Letters from Liz
Great reading for Book & Music Lovers
by
Barbara Reed (a.k.a. Liz Hanlon)



Hi everyone,
Liz Hanlon here, professional musician and renowned (okay, maybe notorious) heroine of mystery novel "High Notes Are Murder" www.BarbaraReed.org. I'm making a return appearance in Letters from Liz, my newest creation, to invite you to join me in developing this FREE, informative, and truly fun newsletter for those who cherish books, and those who just can't live without music. Plus use this newsletter to promote your own live appearances, and to stay current on what's happening in the creative world.

As for the types of books and music featured, well, that's pretty much up to you. From jazz & blues to rock or R&B, from mysteries to romance and self-help, it's all here in Letters from Liz. Send in your questions and comments and get them answered by top professionals in both the music biz and the book world. (I've got a line to just about everybody who's anybody). 

Read on to learn how to "Jump Start Your Career" from internationally known jazz singer Dee Dee MacNeil.  Hear about the new CD from melodic rock group Challenge, and the musical musings of jazz bassist Chris Dugan.  Also inside,  "High Notes Are Murder" by Barbara Reed, the only suspense novel with its own soundtrack--and get great deals when you order before Christmas!  Also check out a truly enjoyable novel series by Lorie Ham.


WHAT'S INSIDE?

1)  LIZ'S SHAMELESS PROMOTION COLUMN  ( See number One below)
Tell us where you're performing or signing books, and we'll post it in Liz's Shameless Promotion column, and send you an updated newsletter to send to all the fans on your mailing list.
2)   LIZ'S MUSIC ROOM:  (Number Two below)
Featured CD's, Articles and Interviews with established and emerging musicians.
The Word From Our Music Fans: Write to us. Tell us who you like, and who you don't. Create some lively discussions.
Dugan Digs: A column dedicated to noteworthy artists past, and present.
Tips: Great advice for the semi-pro or seasoned professional. Ask questions of our pros and we'll post their answers.
Musically Speaking: Thoughts on music in general, sometimes on the business.
3)  LIZ'S BOOK NOOK:  (Number Three below)
Featured Books, Articles and Interviews with established and emerging authors.
Book Recommendations: Tell us what you liked, and why. Create a lively discussion.
Book Reviews:  New books, old books.
Tips: Great advice for the writer in all of us.
4)  COOL STUFF AND WHERE TO GET IT   (Number Four below)
Info and ordering information..

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1)  LIZ'S SHAMELESS PROMOTION CORNER

Okay, let's get serious here. Plastering the news of your gigs, book signings and appearances all across the country is what you want to do. Here's how it works:

Step 1) Send us your appearance information (book signing, CD release party, gig, etc) in an email by hitting the reply button, or go to: lettersfromliz@charter.net. Be sure to include the full address, including city, state and zip code. Is there a cover charge, dress code?  Include the dates and times of the performance, plus a few words about the type of music or appearance.  Liz will input the information and send the updated newsletter back to you. Then . .

Step 2) You send the updated newsletter in its entirety to the people on your email list who have asked to be informed about your appearances. They may decide to subscribe to Letters from Liz thereafter, and if so, Liz will send it to them monthly. If not, they will only receive what you send them, so no one will be spammed.

BARBARA REED'S PUBLIC APPEARANCE:
1)  Every Thurs., Fri., & Sat. at TONY'S SEA LANDING, 13612 Newport Ave (corner of Main) in Tustin, CA 92680.  (713) 731-2424   Time: Thurs from 6-9 pm; Fridays from 6:30-9:30 pm.  Great seafood, full bar, No cover, Casual dress!!
2)  Every Sunday at the WHALE & ALE 327 W. 7th St, San Pedro, CA  (310) 832-0363. Time: 7-9 pm

Add your appearances here...

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2) LIZ'S MUSIC ROOM

FEATURED CD's:

JUST RELEASED:  (And in time for Christmas!)
1)From melodic rock group Challenge, their third, and BRAND NEW CD, "Spirit"  It doesn't get any hotter than this!  (I told you Liz knows everyone in the biz!)  Check out the new Challenge CD at:  www.officialchallenge.com
I'll bet if you tell them you need this in time for Christmas they'll get it to you!

