linda tate

Latest Geography Project News

Linda Tate — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:19:56 +0000

Here is the latest Kickstarter update I posted, which contains the lyric and audio demo for a new song I will record in June at Studiomedia in Evanston with pianist, Bobby Schiff.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lindatate/linda-tate-geography-join-me-on-a-musical-adventur/posts/214921

Thank You To All My Kickstarter Supporters

Linda Tate — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:01:29 +0000

I am happy to report that on March 7th, my Kickstarter campaign reached 100% funding. Support continued to come in until the deadline on March 11th, and we crossed the finish line with 119 backers who funded 103% of the project. In addition, there were a number of backers who supported me outside of the Kickstarter platform. I would like to personally thank all of you who became members of my dream team. Here is the public acknowledgement of your generosity, and I look forward to keeping you up to date as I complete my new album!

Sheila Moussavi, Alita Tucker, Suzanne and Dan Lavin, Karyn and Carl Pettigrew, Brian Chambers, Tony Morrison, Rosetta Cash, Cheryl Fort, Cynthia Watson, Erica and Krishnan Chandrasekhar, Hong and Steve Brunner, Lynn and Curtis Cave, Reynold and Joan Ruffins, Wendy McGuire, Lonna and Stan Picker, Jeanne Ashe, Hannah Vakili, Hillary Krantz and Jay Longo, Rael Willis, Bill and Pam Simpkins, Linda Solotaire, Avram Gimbel, Carol Barnett, Shelley and Jerry Levitt, Dina Epperson, Joycelyn Johnson, Jacquie Litto and Mel Fischer, Elizabeth Richter, Jeff Still, Maxine Gere, Jeanne Delamar Cumby, Patricia Trotter, Ione Graves, Valencia Ray, Judy and Roger Wallenstein, Dawan Sadrud-Din, Sharon and Harry Lubetsky, Linda Parks, Patricia Wilhite, Robert Chi, Sue and Tom McNeil, Dee and Ben Hanich, Leyla Saleh and Farzad Moussavi, Candace Hunter, Beth Rosenthal, Tannaz Fakheri and Faramarz Vakilizadeh, Karen Hobbs, Jasmine Cousins, Judi K Jazz, Sandy and Shel Salinger, Stephen Ruffins, Jennie Mingolelli, Frank and Cheryl Mitrick, Kristyn and Doug Friske, Sousan and Farid Manshadi, Rich and Ellen David, Teresa M Rupprecht, Golnar and Russell Buchanan, Harriet and Gary Peck, Beth Watson, Pat Ziegenfuss, Jenny Hills, Francesca Amari Satjar, Steve and Adrianne Salinger, Laura and Ed Gale, Susan Anderson, Cyrus Moussavi, Keith and Christine Lewis, Willie Goodness and Bob Shandor, Katrina and Arthur Bias, Leann Abraham, Noel Gardner, Michael and Frances Topa, Robyn Shapiro, Dominick and Janet Ramos, Mikah Wilson, Teri and Lyle Martinson, Pam Castellanos, Miriam Rios, Dennis and Sandra Kay, Nancy Stinson Harris, Maurine and Brian Dennis, Rena Henderson Mason, Eileen Mulrenin, Dolores Cross, Marcus Burks, Yesi Thompson, Dan Banks, Maya Kuper, Sam Oboh, Eugenia Elliott, Maya Gruen, Tom Ryan and Charles Kralovec, Sharon and Dick Adams, Taja Beane, Linda White and Bob Nickolson, Beverly Geary, Margaret Murphy-Webb, Maggie Mnayer, Marlene Vellinga, Cheryl Hart and Tom Becker, Lisa Forman Neall, Conni Pressman, John Weeks, Kristian Moore, Mary-Anne and Athol Brander, Robert and Linda Waago, Lisa Lockett, Lisa Levitt and Dennis Prime, Kathleen Humphries, Joanie and Ken Barousse, Delvert Cole, Michael Gray, Edith Lewis, Steve Hill, Jeffrey and Learetta Walker, Diane Elliston, Robert Loren, Henry and Joyce Freund, Barbara and Murray Snyder, Robert and Suzanne Schuwerk, Rachelle Yousefi, Maureen Dempsey, Ken and Theresa Ivaska, Bert and Phyllis Greene, Juanita and George Brooks, Liz and Davey Snyder, Susie and John McClory, Lee and Joan Basson, Bob and Mary Ann Pelstring, Judy Sternberg, Myrna and Jerry Wacknov, Bob and Julia Dowling.

