I'm so excited!  Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz has been named one of the best vocal Jazz CDs of 2008!! Check out the rest of the top here: http://www.jazz.com/jazz-blog/2008/12/11/the-50-best-jazz-cds-of-2008

I've been nominated in the Live Performances category for her album Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz! But only you can help me win the Vox Populi Award in this category, so go and vote!!

1.
Go to this link: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/imafinalist/Default.aspx?maincat=6&yr=2009&scat=20 (copy and paste into your browser)

2.
Register to vote

3.
Rate "He's Not Coming Home" (the higher the better!! :) )

I've gotten in the holiday spirit! I've just started uploading my holiday tracks under my "Merry Holidays" playlist. Stay tuned for more.... 

Election day has been a memorable one for years. Eight years ago I never went to bed and woke up during a replay on the news, got fooled and fell back asleep. Today I don't know whether to laugh or cry, sleep or pace though I'm more inclined to sleep because I believe in the outcome. This is not about race in my limited view of the world, I want to recognize Mr. Obama for the man that he is and the kind of campaign he chose to run. Our future is hinging on more than just this one man but for the day I am happy to revel in the historic significance. I am feeling lucky to be my age, to have at least this perspective.

I have the perspective of a sixties child, raised in New York City, a first generation American. I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to claim Mr. Obama as their own, at least now that the Hillary supporters have made peace with the reality. I want to claim the part of him that was raised with the knowledge that he was a product of both races. I cried at the nomination, on television, delivered by Hillary in a sea of secret service and supporters.


Today I feel my age in the most positive way. I have the perspective of the civil rights movement in it's early and brutal days though as a New Yorker it had a false distance for me that was the perspective of a child, a child from New York.

Not so very long ago I was out to watch Ruthie Foster perform. Her guitar playing sounded great and her singing was so strong but what got to me was that I felt a sense of envy as she told poignant stories about her hometown of Texas and a general feed store where today you can buy a Ruthie Foster CD. For a moment, I sat there wanting a real hometown, with sayings and tales of survival, pillars of the community. Instead I had to be born in a city so large that saying good morning to everyone you saw on the street would take hours out of everyday. It'd make you seem like a doofis if may reach for the way I would have described this when I was a child.

I am still that child and I still play the guitar and make up songs. Some days it seems like I should be doing so much more and I marvel at my friends who have been volunteering and making calls, or my lawyer who couldn't talk to me because he was leaving for Pennsylvania to watch polls. I had a friend in High School who wanted to be President of the USA. She was born in Italy and immigrated here, was brilliant and works as a producer for CBS news in Rome. I travel to Italy to play my songs. There was no line where I went to vote- I was number 153 and my name was there in the book. Lisa and I 'high fived' as best we could, it takes a lot of them to look at ease doing a high five. Still we tried and I have a wealth of memories and pocket of hope left in my heart, cultivated in possibly the greatest metropolis in the world. I'm not sure if I'll sleep tonight. I am enjoying the way that I feel even the apprehension feels appropriate and real. What an amazing 50 years it's been. I am as lucky as they come.

Just a friendly reminder that my new album, Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz, was released last week and is in stores now (or online at Motema Music)!  
 
As you may know, I will be performing to celebrate the release of my new album at (le) Poisson Rouge in NYC on Monday, October 27th.  We are running a contest to giveaway 3 pairs of tickets to the show.  Scroll down to find out how to win:
 
THE SHOW DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

KJ Denhert w/ Special Guest "Bujo" Kevin Jones
CD Release Party (With Live Performance)      
Monday, October 27, 2008       
6:30pm doors | 7pm show     
(le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker St
New York, NY 10012
212-796-0140
Ages: +18 or accompanied by legal guardian
Website:http://www.lprnyc.com
Ticket Price: $15 (save $3 on line using this promo code: "KJ-Live")

