The ramblings of a jazz singer

The Aftermath

2010-07-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well I think I've sufficiently recovered enough in order to update my blog. It was a really good gig, we had a lovely turn out, just under 100 people. I was pretty nervous, much more then I usually am, but once I got over the first song it was fine.
It was very different from the gigs we normally play, I found the attentiveness of the audience a little strange. I normally have people chatting and getting drinks, still listening but in a more relaxed way, this was rows and rows of people sitting and playing close attention. It took a while for me to adjust.
I can not say enough good things about the people at the NCH and how well they looked after us. Great dressing rooms and the sound and lighting were fantastic. It was so nice to be spoiled!

I've included some pictures and videos in this blog to give you an idea of what it was like if you missed it. And if you were there, thanks so much for coming!!!

Link to video - click here

The finishing touches

2010-07-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Well I've just finished all my girlie preperations, hair, face dress etc
now it's time to work on my voice for a few hours before heading into the Concert Hall for a meeting with the stage manager and then some rehearsals before the show.

Next update will have details and hopefully some nice pictures of the show.

Thanks for reading!

The Valerie Coyne Quintet play the John Field Room at the National Concert Hall tonight
Doors open at 7.30
Tickets €15
Come along for a night of beautiful vocal jazz!

Near to home

2010-07-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today after a full day of rehearsals we were out in Coolock on the northside of the city to be on the arts show for NearFM. Actually hailing form the northside my self I qualify as a local girl and they've had us on the show a few times. But tonight they gave us a full half hour, we performed 4 songs and had a chat with the very lovely Barbra Jennings who hosts the show.
To have a listen back click here the podcast isn't up yet, but I'm sure it'll be up in the next few days.
So that's it for the promotion for the show, day off tomorrow and then we're rehearsing again on Thursday and the show is on Thursday night.
Hope to see you there!!!
Thanks for reading.
x

The art of the good set list

2010-07-11T10:35:00.001-07:00

As well as spending most of the day giving my vocal chords a workout and doing my best to memorise lyrics to all 23 songs, I have also been working on the set list for the show.
Sets lists can be tricky, you have to find the right balance to keep your audience listening and not sleeping. Which can be even trickier when you, yourself are rather partial to a slow ballad. But I think I have managed to get a good mix between the slow and medium tempo with a few fast tempo songs peppered about the place.
Its one of those things though that you're never entirely sure of until the night. I never yet managed to stick religiously to a written set list, I always end up moving a song based on the vibe from the audience. But for the most part it's set in stone, well dark blue printer ink cause our black cartridge ran out.

Warming up and cooling down

2010-07-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Much like the weather today I have been getting hot, sticky and wet. Gosh that does sound very rude,but it's really innocent! I've been working on the songs for the NCH gig and in the course of doing so have been warming up my voice and working up a sweat.
For those that might be interested in what a singer does to warm up, it involves lots of breathing exercises, followed by lots of facial and vocal exercises, all designed to work different parts of the singing machine and essentially to make one look ridiculous... see pictures below for evidence.

Its great having a chance to run through the songs on my own because while listening back I can assess how the arrangement's are sounding as well how my vocal line is going to be placed. It's often very easy to miss things in a rehearsal that come screaming at you from the recordings. So as well as working on the vocal lines today I've been doing a good bit of note taking which I hope will come in handy when the full band meet again on Tuesday.

Oh before I forget I must tell you, while taking a break today I got a phone call from the very nice people at the National Concert Hall to let me know that the piano they have for us is a Grand Steinway... Judith (our piano player) will be VERY pleased!
They also wanted us to know that ticket sales are going very well, sweet!!!! So if you'd like to book your ticket, log on to www.nch.ie or phone the box office on 01 4170000

Rehearsals and recordings

2010-07-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today we spent most of the day rehearsing again. Things are really starting to come together. I put some pictures of our rehearsal space below so you can see us hard at work!

We also had our RTE debut this evening on the Arena show with Sean Rocks if you missed it have a listen and see what you think.

No rehearsals now until Tuesday, it'll be an all day rehearsal followed by an appearance on the Culture show on Nearfm.
Please follow us on www.myspace.com/valeriecoynemusic and I'm also on twitter (velvetvocals) and on facebook Valerie Coyne.

