Keeping It Jazzy With Jeannie

2:13:00 PM

Jeannie Tiongco is an exceptional and talented vocalist. She is a rare talent with extraordinary wit, tone and range—an artist in complete command of music. Indeed a natural performer as her stage presence is matched by few. Her singing voice able her to do what most of us only dream of. As a singer she possesses a clear and relaxing flexible tone, which serves well her stylistic choices of jazz music. At the age of 13, she joined a singing contest in a TV show called Student Canteen which aired back in the 70's where she won the grand prize. The young Jeannie Tiongco didn't dream of becoming an artist of jazz—she wanted to be a pop singer but destiny lined a path for her to imbibe the mellow music genre which wouldn't be hard for someone like her to take the switch. Musical talent runs through Jeannie’s blood. Her father also is a singer. So from the day she was born she was surrounded by inspiration to learn from.

When asked what makes a jazz singer she replied, "I think being who you are and conveying your inner feelings to your audience makes you a jazz singer." Jeannie loves her fans and is always trying to learn more to enhance her craft. She continues to challenge herself with distinguished presentations covering a wide spectrum of popular music—songs built around Broadway shows, or orchestras, or homages to the likes of Laura Fygi or Carmen McRae. To Jeanne her most memorable show was the time she performed with Laura Fygi. Jeannie has the unique ability to transcend genres or categories, seamlessly navigating through the great tunes.

Jazz keyboardist-musician like Henry Katindig, her husband, is among many others were considered jazz stalwarts. The couple, Jeannie and Henry have both mastered the musical skills from years of performing here and abroad. They fulfill every musicians’ dream—to record in good collaboration. Jeannie is not particular with who is she performing with as long as they jive together and that is the biggest part of jazz music. Jazz artists create different sounds coming together to move and sway the crowd. “There are a lot of songs that I love to sing. Mostly old jazz standards I enjoy the old standards.”

Songs from Jeannie’s most recent playlist include ‘Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most’ by Carmen McRae; ‘Almost Like Being in Love’ by Ella Fitzgerald; ‘The Masquerade Is Over' by Nancy Wilson, ‘Love Dance by Dianne 'Shurr’ and ‘I'll Take Romance’ by June Christy.

Fast forward on Jeannie’s vocal jazz world, today, jazz has been relegated to the sidelines, with pop, rock, R&B, and hip-hop lording it over the airwaves. In fact, in the early ’80s, there were several radio stations that dedicated themselves to playing just Jazz for years. According to Jeannie, the biggest problem that jazz artists are facing today is the lack of opportunity and places that they can perform.

Not only a singer, Jeannie also enjoys cooking when during her idle time from gigs. “Cooking makes me feel complete.” She also has these words to say to any new and up comers to live by, "Be yourself and enjoy every second of your performance. Be dedicated to your craft.” Jeannie feels blessed with the opportunities that have come to her in recent years, and she is hoping to have more jazz performances and maybe have her own album in the future to bring her brand of jazz to a wider and younger audience.

Facebook photo credits to the owners, who are friends of Jeannie Tiongco.
Special thanks to Mr. Jason Salisbury for collaboration

0 comments

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I am curious. I travel. I am soul searching. Curious Tootling Soul, 3 words referring to me. In our everyday lives, we wander, and we ask questions. Yes, and sometimes it is hard to explain to someone who doesn’t quite see the world how you do— the way you do. Life to many can just be sectionalized and put into little boxes. A box for your true self; a box for your sociable self; a box for your fancies: your wants, your desires. Looking at your bucket list—list, highlight, and check. For some though life isn’t quite so simple. Some of us don’t know exactly what we want to do next or where we want to go, we just know there is so much out there we want to experience. We visit and travel new places often without knowing exactly what for, just that we know in our soul we need to. Mundane, humdrum existence and material things don’t impress us. We are in search for answers, for fulfillment and gratification. We need to be surrounded by love and warmth, growth and good. We know there is nothing better than a genuine laugh or a heartfelt hug. We are moved by the storytellers, the dreamers, the drifters, the people whose lives are different than ours, that we can learn from. We are drawn to new surroundings and unique experiences. As we fall in love with so many things around us, sometimes it is hard to keep track. We love and we continuously holding on for that love. We love different. We love doing things that terrify us because we know those are the moments that we grow. We love looking back and seeing that we have accomplished what we never thought we could, things we never thought were even a possibility. Because it is in those moments we know we are becoming the people we were always intended to be. We leap before we look sometimes. It is finding ourselves when we didn’t know we were lost and continuing to find ourselves over and over again. It is kissing a cute stranger under the stars, waving at a baby we pass on the street, helping someone who cannot repay us. It is jotting down a funny memory or a beautiful quote we can’t forget. It is finding out what makes us smile the biggest, what our passions are, what makes our eyes light up just by talking about it. (an excerpt from A. Twigg, 2015) I fall, but I keep on rising. My faith has been tested, but it always remains. I have grandiose plans and an endless list of options; the places that I want to explore and journeys that I want to take. I don’t always know how I will accomplish something, I just know some ways and the courage of somehow—I will. Life for me is a puzzle of creating moments. It is finding my next adventure. It is setting my feet on new sands, diving into new seas. It is laughing with a group of strangers, singing words to songs that I don’t know matters. It is knowing that there is a whole wide world out there just waiting for me to discover it. It is the feeling that there is no better time than right now to do what we have always wanted to do, so why not go? Do it.