Tuesday, December 28, 2010

::: Aretha Franklin:::I Say A Little Prayer For You
















my understanding is that Aretha isn't well and i just wanted to send out some love and prayers that she will feel better. i also wanted to take a moment to tell her thank you for the impact that she has made on the musical landscape. it is the hope of every artist that they are able to create meaningful and timeless works, and in Aretha's case, her legacy is undeniable. Viva Aretha!










:::Teena Marie::: RIP


Teena Marie will surely be missed. when i heard that she had passed, i felt as if a small bit of my childhood died with her. i remember singing her songs at the tops of my lungs. belting out lyrics that i had no business saying and surely had no idea what they meant. lol! i hope that she went peacefully and i am grateful for all of the music that she left behind. muah!

Friday, December 24, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

:::where in the world is JOY JONES? :::























this voyage found us jumpin trains, rockin mics, sittin on stoops and meeting up with old and new friends. where am i?





new york, new york...but i'm sure you knew that already!

1.walking the streets 2. central park love 3. time square
4. sob show with manchild black and monsta black
5. east village radio show interview with dj jon oliver
6. nightlife

below is a fun radio interview clip of me and jon oliver
of east village radio rockin out to a loverly remix by daru jones.
enjoy.



:::where in the world is JOY JONES? :::


















since i have been grounded for the better part of this year, i thought that i would reminisce on some of my past voyages with a new segment that i am calling, where in the world is JOY JONES. this journey found me hiking in rain forests at dawn and climbing mayan ruins of tikal.
where am i?



viva guatemala! ole!

1.mayan woman and children 2.mayan ladies shootin the breeze
3. beautiful church and cobblestone streets of Antigua 4. tikal at dawn
5. children selling vegetables at roadstop

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Sunday, December 12, 2010

:::Eartha Kitt:::Grrrrrrrr!







oh Eartha! what is there to say. i can't say that i completely know what is going on in this interview. i haven't gone to med school yet to study psych, but i have an slight suspicion that things are a bit amiss with my sweet Eartha in this clip. i love how she keeps repeating "compromise" as if it is a foreign word she has never heard before! oh the sweet drama! that aside, something tells me that I am going to be talking like this for the next week! enjoy!



Thursday, December 9, 2010

:::Kerry Washinton:::Bam!


this new promo shoot for Kerry's new movie, Night Catches Us,
was recently printed in the LA Times. i have to say that these pics
look so new and fresh that they leave me inspired to create a new
personal look for next year. stay posted :)















:::Pam Grier::: POW!

Friday, December 3, 2010

:::please:::

is there some way that the stars can align, and my husband and i can get a canon 5D Mark II camera, with tons of lenses and 2 round the world plane tickets. Is that too much to ask from life? if that did happen, i would post stuff like this, expect there would be two smiling chocolate faces in all of the photos! lol! enjoy. via pretavoager




Thursday, December 2, 2010

:::reine de tout et rien:::




sometimes you have to make your own crown and jewels to rock.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

:::watch:::short film by kahlil joseph:::







as promised, here is part 2 of the seu jorge trilogy. it is called "the model". gorgeous. enjoy.


the model

Saturday, November 27, 2010

:::my latest artsy:::scarf necklace






this is my latest artsy fartsy project. i made a necklace scarf out of yarn, and i love it. when i was a little girl, my grandma used to crochet all of the time. then, last week, out of the blue i decided to buy some yarn and a hook. i wasn't even sure that i would remember how to do it, but i guess it is like riding a bike. :) more creations to come.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

:::listen:::Amel Larrieux


i love amel for being vocally fearless. she is substantial and seems to have a simple elegance. when i first heard and saw "get up" i wanted to be that kind of artist. her first solo album, infinite possibilities is one of my all-time favorite albums! i have followed her every since. so this morning, my anthem is "get up". i hope you all enjoy! :)
oh, i also added her sweet misery video because it was a gorgeous song and video as well!




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

:::listen:::Ira Glass








it is no secret that i love npr and "this american life" host, ira glass. i find him to be incredibly witty and wise. the quote below, i found to be most inspirational as i work through my second studio album. writing and composing can take everything out of you because you want everything to be perfect. i like that ira says this is normal and to just work through it, because in the end it will be worth it. says ira:

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
- ira glass

Thursday, November 11, 2010

:::watch::: short films by nzingha stewart






nzingha stewart is one of the most talented film makers that i know. most people are more familiar with her music video work (see, "the light" with badu and common and bilal's "soul sista"), but less familiar with her film work. this short film, entitled "Thursday. South Central" is skillfully shot. her attention to small details is masterful and it is beautiful to see the world through her gaze. we need to be able to see more black female directors to have an opportunity to shine. that said, i have no doubt that whatever nzingha has up her sleeves will be well worth the wait when its time comes. i for one will be waiting with baited breath. you can keep up with her on her blog. enjoy.






Tuesday, November 9, 2010

:::watch::: short films by khalil joseph

yesterday i saw that the good folks at frolab were showing the first of three short films by khalil joseph surrounding the singer seu jorge. in this segment, entitled "the model", we seem to walk with seu through his day which includes rehearsing, chilling with friends/family and thinking about a love interest (introduced in the final seconds of the film). this pieces is incredibly well shot, which is what is to be expected of khalil joseph's work. you may be familiar with his work from the sabazz palaces "belhaven meridian" video based on the films of charles burnett. what khalil does with black and white is magical. the moments feel so warm that you actually believe that they are saturated with color. and let's not even talk about how beautiful seu jorge's voice is. bonkers! i look forward to seeing and hearing more from the both of them as well as the subsequent installments of this series. enjoy this video and some other works by khalil joseph.

"the model"



"cheeba"

Cheeba feat. Bilal from Plug Research on Vimeo.

"belhaven meridian"

Shabazz Palaces - Belhaven Meridian from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

:::ICON:::ALICE COLTRANE




as i begin working on my next project, i often reflect on the work of artists i admire. one such artist is ALICE COLTRANE. in my opinion, alice had a quiet power that made her an undeniable force in the jazz realm. she was not only john's wife, but a visionary in her own right.



i am also inspired by the creative partnership that she had with her husband. when you listen to the music that they created together it sounds like the perfect meshing of souls. such synchonization of passion and purpose is rare and most beautiful.




of all of alice's album, i must say that my favorites are "a monastic trio" and "journey in satchidananda" are classics in my book.



if you are not hip to the work of alice coltrane, please take a moment and familiarize yourself. enjoy.








Sunday, November 7, 2010

:::INFLUENCERS::: be one!

in a world of followers...be an influencer

Saturday, November 6, 2010

:::grey gardens fashion:::











i love all things grey gardens, not just because i am fascinated with the human psyche, but also because lil and big edie were amazing human beings. if you have seen the movie (which i highly suggest) you will appreciate the following fashion looks i just saw on designlovefest! the photos were taken by mark seliger for vogue spain!