy. I did call, he had just split with his fantastic vocalist and now he's my regular guy. What does this mean??? Is the Universe telling me something? I hope so because really, I think social media is a croc. Who are all those people I follow on Twitter and who are all the people following me? Aren't we all just trying to sell each other something? I don't understand a word anybody is saying on twitter or what it has to do with me. I just want to play live gigs, which I do regularly and get better and better at what I do. If social media gets people out of their homes and into the venue where my band is playing then well and good. But so far, I have not seen that. I think I have just as much chance by doing everything I can to be prepared for the opportunity the Universe may bring my way. This great pianist comes over to my house once a week and records new songs for me to learn. I don't play an instrument so this is the thing I've needed and I learned two new songs in a week! It usually takes me two weeks to learn one.
If you know what twitter is good for and can tell me oh please enlighten me.
cheers,
Connie

2010 Makes 3!

2009-12-30T23:16:00.000-08:00

If you know anything about numerology, you will know that 3 is the number of fame and being in the limelight. But of course that means the same thing for all of us. Can there be a world where all artists get some modicum of success? I have come to realize that I would not be happy in the cut throat world of real stardom.

I know what I would be like. I would be very competitive and probably do anything to stay on top. I'd be overly concerned about my looks and perhaps I'd even stop eating. (Heaven forbid) I'd have many migraines from the stress of it all. I can't see me being truly happy.

When I'm working steadily, like a few gigs a week, I'm really happy and never think about what anyone else is doing. But, then I tend to neglect the slog work of promotion and making new contacts. But when I'm not working regularly I'm miserable. I feel my life is over and I have to be diligent about staying in the now. I feel so guilty about all the dresses and shoes that aren't being worn.

This is why the theory about the 100 True fans seems a very suitable solution. Just 100 people who love my songs and will purchase anything I deliver. I'd be very happy with that.

So, maybe there is, with lots of work, a possibility that we can all have a suitable career.

We're Doing What We Love..Where's The Money?

2009-12-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

(This is the view from my parents house in Spokane. I've never been there! )

I met up with a friend today, a very talented healer. I mean, she goes deep. But she has to spend every waking hour trying to figure out how to make a website that ranks first in Google to drive people to it who will buy something just so she can survive. She's been at for over a year with no success. I find myself getting angry at her because she so very anxious about it. We've all heard about the secret but I don't know anyone who has succeeded at the manifestation part. I mostly know musicians and we all seem to be in the same boat.

I've come to think that unless we remove all ego and fear from what we're trying to achieve, it's never going work. Ahh.. but how the hell do you do that??? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Too Many Dresses Not Enough Boys

2009-12-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

I've been away for awhile...read that I couldn't remember how to log in and got really confused but I'm back on track.

These are two of the best pieces as they are heavily beaded and brilliant quality. I was able to wear it for a cocktail party we we're play at with one of my line ups...

I seem not to be able to let anybody else eat into my ever growing collection of hand beaded vintage tops and dresses.

If only I could find musicians I love and who have lovely attitudes like these boys. But these boys are not always available because there can be no loyalty in the Australian jazz world.

Let me know if you have one of these wiggle dresses to sell!!!!!

Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer

2008-11-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

Obama won and I'm dancing for joy! Thank goodness. "The times they are a changin'". Do you realize he will be president in the year 2012, the end of the Myan calender?? Interesting.
Anyway...
I found the cutest little guitar player! I'm not going to name him because I want him all to my self. Musically speaking that is. Young and sweet, no rehearsal, he was totally there. I have my older guys that I love but they have so much baggage. Unlike me, free as a bird to travel anywhere.
I'm also cautiously optimistic having called a guy who could possible help me get the girls in the big band where I'd like them to be. I realized the other day that this singing caper is not all about the audience. Not nearly as much as I thought. When I was little I wanted my six brothers and sister and my six cousins all to be in my plays. I didn't really care if the grownups saw it I just wanted everybody to play with me! And it's like that now. If the the guys and girls are musically stimulated and having fun, that's really enough for me. I guess it's because I'm a lonely jazz singer! I love the group situation even if it's difficult to manage egos sometimes. On Sunday at the East Malvern RSL here in Melbourne Australia, I threw a new original at the boys and I thought they did pretty well. I need to set up recording time with all the different configurations of muso's and see which one actually works the best. I wore a really deep royal purply blue Pilgrim dress with my Kenneth Cole fab yellow shoes that I got at the outlet store in Ventura. Love , love, love!

