The Jazz Age + Annette Hanshaw

I love old jazz and lately I've been listening to it pretty much nonstop while studying and such. I've also been reading a book that takes place in New York during the Roaring Twenties, and it does such a great job bringing that lively world to life, using slang, music, and vivid descriptions that are incredibly atmospheric and detailed. It's called The Diviners, and was written by Libba Bray. A word of caution - even though it gives a wonderful historical account of the Twenties, it also deals with supernatural, horror type stuff so it's not all sunshine and dancing. Some parts are icky. The main character, Evie, is simply fantastic. Full of spunk, over-the-top, and eager to live life in the biggest, boldest way she can, her character just sparkles. 

I would love to travel back in time to the age of flappers and classy jazz. This was a time when women could be seen in action, fighting for equality and unafraid to display their ideas, opinions, and bold personalities. Just the act of wearing a shorter dress and cutting your hair was a big statement, and many women chose to make it. More importantly, they were not afraid to speak out and to really live. They would not be stopped by outdated beliefs and the disapproval of men. 

Here's to a jazzy, carefree Thursday ;-)

Melody Gardot - If the Stars Were Mine

So, I've had quite a lot of school work to tackle lately. Being a student again is great in some ways, but homework and tests - those are never fun. What makes it better is listening to some lovely background music while you're slaving away. It's the whole "whistle while you work" theory, works like a charm.

Melody Gardot is 27 and you can learn more about her on Wikipedia. In 2003, she got hit by a car while riding her bike and was seriously injured. She had to relearn how to do very basic things, like brushing her teeth and walking, and her memory was also effected. Music therapy helped her to recover and she has since become a big advocate of using music therapy for pain management and healing. Her story is super inspirational and it's amazing how she has used music, beauty, art, expression to overcome such difficult and painful circumstances. The power of music and art to change people's lives, to give hope and meaning, to heal...incredible!