A Gift of Music

Published 5:00 pm Sunday, March 23, 2014

It’s mysterious, where creativity comes from. Some of us credit parents for bringing us to, say, the violin at an early age. Others lay it at the feet of a cherished teacher in 2nd grade who saw through our fumbling ways and our shenanigans. And others credit their families and community. Here, two cherished Portland artists explain their path and how it fits into their lives.

The Inner City Blues Festival is just a week away and that is a good reason and a wonderful excuse as any I can think of to invite two dynamic women to Mountain Air Studios to uncover what makes them tick and how they arrived at their level of skill and passion.

Can I admit to you LaRhonda and Janice are out of my usual wheelhouse mindset? By that I mean, they were BORN into what they do. Cradled in music, in the bosom of family and church. Family always around and supporting their baby steps. Love led them to it and through it. Whereas the many of us, myself included, chose to “study” an instrument or do the dance class as a sort of rite of passage. A sort of intellectual exercise. If we are lucky, we find some measure of success by that pathway.

THIS journey is different. It’s a gift. I wonder if it sounds like YOURS? Your Gift. Your Journey?

We had the amazing bonus of Arietta Ward, Janice’s daughter, joining us. What a voice. To the piano please.

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