The Box 69: JAZZBERRY JAM

#40
Color: Jazzberry Jam
March 16, 2011
Song: "MY Colouring Book" Dusty Springfield



"So, Teresa...
Which comes first?
The Crayon?
The Writing?
The Music?"


That's a 'chicken or the egg" type question. My heart is typically my answer.

The music has become a major part of this experience. For as long as I can remember, I have gone to bed with earphones to fall asleep. I love the visuals music offers me. I often think I could be the greatest music video director to ever live because of the thoughts and pictures I see when I listen to ALL music.

The music chosen for "The Box 69" series come from a variety of inspirations. Sometimes there's a direct correlation between the song and the color (Color: Peach and 112's "Peaches and Cream"). Most often the connection is more in keeping the the emotional temperature of the story. My favorite combination of song and story has to be the "Killah Beez" (Color: Forest Green) and Nicole Henry's version of "The Waters of March". First of all, we were heading to the spring in the mountains of Nelson County, Virginia to play in the water and being some place we ain't have no business, the bees got us. More than the bees, however, "The Waters of March" cleanly and beautifully describes my life growing up in the mountains of Virginia, playing in the dirt and grass without shoes, picking blackberries and strawberries, and never knowing we were missing ANYTHING outside our village (and yes, it is recognized as a village) of Covesville. "The Waters of March" is home.

In other occasions, the music helps punctuate an attitude or sentiment of love, pain, hurt, happiness, and joy as reflected in the combination of all the mediums. As I mentioned in a previous entry regarding change, my original concept for this experience was a series of short films for each crayon. Once I accepted I simply do not have time to pull off 69 short films right now, I looked at deconstructing film. What are the ingredients of a motion picture? The script. The images. The sounds. I now look at each crayon and what I have to say about them as a deconstruction of film...perhaps with the ultimate goal of putting it all back together.

Where would we be without music? I can't even drive in my car without some tunes. I could just go up the street to the post office, I'm gonna turn SOMETHING on! There's no going to the gym...on a treadmill??!!...without SOMETHING in my ear keeping me going...pushing me through my "Obama 44"! Yep...minutes on the treadmill...yep...for me and my President! Flights...long walks...moments before sleep...wake up call...MUSIC. Romantic nights. Long hot baths.

One of my colleagues started reading the series and suggested I check out Barbra Streisand's "My Coloring Book". I did. I pulled it up on YouTube and...hmmm... Ok, my immediate reaction was "Ok...no...not my cup of tea," BUT a suggested video off to the right of the video was a Dusty Springfield version of the song. WOW!! Blew me away. I immediately fell in love with the song! Her passion and heartbreak is so profound and deep...raw. It's Soul Music...not defined by a genre...but defined by how my soul is healed by it. My spirit taps its toes. My finger snap without my permission and yet in my delight. THAT is Soul Music...jazzberry jam.

Music reinforces my joy in is project.