Thanks for reading. x

Promotion is the name of the game

2010-07-07T10:20:00.001-07:00

Due to our upcoming gig in the John Field Room at National Concert Hall (oh that's right, the NCH baby!!!) we have been doing a lot of promotion in order to get the word out.
Firstly we were on the Weekend Blend show on Newstalk 106-108fm. Presented by the lovely Sile Seoige we talked and then performed a song live. The song was Give me the Simple Life, a new song we have added to our repertoire, sounded a little shaky on the day as we were in a very small space and as it was live we were a bit nervous, but we got the word out and are very, very grateful to the lovely folks on the Weekend Blend
To hear the recording click here
Newstalk

Then on Sunday it was on to Balcony TV to perform another song. After climbing what felt like a million sets of stairs we all squeezed on to the balcony and performed April in Paris. All the balcony TV staff treated us really well and we had great fun recording the song.
To see the results click here

We had a little promotion break on Monday and Tuesday but today we were in RTE Radio Centre to record for tomorrow nights Arena Show on radio 1 at 7.30. I was very excited to be in such an amazing studio, so well kitted out and with such a beautiful piano. The two Richie's (producer and sound engineer both called Richie) looked after us so well. It was lovely to be recording something not live so we had a chance to do a few takes and get things just right.
I was then interviewed by the very nice and talented Seán Rocks but I wont give away any details, you'll have to tune in tomorrow night.

So for the rest of the week and the weekend we'll be rehearsing,rehearsing,rehearsing and our last stop on the promotion train is Near FM on Tuesday the 13th with the fabulous Barbara Jennings. We have been on her show twice before and she always makes us very welcome. To hear the show tune into Nearfm on Tuesday at 7pm

For more details on the gig and any other promotional events please click here or look me up on facebook
To book tickets for the show in the National Concert Hall click on www.nch.ie or phone the box office on 01 4170000

For a sample of our sound please click on the links below, just some recordings from our last rehearsal
Why Try to Change Me Now
Give Me the Simple Life

Thanks for reading. xxx

The Valerie Coyne Quintet plays The National Concert Hall

2010-06-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Valerie Coyne along with her outstanding quintet are coming to the John Field Room at the National Concert Hall this July the 15th. Regulars to the Dublin Jazz scene The Valerie Coyne Quintet are currently hosting a series of evenings for Bewleys Cafe Theatre on Dublin's Grafton street. These evenings are proving highly popular and have been a sell out success many times over.
Performing a mixture of jazz & blues standards from greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and many more, a truly outstanding voice backed by some of Ireland's leading up & coming jazz musicians this promises to be an evening not to be missed!

Tickets are €15
Doors open at 7.30
To book call the box office on (0)1 417 0000
Or to book on follow this link
http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/An-Evening-of--Vocal-Jazz.aspx?date=15/07/2010&time=2000

2010-03-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

The velvet vocals singing workshop is a unique opportunity for aspiring and established singers alike to come together with like minded people and have their voice trained by professional singer and voice coach Valerie Coyne in a studio environment. Together with Tommy Ellis of Velvet Audio studio, Valerie has put together a day long workshop that includes:

Vocal Warm ups
Vocal Technique
Breathing for Singing
Vocal Care
Harmony and Ear Training
Building confidence, dealing with stage fright
Proper microphone technique
Development of style & song interpretation

The vocal workshops take place in the studio which allows access to state of the art recording equipment. As well as getting group and individual training for your voice you will also have the opportunity to record a song with the group as well as on your own. You will gain experience in the studio environment as well getting excellent feedback, tips & advice.

For further details or to book a place on our next workshop please email: valeriecoyne@gmail.com

Thank you all!

An "about time" update

2010-03-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't really been keeping up to date with this blog at all, I find it hard to find the time to sit down and write, but the last few days I've been able to find time to play Plants V's Zombies on my laptop a little too often, so I think I should be able to find time to update my blog also.

So since January the thing that kept me the busiest is preparing for the Velvet Vocals Singing Workshop (details attached) This is a workshop that I've put together with my good friend and colleague, Tommy Ellis of Velvet Audio. We're using his stuido space to run a vocal workshop that will cover vocal care & technique as well as many other aspects of singing but the most fun part is that the participants get to record a song.
We ran a test workshop 2 weeks ago and it couldn't have gone better so I'm very excited. Out first one is due to run on the 3rd of April and I still have a good bit of work to do so that's going to keep me busy!
As well as working hard on the workshop I've been rehearsing for another Valerie Coyne Quintet gig in bewleys cafe theatre. We have a new bass player joining us for this gig and for many more I hope, Kevin Higgins. Kevin and I met in New Park Music College and were in a few ensemble classes together so have worked together before and it's always been a good experiance. Bass is not only one of my favourite instraments but its also what my ear picks out most when performing so I always like to have excellent bass players that I get on well with. Luckily I've always managed to do that and Kevin is no exception. He plays a fretless, electric bass and makes it sound awesome! I'm so looking forward to playing with him again!
Another new person to the VCQ is our drummer, Abel Benito. I met Abel in the same way I met Kevin, New Park (it's great for networking!) and he has always been my favorite drummer to work with, so intuitive and connected and he works so well with singers, which not ever drummer likes to do. So along with the very talented Judith Font on piano and Brian Wynne on Sax its shaping up to be a great gig.... fingers crossed anyway.

