Tish Oney's Music Blog

I recorded my new album in November with the amazing John Chiodini on guitar and with help from a phenomenal recording engineer from Los Angeles named Paul Tavenner. The three of us had loads of fun making great music over a couple of weeks in the studio and now are continuing to listen to the tracks, editing and mixing them from afar. I made a point not to rush the production of this album--planning CD release events too far in advance can tend to bring unwanted stress, and so I decided not to add more pressure to my life than necessary! I am still enjoying the benefits of our second CD, "Dear Peg," which thankfully continues to receive international airplay and brings a continuous stream of concert performances into my calendar. This forthcoming project, "Sweet Youth," is coming together beautifully. Some of the highlights include several new arrangements of favorite standards of mine including a very tricky-to-sing piece called "Autumn Nocturne." T...

The discipline of practice can be elusive for the busy artist... but as the virtuosic pianist Vladimir Horowitz famously said (and I paraphrase): "When I miss one day of practice, I notice a difference in my performance. When I miss two days, my fellow musicians notice. When I miss three days, the public begins to notice." When it comes to singing, muscles necessary for precise musical execution don't take long to atrophy, and so require regular workouts on a daily basis. Add to that the responsibility of performing a completely memorized program and the necessity of practicing becomes intensified. Further, the fact that I am constantly writing music, arranging songs and creating songlists or programs tailored specifically for each performance requires a regular investment of practice time in advance of each concert. Over the years I have found ways to view my daily practice session as special time for me, like an hour spent at a spa, rather than an hour of drudgery...

It's a new year and time to look forward to new shows, new music and new opportunities! I am excited about a few nascent projects coming around the bend...in particular, my next album, "Sweet Youth," will be released this spring. The project features the one and only John Chiodini playing several types of guitars, reflecting the varied nature of repertoire I selected to record. The project includes thirteen songs (eight originals) and a few different genres... John and I incorporated Latin, jazz, folk, blues and a bit of pop nuance throughout the course of this album. Jazz lovers will be right at home, as improvisation weaves itself throughout the project while the five non-original songs display my persuasion to arrange challenging, less well-known "standards" to suit my preferences, abilities and ensemble. John and I will enjoy performing material from "Sweet Youth" as a vocal/guitar duo on tour throughout the coming year. I am particularly im...

This past month I spent several exciting and rewarding days in a recording studio in L.A. working on my next album. This is a project I decided to pursue with only John Chiodini on guitar to complement my singing--a duo project all the way through. Lest anyone think the result could be monotonous or predictable, John used several different guitars (electric, acoustic, nylon string and steel string) to create different colors for each song and the songs themselves are extremely diverse in style, mood, theme, tempo and genre. We assembled nine of my original songs (which have never been recorded) and five jazz standards that I had arranged to complete this compendium. The project is still very much in production, but I must say it is highly original...I have not heard anything else quite like it. In the words of my trusted musical partner, John: "The world will be a better place with this album than it would be without it!" Words to cherish, those. I expect to call the ...

I am thrilled with the relatively recent news that I have been selected by Ithaca College School of Music faculty to be their 2011-12 Robert G. Boehmler Visiting Artist ! Each year this faculty selection committee chooses only one outstanding international performing artist to visit the campus and provide a week or so of workshops, clinics, master classes, lectures and concerts for the Ithaca music community. While the details of this artist residency have not yet been finalized, I look forward to providing this performance/teaching package during the first week of October 2011, and I am greatly pleased and humbled to be the recipient of this distinctive honor! Having previously served as a voice and vocal jazz professor at several universities and colleges, and now a full-time touring/recording artist, I feel particularly qualified for artist residency work. I have loved teaching music since the first day I attempted it. I also have personally experienced the joy and wonder of bei...

I am blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love, to share my gifts with others, and to have an outlet like music to express what cannot be otherwise expressed... 'Jazz Seasons' is my latest cabaret show which I'm sharing with my friends and fans in New York City this weekend. It encompasses many things--first, a celebration of seasonal songs from a variety of sources--my originals, classic jazz and musical theater. We'll have jazz waltzes, swing tunes, standards delivered in a bebop style, bossa nova and samba, and the classic ballad. There will be songs that guide the listener through life's seasons--youth, pain, joy, grief... and even a tribute to the one and only singer/poet/lyricist/activist Abbey Lincoln, whom we lost in August. Since Autumn is Cabaret Season , I can't think of a better show to attend! This presentation also marks my first one-woman cabaret show. I'll be singing from behind the piano (on most songs). I have performed this...

Where does it come from? How does one channel it? My bursts of writing "inspiration" have been sporadic in recent years due to the fact that I just haven't made myself available to do it as often as I would like to. Last night I was bitten by the writing bug and wrote out three new original songs in their entirety, and nearly finished a fourth which still needs a bit more work. Granted, it all happened in the middle of the night, which is when Mozart (and many other composers) historically found the best time to work--no distractions, everyone else is asleep, and being slightly tired can be a major help in finding the "zone"... Yes, songwriters may be sacrificing their sleep but if that's when the music comes, who are we to argue? I am thankful to have something to create and contribute as I plod or skip along my pathway in life (whichever mode of locomotion it may be on a given day). Now that I have all these new songs (I already had several others i...