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Who Am I?
Well,
we
can start by talking about the person I was…
I
was born in the Autumn of my mother’s life -- the late child,
serendipity in the flesh -- the daughter of a Japanese dancer (and seamstress) and a
former American GI. My brothers and sister and I have inherited so much
from our Mother, whose family name, Jinmaku, I now call my own. We play
instruments, we draw, we paint, we dance, we sing. I am honored
to have some small part in such a legacy…
My
sister
Scarlet has always said that my current musical inclinations started
back while I was still in the womb, with my brother Gary constantly
playing his guitar in the room next to Mom’s. She believes
that
those vibrations worked their way into me even then, and nowadays
laughs and tells stories of how I would sit on her bed at age five,
singing along word for word with the Doobie Brothers-- "Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shining on...". My sister also
gave me my first name, Jennifer, after the song “Jennifer
Juniper” by Donovan. Musically auspicious? A portent of
things to
come?
Possibly…
but then again, she named her cat Juniper, and I
don’t recall it ever doing much
singing, save the occasional
sustained yowl. *grin* |
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| Photograph by Janet
O'Mara- May
2005 |
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According
to my
brother Gary -- who even today rarely goes anywhere without his guitar,
and
it shows in his amazing skills -- I came into the world with a smile on
my face… a smile that even now I am seldom without. Though
I have mellowed a bit as I have grown older (or so I would like to
believe! *smile*), wide
open remains
my natural state… and anything else just feels wrong. My
music reflects
that sense of openness. I don’t tend to feel things
superficially, and
I try to write about life with as much depth as my experience allows.
When I sing, I try to give the song everything I can. After
all, that
song worked hard to find its way into the world… giving it
my best is
the least I can do!
My music comes from anywhere and everywhere... inspiration abounds.
I believe that Songs await around every emotional, ethereal
and experiential curve on our myriad winding paths-- we need only
let them into our hearts! |
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