2010-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

The Valerie Coyne Quintet @ Bewleys Cafe Theatre

2010-02-25T13:59:00.001-08:00

The Valerie Coyne Quintet returns once again to bring another night of Vocal Jazz to Bewleys Cafe Theatre with their rich repertoire of jazz standards, featuring their own arrangements and unique interpretations of some of the most beautiful songs ever written.
Joining them will be special guests The Jenna Harris Quartet. The Jenna Harris Quartet have been playing together since attending New Park Music College 6 years ago. New Park is renowned for its excellence in jazz and in bringing these musicians together it hasn't failed to live up to its name. Their set will consist of arranged jazz standards along with some compositions by Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen and some lesser know compositions by jazz vocalist Betty Carter. Their unique take on this material is not to be missed.

2010-02-24T04:57:00.000-08:00

@PhillandphilP10 Since hearing the term #Biffins Bridge on the P10,I've been trying to come up with a few more terms for this area, 'tisint, barse, gentlemen's chin-rest.... I invite you to try to come up with some more

Poster

2009-12-15T13:55:00.001-08:00

A Very Swinging Christmas with The Valerie Coyne Quintet

2009-12-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

This will be just a short blog update coz things are so busy at the moment. This thursday is the Christmas gig in Bewleys Cafe Theatre. There'll be lots of mulled wine,festive fun and christmas classics jazz style.
Hope to see you all there!

Singing for my supper is a busy business

2009-11-29T08:29:00.001-08:00

Christmas is coming and as someone who just adores everything about the silly season, I couldn't be more excited. At the moment I'm preparing for my upcoming Christmas gig, A Very Swinging Christmas in Bewleys Cafe Theatre (Click here for more details - http://www.bewleyscafetheatre.com/evening.php) and things are going well.
Well that is, apart from trying to arrange rehearsals. Blessed as I'm with the musicians that I work with, because they are all so good, they're all very much in demand which means that trying to get us all together in one room is proving very difficult. But rest assured we'll get it together in time for the big night.
I really want to make this Christmas gig as festive as possible, with mulled wine, decorations and some truly classic jazzy Christmas tunes.
While preparing for the Christmas gig, I've also been playing a few gigs, the most recent being last Friday night. It was a charity gig for An Taisce in the very prestigious Tailors' Hall and all proceeds went to the restoration of the hall. It was a beautiful venue to play, we had a lovely set of swinging jazz standards and we got a great reception from all there. The lovely people who ran the event looked after us very well too. The room had great acoustics and made us sound great, especially the sax (provided by the very talented Dennis Wyjers) Hopefully we'll be able to play there again and bring more people to this truly wonderful building. I'll be chatting to them on monday about maybe doing a Christmas gig there too so watch this space....
As well as working on my own gigs and promoting for others I've recently taken on a new project with a good friend, Tommy Ellis who runs a very successful voice over studio. Together we're putting a vocal workshop together that we can run from his studio. It will allow people to come, have their voice trained and also record a track. This will not only give them tips for using and maintaining their voices but also the experience of working in a real studio and they'll have a track to take away and possibly use to promote themselves and get work. Our first workshop is going to run this coming Saturday the 5th of December so fingers crossed it all goes well.

So with the run of gigs that I've had recently, promoting gigs for others, as well teaching private lessons from home and preparing for the upcoming workshops, I really do feel that my old saying "I'm the girl that sings for her supper" is very apt right now.