The Geography Adventure Continues on Kickstarter

Linda Tate — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:34:08 +0000

Today, I officially launched the Kickstarter fundraising campaign for the new album of original songs that has been aching to be completed. Click on the link below to check out the cool video that filmmaker, Tony Rizzo, helped me create for the campaign. I was also fortunate to have Cyrus Moussavi from Raw Music International on my Kickstarter video dream team, and he contributed the live footage and still photography from the first recording session with engineer, Scott Steinman, at Studiomedia Recording Company in Evanston, Illinois. Listen to the six songs that have been recorded and mixed so far, and then join my dream team with a pledge and a shout out to your friends about the project.

Linda Tate – Geography – Kickstarter Campaign

A big thank you goes out to my first backers: Sheila Moussavi and Alita Tucker. You have 33 more days to join them!

Kickstarter is an amazing platform designed to showcase creative projects by all kinds of people. Artists, musicians, authors, inventors, and a cast of thousands have launched and funded their dreams on this site. I’m sure once you are there and have checked out my project, you will want to explore some of the other interesting pages.

It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a crowd to fund a dream. Welcome to Geography. Welcome to my Dream…

Old and New All At Once

Linda Tate — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:41:58 +0000

I had a big birthday this past year and suddenly felt very old and very new all at once. I crossed over a threshold into the rest of my life. It was a very painful crossing, but now that I’m here, I feel great. Whew. I feel motivated to work on my creative bucket list in a more take charge sort of way. Looking at the What can I do, and not What haven’t I done. So what’s on my creative bucket list for this year? Well, number one is the new album of original songs, Geography, which is being released in September. I’m halfway there and I’ll keep you posted on my Kickstarter fundraising campaign, which is scheduled to go live in February and March. I’m working with a filmmaker right now to create the video for the web page and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you when it’s ready.

I spent the last year learning new things and re-learning old ones.

For example, that patience is a virtue is one of the old ones. That sometimes not getting some things you think you want turns out to be for the best in the end. Patience. Everything in its time. Applies to just about everything. I know that. Repeat. I know that. Breathe. Allow, allow, allow… And I find if I focus on being creative every day, laughing more, being kind, being responsible for my choices, the rest of life seems to take care of itself.

I learned practical new things, too, like additional songwriting techniques last winter from Neil Diercks and the online version of Berklee College of Music, and during the summer, had an in-depth immersion into Pro Tools music composing and recording software thanks to Dave Franz at the same school and a grant I received from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. These new skills have come in handy each creative day since.

So here’s to 2012… I wish you a new year filled with all the favorite things you love to experience.

In honor of that wish, here’s a song for you from my second album, Time, Seasons and the Moon featuring Bradley Williams on piano, John Whitfield on bass and Greg Sergo on drums.

My Favorite Things by Linda Tate

Tulip or Turnip

Linda Tate — Sat, 07 May 2011 19:18:52 +0000

Comparing things that don’t usually go together can create an interesting concept for a lyric.

Here’s a song Duke Ellington wrote with Don George as a vocal feature for one of his band members, Ray Nance, who was originally hired to replace trumpet player, Cootie Williams.

As an aside, in addition to being a singer, dancer, and trumpet player, Nance was also an accomplished violinist whose jazz violin playing made a unique contribution to the Ellington sound. Ray Nance was a consummate performer and his antics on stage earned him the nickname “floor show.”

Follow this link to learn more about Ray Nance:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=9741

Follow this link to learn more about Tulip or Turnip:

http://www.allmusic.com/song/tulip-or-turnip-t2696476

I recorded Tulip or Turnip on my third CD, We Speak Duke. Check it out here.

Tulip or Turnip by Linda Tate

Tulip or Turnip

Music by Duke Ellington, Lyric by Don George

Tulip or turnip

Rosebud or rhubarb

Filet or plain beef stew

Tell me, tell me, tell me, Dream Face

What am I to you?

Diamond or doorknob

Sapphire or sawdust

Champagne or just home brew

Tell me, tell me, tell me, Dream Face

What am I to you?

Do I get the booby prize

Or will I be the hero?

Am I seein’ blue skies

Or, Daddy, is my ceiling zero?

Tulip or turnip

Moonbeam or mud pie

Bankroll or I.O.U.

Tell me, tell me, tell me Dream Face

What am I to you?

Follow this link for more copyright and song information:

http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!170657!0

I’d love to hear about a song you like that’s funny and/or compares dissimilar things.

Laugh More

Linda Tate — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:35:05 +0000

Lately, I have been clearing my space to make room for more creativity and inspiration when I came upon something from August 10, 1998. It reminded me about the value of everyday laughter as a tool for maintaining a positive mental attitude and as a source of inspiration for creative pursuits. The simple act of actually finding a random piece of paper I had saved from 1998 made me laugh at myself for being such a pack rat, but what is on the paper was worth reading again and definitely worth sharing. It’s from a time when I had been a subscriber to a website that emails its subscribers a joke a day. I went back there and signed up again because I believe whenever we can lighten up and laugh more, something good is bound to happen. So thank you to www.ajokeaday.com/ for the following:

Kids Finishing Sayings

A first grade teacher collected old, well-known proverbs. She gave each kid in her class the first half of a proverb and had them come up with the rest.

