The Sound Is Music

Green Eyes w/ The Teaching

2011-11-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

"Green Eyes" Isabella Du Graf w/ The Teaching

I have posted a version of this song before, but this recording is from my last show at Tula's Jazz Club. "Green Eyes" is one of the many songs that I fell in love with after listening to the one and only E.Badu. Josh Rawlings on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and Jeremy Jones on drums - also known as "The Teaching". They are by far my all-time favorite group to play with from the Seattle area. I am excited to say that they will be apart of my next album, which I have been so diligently working on for you fine folks. :-) Anyways...enjoy. Love and peace.

Click on photo to download song. Photo: Josh Rawlings (piano), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), Jeremy Jones (drums) and myself performing at Tula's 2011. Special thank you to Jim Carey taking some great photos and for letting me use this pic!

So Dramatic

2011-06-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

Avatar Young Blaze feat. Isabella Du Graf

Avatar and I have been friends since we were 14. One of the most gratifying things is to watch someone you grow up with excel and succeed in things that they do. I am so thankful to have such talented friends like Av who allow me to do my thing on their tracks. This track "So Dramatic" was produced by Blast Off Productions and mixed and mastered by DSane. Thanks to everyone involved in making this collaboration possible!

Click on photo to download song. Photo: Avatar's most recent mixtape, "Danny Darko".

Wishing On A Dream

2011-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

You Don't Know What Love Is

2010-11-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

Brad and I again at his grad recital. If you recognize the bass line he's grooving during the A section, it's from D'angelo's "Spanish Joint", (clever, right?).

Special thanks to Alex Chaloff for recording this audio and video of his graduate recital.

Behind the Scene Photos from "Moonlight"

2010-10-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I want to thank Atuanya Priester (you can follow his blog at www.atuanyapriester.wordpress.com ) for catching these dope pics I am about to share with you. Atuanya was very helpful in the entire video process and he also appeared as an extra in the jazz club scene. This is the behind the scene footage he shot of our days filming Lace Cadence's "Moonlight".

There's the man himself, Jon Augustavo, working his craft.

Me and Isaac...chilling.

Ah, yes...the memories...

Jazz Club Scene with Evan Flory-Barnes on the bass

Jon Jon and the sunset.

With Courtney Marotto, make-up artist.

Setting the mood.

Bed Scene.

The colors are so good.

Seriously though, look at that natural lighting.

I am sleeping.

Lauren holding up that sheet like a pro!

Ay, it's Atuanya Priester!

That's all folks!

The Filming of Lace Cadence's "Moonlight"

2010-10-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am incredibly grateful that a dear friend of mine, Isaac, better known as Lace Cadence in the hip-hop and r&b realm, asked me if I would like to be involved in his video. I couldn't have been more thrilled to be apart of his project. "Moonlight" was the first music video of a song off Lace's new mix-tape, which you can download it at his website www.lacecadence.com. AND, of course, when I heard Jon Augustavo would be directing it, I knew we were going to have a quality piece of art. In less than a week's deadline, we had the venues, the concepts, the plot, etc., ready for filming. Working with Jon was easy. He has a very fine-tuned and natural instinct with the lens. I remember thinking about how efficient he was but at the same time very thoughtful.

Isaac produced and wrote "Moonlight". Needless to say, the visuals were driven completely by the music and lyrics of the song. And it was effortless, it makes sense that filming with Isaac would feel natural since we've been incredibly close since I was 14. He's a very talented and genuine person. And DO expect to hear more about him in the future, he's headed in great directions, no doubt.

We all had a great time. Thanks to Jon, we even took a mid-day break to chill back poolside, lakeside, just to soak in the beauty of the moment. My biggest gratitudes go to Seattle, where in all its' majestic scenery, lives an always-evolving and supportive music community.

"If music be the food of love, play on."
- Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.

