The messages in the music of women is refreshing and nurturing. This month, women brought music back to many areas of the planet.
Meanwhile, we’re working in the background to publish the 2023 issue of Musicwoman Magazine, featuring Singers and Horns. See our past issues here: https://issuu.com/joancartwright
I wrote this post inspired, thinking someone else may relate. Then, I cringed, realizing it’s a bit self-focused. But why? I love it when others post their personal insights. Why doubt it? So here goes. Forgive me if I mentioned past stuff before. It’s relevant now.
In 2015. after pivoting countless times on command and being fired and rehired by the same venues, an agent (I liked, and just the messenger) called and said, ‘Oh yeah, that venue, they don’t want jazz now. Ok, in their exact words, they want “an eighteen-year-old girl singing Coldplay covers.”
It was no different from a zillion other phone calls saying, “You’re too old. You don’t wear enough makeup. You don’t smile enough when you sing.”
But this time something snapped inside. I realized I had to get a job where it no longer mattered how I looked and I had to do it ASAP because something was really messed up. I’d chosen a life path based on my love of sound. Yet, in order to work, so much depended on how things looked. The whole point of music for me is its human vulnerability. That is the actual drawcard.
What is human about having to look perfect and young all the time? These weren’t movies or magazines. I am not a model. They were regular, higher-end venues and corporate gigs. Why did I play along for so long? Because I loved doing the gigs. The worst part is I bought into toxic attitudes about aging, which I am still working through, in 2021, and I am only 51!
One of my grandmothers embraced aging more than she needed to. She joined Senior Citizen’s clubs in her 50s, while my other grandmother fought against it, wearing make-up on her hands. The irony was, her fear distracted me from noticing a real elegance about her.
I don’t want to carry these conflicting, junky residue ideas about aging anymore because there is society’s obsession with plastic surgery, also. Why does Dolly Parton look great? Because she radiates self-respect, acceptance, and love. So, there is no right or wrong way. Each to their own.
To be clear, the agents I worked for were great, especially, Peter O’Regan and Dave Douglas, who fought very hard to stop a venue from firing me for some ridiculous reason I have long forgotten but made no sense at the time. I am grateful to those who kept food on my table. This is a societal issue. People started listening to music with their EYES. When? Was it rock and roll, Elvis? I don’t know. But it is at the loss to the music if you know what I mean.
Anyhow, not long after that phone call, I stopped performing and went grey and it was fantastic. No one at the supermarket cared! Maybe, I will gig, again, without that pressure. However, right now, recording is perfect for me because the sound is all that matters. This Christmas, I bought hairdressing scissors and cut my hair off. It was no big deal, cutting off all my stupid limited ideas from the past. We must be who we are. Happy 2022!
Sydney, Australia
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The second issue of Musicwoman Magazine was printed through a grant from Conquest Graphics. The company, located in Richmond, VA since 1922, has supported our non-profit Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. with a FREE printing grant for five years.
Help us show our appreciation by patronizing www.conquestgraphics.com printing services.
Today, the second issue of Musicwoman Magazine is at the printer. This issue features veteran women musicians and young lionesses who are making their mark in the world of jazz. Here’s the inside scoop!
http://www.musicwomanmagazine.com
Read the online magazine here:
Musicwoman Magazine is here!
Women musicians earn less than women in other fields.
Find out who and where they are in Musicwoman Magazine!
The Spring 2019 issue of Musicwoman Magazine is receiving rave reviews. We’re moving forward with building the next issue publishing in January 2020. What do we need? Advertisement and articles! The links above will take you to the information you need to advertise and submit an article. WIJSF Members get a deep discount on advertising and have an opportunity to earn a commission on ad sales.
The Spring 2019 issue of Musicwoman Magazine is receiving rave reviews. We’re moving forward with building the FALL 2019 issue. What do we need? Advertisement and articles! The links above will take you to the information you need to advertise and submit an article. WIJSF Members get a deep discount on advertising and have an opportunity to earn a commission on ad sales.
Finally, after 10 years of planning, collecting stories, and acquiring advertisers, Musicwoman Magazine is here! The online version will be available for download until the launch: https://issuu.com/joancartwright/docs/musicwomanmagazine2019
Our first launch was on June 18, 2019, in Lake Worth, Florida, hosted at Jazz on J Street by Blanche Williams!
Many thanks to all WIJSF members, advertisers, featured artists, writers, and friends!
Join us here: www.wijsf.com/join.htm
The premiere edition features Gayelynn McKinney, our 340th member and the last drummer to perform with the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin! The inside stories are based upon our members’ experiences with the six keys to success for all musicians and entrepreneurs: branding, marketing, networking, teamwork, negotiation, and accounting.
We plan to grow this publication through subscriptions from our members and the general public. We trust you will enjoy the attention paid to women musicians who have dedicated their lives to producing music to live your life by!
The launch was on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 @ 7 p.m.
The 4th Catalog of Women in Arts & Business published on March 7, 2018. We printed 3,000 catalogs and sent copies to advertisers and members for distribution. Ten years ago, our marketing team from Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. sat at my dining table to discuss the creation of Musicwoman Magazine©®™. We focused on funding this project and the bottom line was a strong advertisement base. Musicwoman Magazine©®™ is an idea whose time has come! Women musicians are upward bound and need vehicles like this for promotion.
The upside of this venture is the printing grant we competed for and won for five consecutive years from Conquest Graphics in Philadelphia, PA. The grants we won ranged from $750 to $5,000, which enabled us to print our catalog for four years and got us to where we could publish a full-sized magazine, highlighting the work of women musicians, globally!
Dr. Joan Cartwright
Our launch for Musicwoman Magazine is on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at Jazz on J Street, hosted by Blanche Williams and Women in Jazz South Florida, Inc. The location is
The Book Cellar, 801 Lake Ave, Lake Worth, FL 33460
Musicwoman Magazine 