Jeannie Tanner
Interview conducted on Aug. 03, 2020
Jeannie Tanner is an award-winning composer, vocalist and trumpeter who performs and records her original jazz-pop music (a mix of jazz, pop, R&B and Latin rhythms) with her band, the Jeannie Tanner Quartet. Her music has been used for many TV/film projects, including Culinary Travels with Dave Eckert (PBS), shows on VH1, Days of Our Lives, and indie feature films such as Reconstellation, an entrance at the Sundance Festival.
What is your upbringing?
My name is Jeannie Tanner and I’m originally from Houston, Texas. I traveled all around the country when I was growing up, living in eight different states by the time I was a freshman in high school because my father worked for the government. I settled in Chicago after college and really, Chi-town is my town now 🙂
Therefore, you are a trumpeter, vocalist, bandleader, singer/songwriter and composer. Tell me about your musical upbringing?
Music was a central focal point of my life because of my family’s active involvement in church. My roots in gospel music are deep, and music runs through the veins of my whole family. Going to church, being in the choir, and the band – that’s where I learned to improvise and to have the freedom to compose, arrange and perform my original music.
How did you start to write music?
I began writing music really young, making up songs when I was about five years old. But my first full songs – which were pop/R&B – that I composed on the piano, with lyrics, were written when I was about eleven. I wrote a song called “Changes” when I was twelve that I later sang at my high school graduation. It was also the title, and the title song for an original musical that I helped write my senior year of high school. I’ve been writing and recording music ever since – and loving it!
What was your first performance at like?
I’ve been performing my whole life, since I was about six, but my first professional gig was right after college. I did a concert of my original music and it was exhilarating! I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I knew in my soul; this was my calling.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
I wrote so many songs starting at about age eleven but then at twelve, as I said earlier, I wrote a song called “Changes” that my friends loved. I performed it at my high school graduation, and also during the original senior musical “Changes.” I did record it in the early 90’s. Just recently, during one of my live-streams from home, someone requested that I sing it… that was a fun blast from the past!
Your original music has been placed on television and radio. Tell me the first you hear your music on television and how you felt at that time?
The first time I heard my music on television was in a Hallmark movie in 2014 called “Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas.” It was so cool – friends and family were calling, texting, emailing, blowing up my social media, and were like, “Hey I just heard you singing on TV.!” It was awesome.
How did you start the band?
The Jeannie Tanner Quartet was formed in about 2005. I wanted to have a “brand” for my recordings and live performances. Though the band has had a few different members, it remains the JTQ and features Lisa McQueen (piano), Cory Biggerstaff (bass) and Darren Scorza (drums). Lisa has been with me since the start, Cory joined in about 2007 and Darren has been a part of the group since 2012.
How was the 2014 Chicago Music Awards in 2014?
The Chicago Music Awards were a blast 🙂 Being nominated for Best Female Vocalist was truly an honor.
Do you think you are ready for a Grammy now?
Well, who wouldn’t be ready for a Grammy! LOL. Seven of my albums have been “Grammy considered” and that in itself, is amazing. But yes, I would be thrilled beyond words if I were to win a Grammy. I attended the Grammy’s in 2015 and it was fantastic. I met Billy Childs, Dianne Reeves, Terri Lyne Carrington and a lot of other really amazing artists and musicians. They were all so nice and down to earth. It was quite an experience.
In your option, which video best highlights your true talent?
I think a video from City Winery in 2017, my album release concert for my record WORDS & MUSIC, is one of my favorites. I’m singing several songs that I composed, with my quartet. I also love a video from 2019, also at City Winery – for a birthday concert honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., where I’m singing my original song “I Wanna Be the Change” – inspired by Dr. King’s speeches. The video also features LaShera Moore Ellis and Sophie Grimm, who performed the debut of that song with me.
You wear many different hats. You have a solo act, duo, trio and a quartet. Which one do you enjoy the most?
I love them all, because each ensemble allows me to feature a different part of my performance abilities. When I perform as a solo act – singing and playing piano, I can perform my original songs, along with current pop tunes, R&B, soulful blues, etc. and not worry about blending as a group… When I work with my duo or trio, that frees me up a little more since I have other musicians adding to the vibe, and with a rhythm section I can lighten up on the piano. Finally, with my quartet (and sometimes quintet), I can sing & play trumpet and really focus on just singing, or just soloing on trumpet. And in every ensemble, I can perform my original songs, because I work with fantastic musicians who are incredibly versatile. I’m very blessed to have so many variations of what I do for live shows that allow me so many facets of artistic freedom.