Better Be Safe Than… Punch A 5^th Grader.

It’s Always Darkest Before… Daylight Savings Time.

Strike While The… Bug Is Close.

Never Underestimate The Power Of… Termites.

You Can Lead A Horse To Water But… How?

Don’t Bite The Hand That… Looks Dirty.

No News Is… Impossible.

A Miss Is As Good As A… Mr.

You Can’t Teach An Old Dog… New Math.

If You Lie Down With The Dogs, You’ll… Stink In The Morning.

Love All, Trust… Me.

The Pen Is Mightier Than The… Pigs.

An Idle Mind Is… The Best Way To Relax.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s… Pollution.

Happy The Bride Who… Gets All The Presents!

A Penny Saved Is… Not Much.

Two’s Company, Three’s… The Musketeers.

Don’t Put Off Tomorrow What… You Put On To Go To Bed.

Laugh And The Whole World Laughs With You, Cry And… You Have To Blow Your Nose.

Children Should Be Seen And Not… Spanked Or Grounded.

If At First You Don’t Succeed… Get New Batteries.

You Get Out Of Something What You… See Pictured On The Box.

When The Blind Leadeth The Blind… Get Out Of The Way.

There is No Fool Like… Aunt Edie.

A Quote

Linda Tate — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:00:40 +0000

Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

- Albert Einstein

Quotes can be inspiring, and sometimes just the right one appears when we need it most. I have a collection of quotes on my website. Check out my favorites and send me yours. I’d love to hear about what inspires you.

The Source

Linda Tate — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:48:34 +0000

The source of all creativity, imagination, and inspiration resides in awareness. It is the conscious process of observation, of feeling, of listening, of exploration that feeds the work of every artist, every painter, sculptor, musician, vocalist, composer, writer, dancer, chef, designer, healer, actor, architect, photographer, and anyone who makes or does anything creative. Awareness puts us in contact with our muse, the beginning, the middle, and the endless. It enriches the search for meaning. It sparks the ever-present, at our fingertips, nudge to do, be, go, see. It encourages us to be playful. It presents the question “what if?” and urges us to find out what will happen if the “what” is made manifest.

As we challenge ourselves to be aware, sensitive and present in each moment, let’s share some of what we discover as we observe, feel, listen, and explore.

I encourage you to use this as an interactive, artistic space where we can share ideas about creativity, imagination, and inspiration. What we are creating, how we are creating, and where it all comes from.

Aware

Linda Tate — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:30:29 +0000

taste, touch, see, hear, feel, look out, look in, take the plunge into all the senses, surround yourself, fill yourself up, breathe, smell, move, stretch, listen, silence, noise, loud, soft, bright, dim, shade, sun, warm and cool, hands and feet, heart and mind, soul and salvation, uncensored, alive, aware, a-w-a-r-e, at all times, in all places, open expectation, drinking life, handfuls, passionate, grasping, letting go, watching, waiting, what will happen next, who will appear, what will I see, what music will fill my ears, conversations, commitments, cavalier, costs nothing, everything, give it all up, take it all back, reach out, dig in, sanctify your space, satisfy your desire, it is there to experience if you are aware, go wherever, come back again, sink down, lift up, spin around and around in circles, global, local, right next door and far away, running, walking, skipping, dancing, jumping, falling, failing, flailing, filtering and unfaltering, genius and emptiness, flashes of insight, darkness and objects turning into other things with just a word or two, imagination at the bottom of a well, a lake of sound ripples across a desert landscape, and a mountain rises behind me, in the distance a coyote stretches its neck and howls to the sky, aware of nothing and everything, i am alive in a small space, fingers twitch and eyes observe the simple and complex, the similar and strange, a diamond, a sapphire, a piece of concrete, aware.

The Geography of Creativity, Imagination, and Inspiration

Linda Tate — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:09:33 +0000

Sometimes she sings and sometimes she does other things…

Like staring at clouds.

Every new year brings with it the sensation of a new beginning, a chance to start again, to renew our journeys, an opportunity to refresh ourselves and to break with the old, worn out ways that weigh us down and no longer serve our paths. My renewed path in 2011 is a continuously creative one, and in my blog, I will offer a glimpse into my inner and outer creative world in music and life.

If you want to know when and where I am performing, you can go to Live Dates. If you want to listen to samples of my recorded music, you can go to Sounds and CDs. Ah, but here… we can explore together what it means to be creative, what inspires and motivates the art and our lives.

Join me as we navigate the Geography of Creativity, Imagination, and Inspiration.

Photo credit: http://freestockphotos.com/