“Music was my soul and still is. It makes sense to me.” @JessiTeich
Listen to the interview: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/06/18/episode-240-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax
GETTING TO KNOW JESSI TEICH
by Jacqueline Jax
Success…
My personal definition of success is creative fulfillment and sustainability. In other words, doing what I love while being able to put food on the table. I have no interest in fame or fortune, but a life where I can provide for myself and my family while creating music that brings people joy.
Songwriter tips you should know..
1. Write from the heart.
2. Don’t get up until you finish the song (even if you go back and make edits later).
3. Perform your songs! It’s good to get feedback from listeners, even if the feedback isn’t what you want to hear. It sheds light on aspects of your writing that you may not see and helps you hone your craft.
Music…
was integrated in my everyday life since I can remember. My parents loved music, especially my dad. I consider him my very first music teacher, exposing my ears to an array of musical genres with his expansive vinyl collection as well as the hundreds of live shows he has brought me to throughout my childhood and beyond. I started piano lessons when I was 8, but it wasn’t my first choice. I really wanted to learn how to play the vibes. Because music was what I lived and breathed growing up, I never really thought of pursuing anything else. Music was my soul and still is. It makes sense to me.
The Haunting...
is the first song off of my new album Twisted Soul, which is an autobiographical story that tells the tale of surviving and overcoming an emotionally abusive relationship. Each song is a chapter in the story, and I consider this particular one, the prologue. It foreshadows the theme of the album and speaks directly to the abusive ex, letting him know that writing, recording, and successfully releasing this album is the sweetest, personal victory I could possibly imagine after finally breaking free from his tenacious grip.
iTunes Purchase Link: itunes.apple.com/us/album/twisted-soul/id965439385
Philly…
I live right outside of Philly and enjoy seeing music at venues like the Sellersville Theater and World Cafe Live. Once a month, I enjoy having brunch in the city with my girlfriends. It’s so important to make time for the people you love. I also delight in hiking my rescue dogs on the beautiful trails near my home and gardening in my backyard!
BIO
She masterfully mixes jazz sophistication, blues grit, and soul’s tragic romance, with an edgy-but-elegant aesthetic that fluidly seeps into her music and fashion sensibilities.
She’s garnered favorable comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, Fiona Apple, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan.
No wonder JESSI TEICH (pronounced TEACH), the Jersey girl who landed in Philly after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music, is commonly considered an old blues, jazz, and soul singer-songwriter trapped in a young woman’s body. Hence, the pop sensibility found on her stylish new album, TWISTED SOUL (Madame Freak Records), recorded in Paris – yes, Paris – with a sequenced “poperatic” storyline of overcoming tragedy through change and growth. The album not only showcases Jessi’s sinuous vocal prowess, but the heralded songwriting capacity which has earned her 10 international awards, three of which are for songs on TWISTED SOUL. She writes impressionistically about heartbreak, love, loss, gain, and sisterhood on the album, shedding the darkness she bore from surrendering her soul to a controlling lover by finding the liberating strength to regain her self-worth.
“When I write, it feels like I’m vomiting crazy emotions out of my system,” Teich says laughing. “It’s this cleansing feeling. It’s what keeps me alive.”
Each song is a labeled chapter on TWISTED SOUL. Chapter I (Prologue), the lead track, “The Haunting,” already a three-time award-winner, has a remarkable melody displaying Teich’s falsetto and foreshadowing the autobiographical story arc which follows. As Teich explains, the album has a darker “more conflicted” beginning, but as it rolls out, the songs convey the returning consciousness toward her surroundings, and a regaining of strength which allows her to rebuild anew, ultimately freed from the shackles of her emotionally abusive relationship. At the opposite end of the arc is Chapter XII (Epilogue), “The Simple Life,” which she is currently living in the rural suburban Philly countryside. In between are a couple of choice covers, “Clap Hands” by Tom Waits and “Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake, fittingly comprise chapters III and X respectively.
Jessi has performed with the late Sid Simmons, Mike Boone, Byron Landham, Beyonce saxophonist Tia Fuller, Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell, Charlie Hunter, Ronnie Earl, G. Love, Jen Durkin, among others, and also has collaborated with Grammy winning producer Phil Nicolo, and Grammy nominated producer Steve “Mr. Mig” Migliore.
Jessi also has been featured at the Roots’ annual Roots Picnic (alongside Kid Cudi, De La Soul, Diplo, St. Vincent, Stretch Armstrong, and DJ Diamond Kuts), WaWa Welcome America!, Bethlehem Musikfest, the Canadian Music Festival and prestigious venues throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, including Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.jessiteich.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessiteichmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jessiteich
Youtube: www.youtube.com/jessiteich
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessiteich
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/jessiteich
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/jessiteich