In 2017, there was an event of 12 of Chicago Finest Jazz Vocalist performing your original music. Tell me about the event and how it all comes to be?
In 2017, I released a double-disc album, WORDS & MUSIC that had 19 original songs, with 12 vocalists and 13 musicians – recorded at 3 different studios. I’ve always been the vocalist on my albums, but for this project, I wanted to feature other singers, recording my songs. It was quite a project… It featured Alyssa Allgood, Rose Colella, Elaine Dame, Kimberly Gordon,
Paul Marinaro, Tammy McCann, Jeff Meegan,
Typhanie Monique, Andy Pratt, Abigail Riccards,
Michele Thomas, and Amy Yassinger. I had a rhythm section, horn section and string quartet. The album release concert was in Feb. of 2017 at City Winery in Chicago and all 12 vocalists were there, along with all of the musicians who performed on the album. It was amazing. It’s a night I’ll never forget… a beautiful artistic moment in time that is forever etched in my memory. It was a total collaborative effort that came together with the help of Dan Murphy and Matt Feddermann, my co-producers. Dan Murphy was also the piano player for the recordings, as well as my Music Director and he wrote all of the string arrangements.
On your last album what is your favorite track on the album?
Ha… never a favorite 🙂 It’s like parents with kids – you love all of them equally.
How do you stay healthy while performing?
I try to get good sleep, exercise (which I need to do more of :), eat well and drink LOTS of water. For a vocalist, sleep and staying hydrated are the keys – especially when I’m performing 5-7 nights a week.
How is Chicago for Jazz Music?
Chicago, in my humble opinion, is a mecca for jazz music. We have so many different styles represented in the city by incredible artists – both vocal & instrumental — trad jazz, bepop, Latin, Great American Songbook, avant-garde with the AACM, smooth/groove jazz, fusion, Gypsy jazz… and I’m excited that I’ve been able to add to the mix with my original compositions which span the gamut from pop, to R&B, to blues – with Latin and jazz-influenced rhythms and chord structures.
You have an event in Chicago, which host the Taste of Chicago.
I performed for several years at the Taste of Chicago, headlining on the Best Buy stage with my quintet. It was always a fun time – great stage, wonderful fans in attendance and performing with world-class musicians – it was awesome!
Do you feel that the Chicago should reach out more to the local jazz artist for the event?
I think the Chicago arts community does a good job reaching out to local talent for these types of events including the Chicago Jazz Fest, Blues Fest and numerous neighborhood festivals.
What are you are feeling about streaming music?
I think streaming music has been a really destructive platform for musicians, like myself, who are full-time artists. It has crippled our revenue streams because the public has access to our music, without paying for the actual value of the recordings. Streaming music has affected artists at every level of the “music food chain.” And as a result, music overall, has been devalued. I believe it was Vince Gill who said in 2012: “The devaluation of music and what it’s now deemed to be worth is laughable to me. My single costs 99 cents. That’s what a [single] cost in 1960.”
Digital vs. vinyl?
I think they both have their merits. I’ve been releasing digital recordings for the past 15 years. I’m lucky that I have a loyal fan base that purchases my music. I’ve been approached to record on vinyl, but it’s so expensive and not everyone will invest in an “old school” album, especially if they can just download tracks to their various devices. However, there’s nothing quite like reading the liner notes on a vinyl sleeve and admiring the artwork while listening to the warmth of an analog recording.
You wrote a song back in 2019 for the MLK concert at City Winery called “I Wanna Be The Change” And you are about to release with all proceeds to going to BLM and other Civil Rights organizations. Tell me about what made you create the song.
Over the past several years, with the unrest in our country, several people kept encouraging me to write “an anthem” song… like, you know, “We Are the World,” but with a current theme – or a protest song like they had in the 1960s. When I was invited to be a part of this special concert at City Winery in 2019 called Let Freedom Ring, Chicago! A Musical Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, my good friend, and producer of the show, Daryl Nitz, wanted to know if I would write a song for the concert – an anthem. So, about two weeks before the concert, I sat down and studied some of Dr. King’s speeches, and read many of his quotes, and then I wrote: “I Wanna Be the Change.” I debuted the song with two other vocalists, LaShera Moore Ellis and Sophie Grimm. It was a wonderful night as everyone joined in while we were singing. People started asking if they could use the song in their schools, with their students… I said YES because this song is truly a message song, an anthem — and I wrote it for everyone to sing and enjoy – and hopefully, it will inspire us all, to be the change.