Special thanks to: Blastoff Productions; Courtney Marotto - Makeup Artist; Evan Flory-Barnes - bassist in video; Brad Barrett - bassist in recording; Atuanya Priester - Photography/Film Footage & Extra; Dharma Martin - Extra; Lauren Fejarang - Video Assistant; Egan's Ballard Jam House - Jazz Club

E.Badu Forever

2010-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf (voice), Ben Stepner (piano/rhodes), Parker McAllister (electric bass), Tcheser Holmes (drums), Charles Burchell (percussion/vibes)

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite artists of all time is Erykah Badu. I really wanted to do some of her music on my recital but was so stuck as to which one's I should do, so I said, what the hell might as well do a bunch of them as a medley. I tried to cover the evolution of her music. The whole recording is about 20 minutes which covers four of her songs including: Green Eyes, Telephone, Cleva, On & On and Bag Lady. If you haven't heard of this artist or her music, I HIGHLY suggest checking it out. It's been incredibly inspirational in my compositions as well as performance aspect. Thanks to Ben Stepner who really came through and helped me the arranging. And of course thanks to the rest of the band, Parker, Charles, Tcheser for grooving so damn hard.

Click on photo to download song. Photo: Erykah Badu's cover of her new album.

Senior Recital: Aquarela Do Brasil

2010-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf (voice), Will Graefe (guitar), Brad Barrett (bass), Peter Moffett (drums), Sam Decker (sax) - Aquarela Do Brasil

Also known in English as the "Watercolor of Brazil". This song remains one of the most famous Brazilian songs since written in 1939 by Ary Barroso. It was used in a Walt Disney film called "Saludos Amigos" in 1942. This was my first time singing in Portuguese, so excuse my mispronunciation of some words...but I did the best I could. And I couldn't have played with better accompaniment. Thanks to the boys!

Click on photo to download song. Photo: The unforgettable Ary Barosso.

Brad's Grad Recital: P.Y.T.

2010-06-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Brad Barrett (bass) asked me to join him on a couple tunes for his graduate recital. P.Y.T., as many of you know, is originally done by Michael Jackson. This was our tribute to him and was my first time performing one of his pieces - if you can't tell, we had a very fun time.

Special thanks to Alex Chaloff for recording this audio and video of his graduate recital.

Senior Recital: Come In From The Rain

2010-06-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from me and William James Graefe (guitar)...expect more too, I can't imagine not playing with this man in the future. Written by Melissa Manchester, this is our rendition of "Come In From The Rain". Do me a favor and listen to the WHOLE thing.

Special thanks to Alex Chaloff for recording this audio and video of my senior recital.

Senior Recital: Untitled

2010-05-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

While writing this song, it was important for me to write something that would be great for everyone to just groove on. And even though I wrote it two days before the show, these friends performed it amazingly, not to mention, it was a lot of fun.
Ben Stepner (rhodes), Parker McAllister (electric bass) and Charles Burchell (drums)

Special thanks to Alex Chaloff for recording this video of my senior recital.

Senior Recital: Since I Fell For You

2010-05-22T00:53:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf (voice), Brad Barrett (bass) - Since I Fell For You

Here's the second one. I'm sure you recognize the bass player, Brad Barrett, from previous posts. We had played this once before in a session and I think I can speak for the both of us, that this Buddy Johnson classic, Since I Fell For You, was our favorite--so pardon our sassiness, but hopefully you find it entertaining...

Click on photo to download song. Photo: Brad and I playing at my senior recital.

Senior Recital: This Is Always

2010-05-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf (voice), Nick Sanders (piano), Logan Strosahl (alto sax) - This Is Always

This is the first song of many I will post from my senior recital. Nick Sanders is one of the most instinctive pianist I have played with...along with Logan Strosahl (alto sax), a friend since middle school who is my idea of a modern musical genius, who joined us on this piece...Enjoy, "This Is Always".

Click on photo to download song. Photo: Left to right: Me, Nick Sanders, Jonathon Lee, Tcheser Holmes.

Body and Soul

2010-05-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf and William James Graefe - Body and Soul

My buddy William James Graefe, who is also my favorite guitarist at my school, had his senior recital recently and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. Thanks Will for letting me sing with you--AND thanks for sending me this recording! This is our rendition of "Body and Soul".

Click on photo to download song. Photo: That's Will! A looker with skills!

Black Coffee

2010-04-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf and Brad Barrett - Black Coffee

Another spur of the moment jam session. My great friend and colleague, Brad Barrett, is playing bass. We were lucky enough to get the Organ room to play in which has AMAZING acoustics. I didn't tell Brad we were recording but had to tell him a couple days after I heard it because I was so happy with how it went! Here's a song called, Black Coffee. The recording isn't the best of quality but it's good enough for a free application on iPhone.

Click on photo to download song. Photo: This photo was taken as a promotional picture for a gig I had in Florida with the Zurka Circus Brass Band.