KJ Denhert is a unique artist, singer, guitarist and songwriter who calls her music "Urban Folk and Jazz". Her voice is powerful, her lyrics full of intelligent insight, and her musicianship is impeccable. Her eclectic yet unified performances reach out to many different types of audiences without compromising her music and beliefs. KJ Denhert and her band, The New York Unit, take to the stage to celebrate the release of Dal Vivo A Umbria Jazz, the follow-up to her critically acclaimed Motema Music debut, Lucky 7, and her 8th CD to date.  The album was recorded at last year's Umbria Jazz Festival, where she opened for Alicia Keys on the main stage.  Joining KJ at her album release party will be the newest addition to the NY Unit, percussionist and Motema label-mate "Bujo" Kevin Jones, who, with his band Tenth World, has also just released a new CD, Tenth World Live. 

"She personalizes the James Taylor and Joni Mitchell influences in her original songs with funk beats and soulful vocals that sound both streetwise and sophisticated." - Acoustic Guitar

"[Denhert's] instrumentation and impeccable vocal timing keep everything interesting and alluring." - Performing Songwriter 

"That infectious happiness captivated a packed house at The 55 Bar. The crowd spoke of the ability of Denhert's unique fusion of jazz and folk to transcend genres and ages… She channels a myriad of influences, from Joni Mitchell and James Taylor to Carole King and Sergio Mendes, to deliver a surprisingly high-energy performance." - Relix

 

www.kjdenhert.com ::  www.myspace.com/kjdenhert :: www.motéma.com

ENTER TO WIN FREE TICKETS!  HERE'S HOW:*

-   Add KJ to your "Top 8" friends - once that's done, email kjdenhert@twoshepsthatpass.com with your full name in the subject line and your MySpace URL in the body of the message. Add one of KJ's songs to your profile and we will enter your name into the contest a second time. 
 
-  Three winners are eligible to win.  One (1) GRAND PRIZE WINNER is eligible to win two (2) tickets to KJ's CD Release performance and autographed copies of Lucky 7 and Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz CDs, One (1) SECOND PRIZE WINNER is eligible to win two (2) tickets to KJ's CD Release performance and an autographed copy of Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz CD, and (One (1) THIRD PRIZE WINNER is eligible to win two (2) tickets to KJ's CD Release performance. (Transportation not included).
 
-  The deadline for all entries is October 26th at 11:59pm EST.  Winner will be notified by email and announced on KJ's MySpace page on October 27th by 12:00pm.
 
-      Good luck!
 
* To be eligible, all contestants must meet the following requirements: 1) add www.myspace.com/kjdenhert as one of their "Top 8" friends on their MySpace page, anytime from the date competition is posted until October 26th, 2008; 2) add a song from www.myspace.com/kjdenhert to their profile on their MySpace page, anytime from the date competition is posted until October 26th, 2008;  3) You must not remove www.myspace.com/kjdenhert from their "Top 8" Friends until after 11:59AM on Monday, October 27th when the winners are announced;  4) be a registered user of MySpace in compliance with the MySpace website's terms of use agreement.
 

We're off to Johnny D's this Wednesday, as part of our fall at home regional touring.
We play the 55 Bar every other Saturday and add a new tour stop that's 4 hours or under. This month, it's Johnny D's in Somerville MA. I heard from several fans that when we came to Boston that Johnny D's had the real vibe that would suit us. So I finally made it happen with the help of our agent and Dana-

Now all we need is you. We are a five piece band with a reputation in NY, Italy and St. Barths, coming to Boston for our first show. We are a five piece band that grooves and breathes together in a way that is all our own albeit unknown to the Boston area. And so I write this blog entry, hoping that this Wednesday you'll be inspired to get off of whatever should be gotten off of, the couch, the bus, MSNBC, for an inspirational break with me and my delicious band as we celebrate our upcoming new CD - recorded live in Italy only ten months ago. Dal Vivo a Umbria Jazz

Johnny D's
17 Holland St, Davis Square
Somerville MA
8:30 PM-$15
Reservations:
617 776-2004
www.johnnyds.com

I'll also be visiting with radio personality and jazz singer Tyra Penn on 90.5 WICN in Worcester at 1 PM on Wednesday to play some music and talk about the show