In addition, why did you wait to release it?
I waited because when I wrote “I Wanna Be the Change,” I thought it was just going to be for this concert at City Winery. However, as time went on, more and more people asked if I had a recording of it. Finally, in March of this year (2020), I recorded it with LaShera and Sophie. With the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others – along with the protests that have been going on, it felt like, once it was safe – I also needed to make a video. We just finished filming the video last week and hope to release it, along with the single, sometime this month (August, 2020).
What is the mental health situation of the United State?
I’m no expert, but it seems our country is sick – emotionally and now with COVID. We are so divided, which is so sad, because we all really want the same things – a peaceful, healthy existence; a chance to live our lives freely under the umbrella of democracy; and to leave the world a better place for generations to come. But we are broken right now and the only way we will heal, is by coming together.
How can public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?
First and foremost, follow the science – wear a mask, social distance, and take care of ourselves – the healthier we are, the better we can combat this virus if we become ill. The front-line health care workers are the true heroes of our country, so we should do whatever it takes to help them.
Do you think kids should go back to school his fall?
I don’t have children, but I have many friends who do – and they are terrified. I think until we know more about this virus and how to combat it, on-line learning should be instituted nationwide. I understand the impact of home schooling – the pros and cons, but when it comes to saving lives, shouldn’t safety be the priority of everyone?
What song from the past is in your mind right now?
I love the song “Glory” (2015) from the movie SELMA, by John Legend and Common. I think the lyrics are so timely… and so moving.
Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
For me, it’s about taking the lessons from Selma and the Civil Rights movement and applying those principles to 2020. Learning to be a better ally, to stand with my brothers and sisters, for JUSTICE NOW – and FOREVER, that’s what that song means to me. Systemic racism MUST end, implicit bias must be talked about and we need to come together as a nation to eradicate any remnant of the original sin in our country – slavery, which then morphed into the Jim Crow laws after the Civil War. John Lewis just passed… he was there, on Bloody Sunday at Selma. He is an American icon and we cannot forget what he stood for, along with Dr. King and the many others who walked the walk, not just talked the talk. We cannot let their fight be lost… We ALL have to stand up and be counted.
(a few of the powerful lyrics from “Glory”)
“Selma’s now for every man, woman and child
Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd
They marched with the torch, we gon’ run with it now
Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles
From dark roads he rose, to become a hero
Facin’ the league of justice, his power was the people
Enemy is lethal, a king became regal
Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle
The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful
We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through
Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany
Now we right the wrongs in history
No one can win the war individually
It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people’s energy
Welcome to the story we call victory
The comin’ of the Lord, my eyes have seen the glory”
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
That, is a question for the ages… For me, I lost 100% of my income in 72 hours. I’m a full-time performing musician, working 5-7 nights a week, 52 weeks out of the year; along with writing/recording for television and film projects – those live gigs and recording projects – they were all GONE as of March 15, 2020. Right now, I livestream 2-3 nights a week from my home and people are very generous with donations, but you can’t live solely on those tips. I’ve never been unemployed a day in my life, so this has been a whole new world – literally. The arts/music/entertainment business is non-existent right now. Unfortunately, many of the clubs/live venues where I used to perform are still closed or have not brought back music. I honestly do not know how this goes. But I’m thankful for my health, and thankful I can at least perform and reach audiences from my home.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
I’ve been performing a lot – from home – with my Facebook live-streams. I’ve also been working on new music and working to release “I Wanna Be the Change” sometime in mid to late August.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
I love movies, because my dream is to be a film composer. I’ve had the opportunity to score several projects, and I’m addicted to the process. It’s putting two of my favorite mediums together – film and music. So, I’m hopeful that I can hone my skills, while enjoying lots and lots of movies.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You do join those artists, by doing some LiveStreams. How did you go about picking the music, which you wanted to perform?