2) Also from Challenge, two more powerful CD's:
"Acoustic Universe"  With bluesy acoustic guitar and grand piano, this CD is the first full-length offering from Challenge. Classic Hammond organ. Soulful vocals and solid songwriting."
"Challenge": Strong rockin' album, filled with emotion laden vocals and memorable songs. Featuring a dynamic female singer and a Dutch guitarist whose style is rooted in the best European tradition.
Available: www.CDbaby.com   More info: www.Officialchallenge.com

3) High Notes Are Murder Soundtrack by Barbara Reed
Original music written for and about the characters and events in "High Notes Are Murder".  A combination of contemporary jazz and blues, with deeply personal lyrics. Hear clips of Liz's LIVE PERFORMANCE at www.BarbaraReed.org, or pick up the complete soundtrack and book.
       "I wanted to tell a realistic story of a creative musician striving to make a place for herself within the music business.  Having been a musician all my life, I had plenty of experiences to draw upon for writing authentic scenes.  I tried to avoid a repeat of those glamorized books that depict famous names who seem to float above society just long enough to become victims of drugs, paranoia, and perhaps themselves..." Read this interview, plus a chapter and hear audio clips at:  
www.Raresoundpress.com

A WORD FROM OUR MUSIC FANS:
Heard any great CD's lately? New or old, it doesn't matter. Share your favorites with us. Send to: lettersfromliz@charter.net

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JAZZ SINGERS: JUMP START YOUR MUSIC CAREER FOR THE NEW YEAR
By: Dee Dee McNeil

Are you feeling like you're music career is mud-logged?  Are you stuck in a rut; puzzled on how to get going again?  The same old club scenes and the same circle of gigs can get depressing.  Or do you feel happy to be busy and working? Your concern may be more recognition, more visibility, and maybe more venues?  Well here are some tips that can assist you in promoting yourself with minimal investment.  All it takes is time and determination.

First of all, get in the habit of announcing your musical appearances in your local newspaper. How, you ask?  It's really pretty simple.  Every local newspaper has a listing of clubs and/or acts around town that tells the public where music is being played and who is performing it. You need to be a part of that list. Most of these listings and blurbs are FREE.  All it takes is a postcard or a press release mailed to the entertainment editor. Sometimes you can mail the information direct to the author of the column. Often, the venue where you are working has already created publicity flyers or postcards. You can mail this to the local paper.  Print publications need you to notify them a week or two in advance of their publication date. So for 37 cents on an envelope, or a 23-cent stamp on a postcard, you can attain local visibility.  Don't send information to arrive the day before your gig and expect to get press coverage.  With advance notice, many Editors are looking for just such a filler as yours for their newspaper.  Send along a photo with the press release for added visibility. Submitting a crisp, black and white glossy photo could allow you to see your smiling face, along with the announcement of your gig.  Also, most newspapers today are on-line.  Save the cost of postage and send your press release or gig announcement to them via the Internet. 

Speaking of the Internet, I have some wonderful tips on how to get free publicity up and running on 'the web', along with your performance schedule. There's a brand new directory that is reaching out to the worldwide public and it's absolutely free. You can list yourself and/or your group as part of their on-line database for absolutely no cost to you. Check out www.musicmakersdirectory.com. It's open to musicians and vocalists alike.  You can make your bio and credentials available to an extraordinary pool of producers, entertainment peers, booking agents, contractors and music companies worldwide.  It only takes about ten minutes of your time to fill out the FREE application and become part of this unique form of public relations.  Start career networking.  After all, the more times you make yourself visible, the better your chances of jump-starting your stalled career.  You never know who is going to read about you, hear about you, listen to you and offer you wonderful, unexpected opportunities. In this case, it's great to find an on-line organization whose purpose is to bring together two very important kinds of people.  Those who make music and those who make it possible for that music to reach the ears of the public.

