Jazz Therapy

*Disclaimer: 100% of any proceeds that I might earn from this post will be donated to the fires. You have to be a real jazz nerd to be here, so I doubt I will earn anything, but if I do, it will all go to fire disaster relief efforts. * If you are like me, … Read moreThe LA Fires: Devastation, Blame, and Hope amidst Heartbreak

I have always been a Coleman Hawkins girl. One of the greatest Tenor sax players to ever live, Coleman Hawkins is my absolute favorite artist of all-time. I will do a special podcast and post about him (probably several!). I write this because Coleman Hawkins had somewhat of a playful rivalry with another great Tenor … Read moreHanukkah, December 2024: How I Fell in Love with Lester Young

Happy Holidays, Jazz Lovers! I’m so glad to be back, and I’m so glad you are here. I haven’t been posting regularly, as I’ve been busy with life and focused on my podcast, though it is my intention to get back to posting here weekly. We find ourselves in late December here, and the Holidays … Read moreThe Holidays 2024: Joy, Mourning, and Everything in Between

Here is a link to “Tranquility” below: I would put this song in the category of Emotional Soothing and Emotional Reverie. Listen to this song and let me know what thoughts, emotions, and reflections arise as you here it, and leave me a comment below if you are so inclined! Thank you for being here. … Read moreSong Therapy to Feel More Peace

Hello, Jazz Lovers! Welcome to Jazz Therapy. Today, I am introducing a new feature, “Song Therapy.” In each short segment, we will choose one song to feature, talk about how it makes us feel, and what category of emotional listening the song would go into. My goal is to do this almost daily for the … Read moreSong Therapy

Hello, Jazz lovers! I hope you are all well. This week, I am feeling burned out and fatigued. I am tired. I also feel self-critical and immensely privileged to even talk about this, given the fact that a war still rages in Ukraine. Civil unrest continues in Sudan. Homelessness abounds, rampant in my own city. … Read moreSummer Burnout: It’s time to R-E-L-A-X

As the war in Ukraine continues, I continue to learn more about this complex conflict and the myriad, nuanced ramifications which are resultant from it. This week, I read an article about female soldiers in Ukraine (https://www.businessinsider.com/female-ukrainian-soldiers-suffer-lack-of-womens-resources-report-2023-7?am).  There are approximately 60,000 female troops in Ukraine.  These female soldiers are dealing with uniforms and body armor … Read moreHonoring Female Soldiers in Ukraine

This Monday, June 19th,  as we know, was Juneteenth. This holiday, as you probably know, commemorates the day when Union troops finally rolled into Texas and announced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing 250,000 slaves in the state.  Though the rest of the country freed the slaves nearly two years earlier, Texas continued oppression and slavery, and … Read moreCommemorating Juneteenth

Thursday, June 1st, is Global Day of Parents.  This holiday was formally codified by the U.N. in 2012 to recognize parents around the globe and what a challenging job it is to be a parent. I am a parent, and parenting is a glorious, difficult job.  Often when I think about parenting, personally and in … Read moreGlobal Parent’s Day-June 1st, 2023

Earlier this month, Title 42 ended, a Trump-era immigration policy that prevented immigrants from coming to the U.S. due to the COVID pandemic.  Recently, thousands and thousands of immigrants have come to the U.S. border to seek entry and asylum.  According to this Newsweek article, “U.S. officials processed over 10,000 migrants arriving at the border … Read moreOn Immigration