I started doing the Live-streams very early in the pandemic with one of my good friends and musical colleagues, Abigail Riccards. Our show is on Wednesday nights at 7pm CDT and it’s called the DESPERATE MEASURES MUSICAL SERIES – 2 Voices/2 Pianos. We both play piano and sing – duets, solos – I also play some percussion and trumpet. We pick the tunes about an hour before the show and just roll with it – very fun. We also take requests. We sing lots of tunes and enjoy LOTS of laughs. We’ve been helped tremendously by an awesome tech team, including Chicago bassist Stacy McMichael. She has joined me along with Derek Henderson (drummer) with my live-stream show on Fridays at 5:30 CDT called “3 Martini Jeannie.” And I’m also doing some live-streams with my quartet. Each show has a different vibe, which is really fun. Abby & I do more R&B, and I throw in some of my originals. My trio on Friday’s is much more pop & funk, along with some of my originals. And the quartet is mainly jazz and blues, and again, I’m able to perform some of my original music. Live-streams have been quite an experience… I’m guessing this is what it was like when television was first on the air – learning new technology on the fly while simultaneously figuring out what audiences will enjoy and tune in to on a nightly or weekly basis.
Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home. Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
I hope so because right now, that’s pretty much all of the performings I’m doing via Facebook. The ability to live-stream and monetize these shows is still being explored. Hopefully, by reaching wider audiences in the U.S. and around the world, it becomes a viable means of earning a living, until clubs/live venues re-open.
Live Nation is also starting to do the first ever U.S. drive-in concert series — LIVE FROM THE DRIVE-IN — which started on July 10, 2020. Now there are many other Drive-in concerts popping up. Do you think this is something you would be willing to do?
I would absolutely be interested in doing drive-in, pop-up concerts.
For smaller bands who do not play large crowds, this is not really an issue. How do you see bands going back to smaller venues and doing things like play for the door, with no guarantees?
I think each artist has to come up with his/her own financial plan. Some bands don’t rely solely on performing for their income, so playing for the door is cool – they have other jobs. I do not. This is my full-time job. I’ve worked hard to build my career over the past 15 years, and I’m not ready to “play for the door” on a regular basis. I’d rather livestream from home either solo, or with my duo/trio/quartet. However, playing for a live audience is something I really miss. I’ve done a livestream from Andy’s Jazz Club, to help raise money for the venue, and I’m open to other ideas. I’m trying to reinvent my artistic career by doing more recording projects from my home studio, voiceover work and writing new songs to release in the coming months. But I can’t wait to be playing for live audiences again!
In addition, at the present time for a band to go on tour from one state to another they may need to self-quarantine for 14 days. How is that going to work?
It’s not a great situation. I don’t see how it can happen right now. Just look at the major league sports teams and the difficulty they are having keeping their players safe. This virus is our new reality. But I’m optimistic that we can get through it. “In an uncertain world instead of seeing the rug from being pulled from under us we learn to dance on a shifting carpet.” -Thomas Crum
With Social Distance being the norm. Do you feel that it maybe the end of music fest for the next couple of years?
I do. I think avoiding large crowds is going to be necessary to try and mitigate this virus until a vaccine or full-proof form of treatment is discovered.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Now, that would be cool.
What does the statement “How do you make every day count” means to you?
Carpe Diem, “seize the day,” that’s what I try to do each and every day. It’s been a tough few months trying to stay motivated and not fall into depression, or become overwhelmed with despair. This country is in a constant state of tumult, and then add in the virus? But as an artist, I feel that making every day count is so important – writing, recording, sharing, whatever you do, don’t give up, and keep the faith. I saw a great feature with Yo-Yo Ma on the PBS website the other day… “Now is the best time to make a personal connection with an audience of one,” the cellist said, “because as a musician, your job — our job — is to actually move one person at a time.” Ma’s call to action for artists starts simple: “Pick someone. Record yourself performing a song for them or making whatever art you’d like. Add a personal message. Hit send.”
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
I see myself continuing to evolve as an artist. I want to write scores for television and movies; I want to keep writing music to perform with my various ensembles; but most importantly I want to be a positive ally in the fight for social justice. Whether I’m voting, marching in the streets, donating/raising funds and giving of my time to charitable causes – or writing more protest music, I want to stand up and be counted. I want to be the change.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thank you very much, Daniel Locke and UnRated Magazine for the opportunity to talk about my musical endeavors and to share my artistic experiences. Be well, stay healthy and #keepthefaith
You must be logged in to post a comment.