I've run into several professional singers and musicians who say they want to have a web page, but either don't know how to get one up on the internet, or don't have the money to pay someone to build the web site and put it up.  I have a company that will put it up FREE for you. The stipulation is that you have to have a CD product.  It doesn't have to be on a label yet, but it has to be in CD format.  So if you've been in the studio and have something recorded, this might assist you in getting both PR and maybe even a deal of sorts.  Check out www.peoplesound.com. Based in England, they offer you a FREE web site. To participate in their FREE program, they request that you mail them a copy of your CD for their review.  In a matter of weeks, they let you know if they're interested in adding you to their on-line roster. Mainly they promote original material or material that you have already received clearance on.  Once they hear your product, they'll create a web page for you with the photographs and information you provide.  They'll also sell your CD and send you royalties on the sales.  The only cost to you is the cost of mailing them the material to England and putting together the photos and the bio you want them to put on the worldwide web.  You also have to fill out an application, which they provide.  It's nothing fancy, but a lot cheaper than trying to pay hundreds of dollars for someone to create a website for you. Plus, it's good PR and it's international in scope.  Even if you already have your own website, they'll reference that on your web page.  You can also link their site to your own site.
                                   
Vocalists should also be aware that there are two new organizations that have been established to support, enhance and educate Jazz singers worldwide.  One is the IJVOC - The Jazz Vocal Coalition. Cathy Segal-Garcia, Ellen Johnson and April Lang have founded the organization and are dedicating themselves to helping jazz singers by educating them, grouping them together and promoting them.  Their goal is to bring the solo jazz vocalist more respect and recognition in educational fields, recording fields and performing fields.  For more information see: www.vocalvisions.net/jzvoc
                                                    
The other organization is the I.J.V.W. - International Jazz Vocal Workshop
THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ VOCAL WORKSHOP MISSION STATEMENT is:
To create a vehicle for jazz vocalists through workshops that inspire, unite, share and network to further jazz singing as an art form worldwide.  Founding Members are: Cheryl Barnes, Melvena Craver, Dee Dee McNeil, Barbara Morrison  &  Yevette Stewart. You can received more information by contacting one of the founder members, Barbara Morrison at: bmorrblues@aol.com.   This organization is currently putting together a Jazz Singers Directory.  If you would like to be a part of that directory, please e-mail your biography to GreatMusicCo@aol.com.   There is power in numbers!

Dee Dee McNeil is one of five founding members of the International Jazz Vocal Workshop. Based in Los Angeles, California. She is a published writer, songwriter, singer, poet, playwright and columnist for over four decades.  Currently she has a Jazz column that runs every-other-week in the Michigan Chronicle Newspaper of Detroit, Michigan.  See her web page www.greatmusicandbooks.com.   She contributes this column FREE, in support of performers worldwide and in hopes that others will become members of the I.J.V.W. (International Jazz Vocal Workshop) a not-for-profit organization to assist vocalists. Established in 2002, under the umbrella of Y.E.S., Inc.   I.J.V.W. can be reached at: Y.E.S., Inc - 5042 Wilshire Blvd.#537; Los Angeles, CA 90036 (USA) or at Bmorrblues@aol.com.

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DUGAN DIGS:
Chris Dugan, guitarist, bass player, and all-round music lover is one of those guys who actually does what all musicians say they're going to do--he listens to music! Lots of it, all kinds, and by a variety of artists. He listens with an open mind, allowing himself to be swept up and moved by the sounds and lyrics. In other words, he's the kind of listener musicians are constantly trying to reach. So I asked him to let us in on some of his favorite music.  Old or new, it doesn't matter.  The following is the first of his continuing column. 

