Every song has a story...

...And my first song, Hear My Call, has 2. I was thinkng about this post and what I wanted to share and how I wanted to do it. Being the person that often struggles with indecision and commitment, I figured..."why not just say all that I want to say?" And so I shall. lol

Story 1 - Behind the Song

I've been working on this song in some way for a few years. But it wasn't until recently that I realized I was really just carrying it around like a seed in my pocket when it needed to be in fertile ground. But I'll come back to that. The seed of the song was created years ago when I was struggling through a really dark period in my life. My heart was awash in pain and heartache, and there was no peace to be found. What really created the essence of the song though, was that I felt really isolated and alone. I had friends and family around but I still felt cut off...and most importantly, I felt cut off from God. I prayed because that's what "good Christians" are supposed to do, but I didn't think that my prayers were being heard. It's like I was calling out to God, crying out for Him, but not getting an answer. So, when I picked up my guitar to try to pick out a few notes, they formed a basic bass line, then a few chords, and finally, the melody came to mind. But beyond playing those few notes in the comfort of my home, there was nothing else there. I wasn't ready to share my struggles with anyone...and so, the seed went into my pocket. Until now...

Story 2 - The seed finds a green thumb

For the better part of the last year, I've had the opportunity to play with the praise team at RPC...or more accurately as one of the musicians for the praise team, under the direction and leadership of Reggie Reid. I have to keep lifting his name up because I can't thank him enough for creating space for me to get my chops back and grow as a musician. He pushed me and challenged me and, when the time was right, he took the seed of my song and nurtured it into a full-blown musical tree. And for all of those things, I have to give him his props, even as I give glory to God...recognizing that there must have been a plan for things long before I could even conceive of them.

Now...I'm left with one short-term goal as I prepare to unveil the song tomorrow night: Don't mess it up. LOL! Tomorrow night, at Ellington's at CPC (www.cpcsda.org), the song will be played and the story will be told again. Maybe not with words, but with melodies and harmonies and rhythms intertwined. And so...until that time...peace be the journey... 

The intent behind the words...

Ok...in my last blog, I'd alluded to my performance back in San Francisco. Well, here's the follow-up that I promised...

The performance itself went relatively well. At least to me. "Center of My Joy" and "His Strength is Perfect" were the songs that were speaking to me that day. (Ok, Center of My Joy was speaking to my mother, but since I'm an extension of her...) I closed my eyes and just played. Now, anyone that knows me knows that I tend to add a few riffs and runs while I play...tapping into that jazz essence that seems to have ingrained itself into my heart and soul. And I have no problem with that. But I also try to tone it down a little for church. But I'm still going to freestyle a little bit. I mean, if I was a singer, I would do that too. But I digress.

Anyways...after church was over, I had a number of people come through and tell me that I did a good job, and I appreciated that. But there was one person that...well, here's a paraphrase of the interaction that we had.

"You played well, but you sounded like you were in a nightclub."

"Thank you."

"You like sounding like you're in a nightclub? I wouldn't think that would be something you would be thankful for."

*pause...the thoughts are starting to run around all helter-skelter*

"Well, I'm thanking you for the compliment anyways."

"Okay then." And they walked off.

NOW...it took me a minute to realize that they were criticizing me. And I admit, I was a little hurt at first. But then I thought about it some more and here are some of the things I came up with.

• I'm not upset that I sounded nightclub-ish because I've been working on that for years. So, I guess some of the work is paying off. And if you thought this was too much, what if I hadn't tried to tone it down?
• Why does the church have to be so close-minded about what music is "appropriate" for church? Who says what's appropriate and what's not?
• Well, the majority of people that spoke to me liked it, and they know me and my heart, so I'm not going to sweat the critique.
• If people that have gifts that don't fit the traditional church mentality, should they be discouraged from using their God given talents? That is, if the church doesn't encourage them and accept them, won't that just push them further into the secular arena and possibly result in the loss of a soul?

So...in the end, I could have really had my feelings hurt by this, but I realized that it was just something that I needed to think through a bit more in order to find a lesson. Whether the lesson I take from it is "right" or not is a matter for each person to think through on their own. Me...I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, and looking for venues where I can continue to share my gifts and talents. I can't make everybody happy. But that doesn't matter. The things that do matter...am I happy with what I've done? Did I give glory to God in all my efforts? If I can answer "yes" to those questions, then I'm good. ;)

Anyways...on to the next thing. And as always, until next time...peace be the journey... 

Upcoming Performance...8/28/10 Ellington's Christian Cafe (Alexandria, VA)

Well, I think I've been a tad remiss in my posts. The performance in San Francisco went okay (I'll say more on that later on). I had a performance last weekend at a youth fashion show at the Suitland Community Center where I debuted a new song, believe it or not. And now...I'm getting ready for my performance at Ellington's Christian Cafe, taking place this coming Saturday at the Community Praise Center Church. I'll post a few more details below, but I wanted to say that this is an exciting opportunity for me and I hope that anyone that is able to come out and support not just me, but the whole event and venue, will come out and do so. Opportunities like this...where Christian artists can come and do what they do in personal and intimate settings...need to be supported. It's hard to be a musician (and I'm only a part-time one), so imagine how much harder it is when you're trying to walk a path that many fear to tread because of the sacrifices required? But I'm getting ahead of myself again. ...On to the details:

Location: Community Praise Center SDA Church

Address: 1400 Russell Road, Alexandria VA 22301
Phone: (703) 548-5998

Website: www.cpcsda.org

Flier: http://www.cpcsda.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=30128 (and that's also where you can find instructions on how to purchase tickets)

I hope some of you will be able to come out and join us for this wonderful evening of entertainment and fellowship.

Until next time...peace be the journey...

Upcoming performance...8/14/10 San Francisco

I figured that it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and post the first solo performance I have coming up.

Date: August 14, 2010
Location: San Francisco Philadelphian SDA Church
Time: Church Service (11 am until...) - Special Music

If you're in the area, feel free to come on through and enjoy not just the music, but a sermon from The Word, and some wonderful fellowship. 

Stay blessed...and peace be the journey...

Introduction...

Welcome...to my little spot on the web. Who am I? Hmm...that would be a good place to start. LOL! My name is Ekwenzi and I'll be your musical tour guide in this corner of cyberspace. Here's a little bit about me...

My musical path started many years ago in San Francisco, CA (WestSide!) thanks to my mother. Piano lessons set the foundation...although it didn't exactly stick (much to my chagrin). High school introduced me to playing the saxophone, and I've had an on-again/off-again with the sax for years. Currently...we're on again, and I'm thankful that we are. Although I do have a full-time job as a mental health professional, I have also been afforded the opportunity to continue developing my musical skills as one of the guest musicians at Restoration Praise Center (along with a cast of EXTREMELY talented musicians that have mentored me and supported me as I've grown and generally tried to keep up), and at the RAM Rhema Church of Greater Washington. I have also been blessed to have the opportunity to be one of the accompanists for the group F.A.I.T.H.

I'm starting to explore opportunities to share my talents as a soloist, but I can honestly say that there is nothing like playing with a live band and on those occasions, I'm just as happy to be sitting there listening to them jam as I am to pick up my horn and make my contribution.

So...in a nutshell, that's me and my music. I suppose I can always add more later, but I just thought I'd give you a little sense of...well, me. If I have a performance coming up, I'll post the date and location...just in case you want to come by, have a listen, and show a little support.

Much love...and peace be the journey...