There Is No Greater Love

2010-03-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Isabella Du Graf and Ben Stepner - There Is No Greater Love

I got together with a good friend, Ben Stepner, who is one of the piano players that will be performing at my recital, and we fooled around with "There Is No Greater Love" in a 12/8 feel. Besides Shirley Horn tempo ballads, this type of feel is one of my all-time favorites; it never seems to get old.

Click on photo to download song. Photo: This photo was taken of me performing at Tula's Jazz Club in Seattle, Wa.

I Must Have That Man

2010-02-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

Each year at the Conservatory, the jazz performance majors are enrolled in group ensembles. More than just a class, these ensembles give the students a chance to not only play with each other, but be mentored by incredibly talented musicians. We spend the semester getting repertoire together for our showcase performance at the end of the term. Last school year I had the privilege of being enrolled in the ensemble directed by the incredible bassist, Bob Nieske.

This was recorded Fall of 2008 at the New England Conservatory of Music. It was inspired from the Abbey Lincoln version of "I Must Have That Man" (which I highly recommend checking out). Myself singing, Peter Moffett on drums, Mike Thomas on Sax, Luis Carlos Perez on Sax, Josh Mizruchi on Trumpet, Haggai Cohen-Milo on bass and Steven Beaudreaux on piano. Enjoy.

Click on the picture above to download song.

Chops

2010-01-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

In 2006, I had the opportunity to travel to New York City and compete with the Roosevelt High School jazz band at the elite Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival. "The superbowl of jazz festivals" is just one of few quotes that sums up the caliber of musicianship that comes to this festival.

During the time there, we had been told that there were many videographers recording footage for a documentary based around the festival...little did I know that my entire singing clip of "Rocks In My Bed", would be included in the film as well as a one-second cameo in the trailer.

I recently purchased the video through iTunes and I must say, at first I was skeptical but after watching the film, I'm only impressed and reminded of the reason why I enjoyed the opportunity so much. Here is the trailer:

Devil May Care

2010-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

I heard a few people wanted some more videos, so here goes it. The video's sound is a little muffled and I do realize Jeremy Jones (drums) is on the ceiling, but I didn't have the guts to edit it out - it's too good and so much a part of the energy we all have on stage together. And I realize I go a little crazy on my solo, but it's all in good fun.

Devil May Care - Isabella Du Graf, Brian Kinsella (piano), Evan Flory-Barnes (Bass), Jeremy Jones (Drums) at Tula's Jazz Club 2008.

A Friendly Reminder

2010-01-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

I’ve been back to Boston for only a couple days and I have to admit, it may not be my favorite place to live, but I’m happy to know there is something as good as a spontaneous jam session with a close friend to remind the beauty and peace of mind that music brings me.

Recorded this beautiful standard, "When Sunny Gets Blue" in a practice room at the New England Conservatory of Music on my iPhone. Nick Sanders on piano, myself on voice. I know there is a little fumble in the middle but I made Nick play in pitch black room where he couldn't see the music, and somehow he still manages to sound beautiful.

Click the picture to download song. Picture above was taken in my friends kitchen...from left to right: Peter, Nick, Will and Jesse.

Alas...Video Footage!

2010-01-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

A very close friend of mine and fellow musician, Crispy (producer of Godspeed) had taken this video of my show at Tula’s Jazz Club last year. I know it’s missing the first portion of the song but I think it gives a good example of musical inspiration, especially in an improv situation.
Brian Kinsella on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass, Jeremy Jones on drums and myself on voice.

Music and Me

2009-11-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

Everyone has a presence – whether it is mentally, physically, subconsciously or internally. To comprehend a person you have to find out what guides and inspires them to be who they are. For me, it’s music. I live a life conducted by my fascination, or, if you will, my obsession with music. Whether it’s first thing in the morning when I harmonize with my “Oral-B” toothbrush, or walking to the bus stop beat boxing poly-rhythms to my pace, I hear music in it’s silent existence. Miraculously, it has been one of few things that most people can relate to. And my respect for this art is propelled by its inevitable way of transcending emotion to anyone who listens. I see its power, I feel its company, I hear its language, and yet I don’t think I’ll ever understand it. Music, my most beloved friend is also the stranger I’ll never know – and perhaps the beauty is that this mysterious power has no answer, only the one you create.