       Hello Everyone! Welcome to the first of what I hope will be a long succession
of reviews known as Dugan Digs. I’m Chris Dugan, Bass player and all around
partner in crime with Barbara Reed a.k.a. Liz Hanlon. I’d like to express a
special thanks to Barbara for giving me the opportunity to ramble on
incessantly about various musicians and groups that I’m excited about.
So. . .let's ramble!
       My first review spotlights one of the hottest Folk acts ever to come
out of the West Coast. They toured the United States and Canada, appeared on
over 20 major television shows, and recorded eight albums for which notable
singer/songwriters such as Bob Gibson, Phil Ochs, and Jackie De Shannon
wrote material. I’m speaking of the dynamic early 60’s Folk duo of Joe Gilbert and Eddie Brown, or more simply “Joe and Eddie.”
       Lets turn the clock back to around 1962. (A few years before Dylan will
change things forever by “electrifying” all of us at Newport in ’65)  Back
then, the Folk scene pretty much consisted of: The Kingston Trio, The
Brothers Four, Peter Paul and Mary, The New Christy Minstrels, The Rooftop
Singers, and others.  It was into this exciting contemporary scene that Joe
and Eddie strode, with the release of their first album that same year
entitled simply ”Joe and Eddie”. The two singers had been friends since
their childhood in Berkley. After winning their high school talent contest,
they embarked on a semi-pro career, gigging quite extensively at U.C.
Berkley frat parties.
       Their first big break came in late ’62 with an engagement at San Francisco's
famous night spot The Hungry I. A week engagement turned into an eight week stay, and the rave reviews started. News of the two amazing young African-American Folk singers soon traveled down to Los Angeles where Gene Norman, president of Crescendo Records booked the duo into his Crescendo and Interlude nightclubs. The relationship would eventually culminate into that first album, "Joe and Eddie," on the Crescendo label.
       The duo’s sound was unique for the Folk genre. Eddie’s baritone voice was a
rock-solid anchor while Joe’s obbligato tenor danced around and complimented.
Some of my favorites are their treatments of an old spiritual
entitled, "Children Go Where I Send Thee,"  "Learner and Lowe’s Mariah, to
name only a  few. Their biggest hit and the title track or their
second album was entitled "There’s a Meetin’ Here tonight." It boasted
an old-fashioned toe-tapping rhythmic feel and was an instant hit with the
public.
       They were soon in demand on television shows like Mike Douglas, Steve Allen and Danny Kaye, and in retrospect, it's not surprising. Black faces were nowhere near as common on network TV in the early '60s as they are today.  Gilbert and Brown provided ethnic contrast for viewers and were also a visually striking combination. Joe was the “cute one” with his compact build and boyish good looks, while Eddie was the “sexy” one with his lanky build and strong chiseled features. They were one of the most interesting success stories in the music business and were at the top of their game in the early 60’s. Unfortunately that all changed on the evening of  August 6,1966.
       Joe Gilbert was driving home alone after a gig at the Cosmos Club in Seal Beach. While negotiating a turn on an access road between the Long Beach and Santa Monica freeways, he crashed his car and was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital. Thus ended one of the most dynamic duos in the history of Folk and gospel music.
       Eddie Brown tried to record solo for a while but the magic was gone with
Joe’s death and  Brown proved too despondent to continue without his other
half.  The mystique that was "Joe and Eddie" is however still alive and well
on Crescendo records. You can order a fantastic compilation entitled, "The
best of Joe and Eddie" online by contacting: gnp@pacificnet.net or by
calling I-800-654-7029.  The serial # of the recording is:GNPD 2032.
       Thanks for  reading folks.  I hope you enjoyed reading about one of my favorite groups. Be sure to order "The Best of Joe and Eddie" and enjoy
them anew!
       See you next month!
       Peace. . .
       Chris Dugan 

Feedback?  Of course!  Send it to Chris at: lettersfromliz@charter.net

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TIPS:
For the Semi-Pro Singer:  Getting Started

This one isn't as hard as it seems, although there are some insider things you need to know to come off looking like a pro:

1. Find a keyboard player or guitar player who will help you choose some songs. In the beginning, six may be enough to get you ready to sit in, but you should always be adding to your repertoire.. Find someone who will help you choose the right key, playing the song through with you several times so you're certain of where to come in, where to break, how to end the song.

2. Ask this person to write you a lead sheet (explanation in #3) of each tune. This is important. You can't expect a band you've never sung with to know how you want it arranged. Have an intro and an ending on this lead sheet.