Aren't the boys just the cutest???

Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer

2008-10-22T01:50:00.000-07:00

Merimbula Jazz Festival (Wheelers Oyster Bar & Restaurant)
Dress by Cue/Shoes by Nine West

Sometimes nice things happen when you need them to most. Just little things but they keep you going. Well, they keep you wondering! I got sent a whole slew of great photos that were taken at the Merimbula Jazz Festival in NSW by the bass players wife. The festival is in June and I didn't even remember she had a camera so I was really pleased and surprised when they landed in my email. I love a good photo mostly to remember what I was wearing! Then, a casting agent rang out of the blue and asked me come and film a scene. I was flabbergasted. I mean, yes, I did used to act and had some really good roles, but the singing took over and I didn't think anyone remembered me. I'll ask her when I see her why she thought of me. I've learned the scene already, I was nervous about that, but I guess it's no different than learning new songs which I do a lot of.
I'll let you know how it goes. As of today, 6 people have looked at my blog but nobody has commented. So far my experiment is failing. Then again, my genre is for the discerning. So that's OK. I didn't mention that the dress in the large pic is also Cue. I've only ever bought two dresses from them but both great. I wish I could figure out how to put a photo in the middle of this blog but it doesn't seem to allow that. I'm usually pretty good with computer stuff but this program has me beat. Never mind. I'll let you know how my casting goes!

The Life of a Lonely Jazz Singer

2008-10-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

(That's my boyfriend and jazz slave)

Hi, My name is Connie Lansberg and this is my first blog.
I feel it's time to reach out and make new friends because all I ever do is learn new songs, break in new piano players (who don't seem to know what a chord is) deal with my new all girl Big Band, Connie Lansberg & the Sister of Sass, all 20 of us, write songs and fantasize about new shoes and dresses. I firmly believe that the singer should always look better than the audience. It's part of the show! many "jazz"singers here in Melbourne do not agree with me. I love fashion and if I didn't have such a huge desire to sing I would have a fantastic dress shop and search the world for wearable art.
Still, I know the audience likes to see what I'm wearing week after week and I always get comments on my shoes. I remember a booker coming to see me and I was wearing a great dress at the gig, but the venue she was booking for was grungy so I wore jeans at the gig and she never gave us another gig!
I admit my one stroke of luck is that my lovely boyfriend is my drummer and my jazz slave. He knows so much about jazz and I just like to sing. He's taught me everything I know and always has helpful critiques for me. I admit I only started learning these tunes a few years ago but so many of them are melodic and lyric genius.
Anyway, the lovely boy sets everything up and takes it all down before and after every gig as well as carting the whole drum kit around. he never complains and loves his drums so much! His musical knowledge is vast and I'm trying to convince him to be a reviewer!
So.......
I need to figure out if we can ever get beyond this level of notoriety . We have a pretty good album and about to do an original one with my jazz guys (I guess it'll be pop/jazz), we do a lot of gigs but we're not well known outside the 300 people who come to our shows. (Mind you, they never show up all at once. I wish!) I'm told it all depends on the Internet but I'm convinced someone manipulates results and wants us to believe that people really can be discovered online. I guess this will be my own experiment. Is there such a thing as 100th monkey syndrome?: http://www.hundrethmonkeysyndrome.co.uk/

I'm willing to find out. To hear our music and comment you can either google me or go to the website. And then let me know what you think???

This is a montage of a couple of original tunes
done live if you like visuals. Sound is a little rough as it was recorded straight through the video camera.