Thanks for stopping by,

Valerie. x

for all gig listings please visit www.myspace.com/valeriecoynemusic

teaching,gigging and living life

2009-09-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

So I haven't really been keeping up this blog as much as I thought I would. Life and times are getting in the way of sitting down and writing. Included in those times are many, many more students, which I'm very grateful for. It seems that as the recession has hit, people have thought more about doing things for themselves and perusing things that make them happy and thankfully singing is one of those things.
Also I've been preparing for two upcoming gigs, one in Bewleys on the 3rd of October and one in Whelans on the 8th of October.
The gig in Bewleys on the 3rd is with The Jenna Harris Quartet and will be a night of vocal jazz. Jenna was a 4th year in New Park Music College when I started and went on to become a tutor the following year. Her knowledge of jazz and improvisation is outstanding, she has a beautiful voice and her command of standards is to be seen to be believed. I can't wait for my set to be over so I can sit and enjoy her sound.
The gig in Whealans is a bit "and now for something completely different" It will be a night of folk and blues music with a distinct lack of jazz from me, something I haven't done in a very long time. I'm really looking forward to getting back to just blues.
I got the idea to put this gig together because of Geraldine Finn, she has a voice that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. She used to sing and gig on a regular basis but has put that aside to manage a company and work all the hours that god sends. But it didn't' take much coaxing to get her back on stage and I can't wait to see her play again.
Joining me on stage that night will be Jenny Reyonlds, for those of you who came to the gig in Bewleys in April you will remember her and for those who didn't, well you're in for a treat. We're going to sing some blues and harmonies together and hopefully at the end of the end of the night the 3 of us will do a few songs together too.
Look forward to seeing you there.
x

Courteous breathing

2009-07-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I had my Breathe for Singing Workshop in the house. It went really well, at least I hope it did. But 3 people who had booked for it didn't show up, no phone call/text/email nothing, just no shows. What is up with people? Has common courtesy completely left us? I mean it actually worked out ok for me in some ways coz I think if everyone had shown up I'd have had very little room and it was eaiser to give people one to one attention in a small group, but still. I think at the very least a text to say sorry I can't make it would have been nice.
But to be honest, if I'd written this yesterday I would have given out a lot more, but as I had such a good night out last night I'm not feeling that angry anymore

If you would like more information on breathing for singing please mail me

A jazz singer, a teacher & a cat

2009-07-11T14:32:00.001-07:00

So as some will know, I'm new to blogging as such have decided to sit down with a rather nice glass (or two) of wine and get to grips with it. My initial plan was to write about my life as jazz singer and vocal coach, with the idea of, a: giving people an idea into what that lifestyle (I use the term loosely) is like and b:possibly drum up some business in the way of students etc
But my misfortunes of late (the bad leg, the cat with the conjunctivitis) have led me in a slightly different direction and while I will, in this blog discuss my day to day teachings/rehearsals/music gigs etc I will also include some of my other moments to add a bit of colour (another loose term) and also provide me with an opportunity to vent.
(Venting, something I discussed over a particularly fine dinner last night and decided that it can be a very beneficial thing. Why should we keep our grievances to ourselves for the sake of perceived social convention, why for example should we not ask someone that we know to say hello to for ten years or more if they do indeed know our name? Yes it may be an embarrassing and awkward situation but surely it will bring us all together? But perhaps that's getting a little too specific......)
So to bring the unaware up to date, I am a jazz/blues singer and I teach singing/vocal care/ear training and music theory from my home in Dun Laoghaire where I live with my ever amusing cat Dusty.
Singing is my joy and pashion and I hope to discuss this and the many aspects of it in these blogs as well as my other joy which is teaching.

For more on my music you can vist www.myspace.com/valeriecoynemuisic
and for more from Dusty you can vist his facebook page - Dusty Coyne - He can be very entertaining and sometimes even a little philisophical

Galdiator I am not

2009-07-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Since spectacularly falling down the travelator in tescos, ripping my ankle up and damaging the ligaments I have gained a new appreciation for, well just about everything. I have spent this week relying on the kindness of neighbors (One in particular who, luckily, has kindness in abundance) and my flatmate,who has, suddenly turned into Mother Teresa, dressed in rugby shirt and dubes of course.
One can't help but wonder, had I trained as an Olympic gymnast as a young girl would I have fallen so dramatically? Had I started life as a synchronised swimmer would i have had more co-ordination? Or could it be the cold hand of karma be coming to get me? "I'll get you my pretty, you and your little dusty too" (thats right, I view karma as the wicked witch from Oz) Hadn't I built up enough "good deed stamps" to avoid that fall, I mean that's what "my name is Earl" would had me believe and surely television is always right?

Well whatever the reason, I'm stuck with a bum leg, there are some pro's and some con's to this.....I just can't think of the pro's right now.

Thanks for reading my first blog :-)