3. Lead sheets are called such because they contain only the lead parts, usually for the keyboard player, bass player, and/or guitar player. They have the right chords, in the right place, and sometimes the melody.  (Optional if you'll be singing or playing the melody.

4. Get comfortable with the format (loosely called an arrangement) of the song. Have your accompanist mix things up a bit and see if you know where to come back in, or how to compensate if he/she just happens to go back to the top of the song when you were expecting the bridge. The more you hear this accompaniment played different ways, and by different players, the better you'll be at knowing how to compensate smoothly. This is the key to the "nerves" factor. Know what could take place and your nerves will settle down because you'll know you can handle it.
Need more info? Email Liz at: lettersfromliz@charter.net

Send in your questions!  The pros will answers.

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3)  LIZ'S BOOK NOOK

FEATURED BOOKS & AUTHORS:

1) "Murder in Four Part Harmony," by Lorie Ham
"Light and cute does it in "Murder In Four Part Harmony," although the story is not completely spun from air. The serious side, in part, is the question of the Christian music scene and just how well Christian ethics are maintained therein. Author Ham herself is steeped in that world, having sung on the circuit since she was five. The descriptions of the pressures in the gospel industry, therefore, are entirely authentic.
-- G. Miki Hayden, Murderous Intent Mystery Magazine.
Available at www.LorieHam.com

2) "The Trouble With Tenors" by Lorie Ham
Lorie Ham's heroine, gospel singer Alexandra Walters, has a weakness for tenors. When her ex-husband, a tenor of course, shows up with his new barbie doll bride, Alexandra's troubles are just beginning. His demand for custody of their daughter results in a very loud and very public fight. When he is shot on stage, Alexandra's nemesis, Police Chief Hofer, is positively delighted to arrest her for the murder.
Lorie Ham has created wonderful characters in a unique setting and enough suspense that you won't want to stop reading until the end. Highly recommended.
-- review by Judith R. Parker, author of "Winter Kill," "A Kind Of Justice," "The House Sitter," "Ride A Cold Wind," "Twist Of Terror," "Deadly Diamonds," "Missing!"
Available at: www.Lorieham.com

3) "High Notes Are Murder" accompanied by the "High Notes Are Murder Soundtrack" by author-composer Barbara Reed.
       "High Notes Are Murder" deals with longing, revenge, and greed as it weaves its way through the darkest corners of the music business. Liz Hanlon is a heroine with aspirations to sing and compose on a grand scale, but rumors about a scandalous family history emerge when she discovers the body of her cousin at the foot of the stage where she is about to perform. Soon after, another close friend is murdered and Liz receives eerie messages that mark her as the next target. To save her career and her own life, she must find the killer.
Plus: Original music written about the characters and events in the book!

       "Barbara Reed delivers a double treat with High Notes Are Murder and its companion CD: a fine mystery and musical accompaniment to die for. Heroine Liz Hanlon is smart, big-hearted and talented.  An up-and coming jazz singer, pianist and composer whose career looks bright until a scandal from the past threatens to destroy her and anyone else who stands too close.
       "Reed provides a witty, fascinating insider's look at an LA music scene that is weirder and scarier than most fans will ever know."
       --Taylor Smith, author of "The Innocents Club" & "Guilt By Silence."
Book and CD sold separately, or together.  Available at: www.BarbaraReed.org, www.Amazon.com, and chain and independent bookstores.

Other book recommendations from Liz:
1) I recently finished "Serpent's Tooth" by Faye Kellerman, and feel that this one is a definite winner. I was impressed by how she hooked me-and I loved it. Her writing is mature and polished, a terrific read from beginning to end.

2)  Here's a book with a title that certainly attracted me:  "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News" by Bernard Goldberg.  Anyone read this?  If so, send your thoughts to:  lettersfromliz@charter.net

CALLING ALL BOOK LOVERS :
Read any good books lately? Tell us about them! Send the title, author, and a few words about why you liked, or disliked, the book. Send to: lettersfromliz@charter.net.

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