Hey guys, gals, & non-binary pals!
Wow--HOW is it already 2021?!
Each new year, I reflect on years past and decide what I, myself, want to work towards and improve upon. For many of us, that means eating 'healthier,' moving more, and doing mindfulness activities. While I'm all for the aforementioned (if done correctly), I decided I want to feel like more of myself in 2021. After a year that stripped away so much of my identity--an afterschool employee, a college student, and a granddaughter--I felt it was time to 'find myself' again.
Now, I know you're wondering: "How are you going to find yourself? The pandemic is still going on. The things you've lost before are still going to be lost. Are you not happy to simply be alive right now?"
First, I am incredibly overjoyed with the simplicity of living. It is in the everyday things that makes me appreciate what I have over and over again, especially in a world that looks so different than it had before. I am thankful for those I surround myself with and for those who surround themselves around me. Especially, those who I love and care for most of all. However, my happiness in my identity has simply wavered because I've let organizations and experiences define myself. In a world plagued by a global pandemic, that is the sheer reason so many of us suffer so much: we have lost what it means to truly be ourselves. Not to be, "Emma, the college student," or "Emma, the employee," but rather, to be, "Emma, the sharp-witted; the kind; and the ambitious." To be yourself at the most bare level is the hardest thing, but it is something we must do now, as the pandemic continues to change what we know as 'life.'
Second, I know. Many things I have lost due to the pandemic will not magically appear in 2021 as if they were hidden away in a vault for the past year. However, this past weekend, I listened to something that reminded me again what I love the most: jazz. Even as a small child, I've always loved jazz. The sounds; the way it flows; and the way each and every musician puts their soul into every note. Jazz has always felt vulnerable to me, like we are listening to the performer's emotions in song. It's special to me. And, it reminds me who I am. When I listened to jazz for seemingly the first time in months, I felt like a part of me escaped from a vault and I felt whole again.
I know what it seems like. I'm just a big music nerd who feels alive when she listens to music. And, not going to lie, that's precisely it. However, it's jazz that makes me feel most at home and myself. Perhaps, that is my childhood instinct coming out, followed by my experiences in high school jazz band, and finally, my IMMENSE love for a jazz studies class I took during my first year of college. But, to me, jazz is special, and the way it makes me feel inside is too precious to keep quiet.
So, for this year, I wanted to focus my attention on this blog to jazz. Specifically, for this month, jazz from Japanese artists. The playlist you find at the beginning of this post is a conglomeration of my favorite Japanese jazz artists and songs found thus far. As it is only January 4th, this playlist will continuously grow until the very end of the month, so stay tuned! (If you're my boyfriend and you've made it this far, thank you for introducing me to this subgenre of jazz. As you know, I cannot stop listening to it! )
The thing I love most about Japanese jazz--and jazz as a whole--is that it is accessible. The lack of lyrics in the music itself speaks for the musicians who may or may not speak the same language as the audience members. It's a beautiful thing!
As you listen to these tracks on your own time, or perhaps, as you read my rambling thoughts, try and give jazz a chance. It's a slowly dying craft among the younger generation, but, my hope, is that my post will get one or two of you into the genre. I'm not expecting a jazz revolution; just simply a few more appreciators. With that, I will leave you to enjoy some great tunes on your afternoon drive, daily walk, or evening dinner.
Peace.
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