For a while now, I have wanted to create a recording filled with positive music. No "broken heart" songs, no "I can't live without whoever" songs, no "life stinks" songs, just powerfully happy songs! We encourage children to be more upbeat, yet the example we set with the music we listen to, and the emotions associated with it, can often be the opposite. It has become cool to be mean and angry, and frowned upon to be happy and loving. Many people must take anti-depressants and anxiety medicines. When I listen to the news or watch television, I quickly understand why so many of us are so sad. We have a serious deficiency of "happy"! I believe that it is up to us as individuals to embrace the joy that we are all capable of experiencing and sharing. That is what this project is all about! I have experienced first hand what the power of positivity through music can do. I definitely felt it while creating music with the wonderful group of people involved in this recording. These are some very accomplished musicians and singers, some very dear friends, and each and every one of them has a colossal heart! (This recording features duets with great local Columbus based artists like vocalist Kay Harris of Sirens and Kerry Henderson of the Floorwalkers, to national artists like Dwight Adams (trumpeter for Stevie Wonder). There is a wonderful feeling of positivity that we share when we are creating music together! I really wanted to capture that energy and pass it along!
About me: Lisa is a Vocalist/Jazz Educator and Preservationist. She currently teaches, lectures, and performs around the midwest area as a freelance vocalist, with the Erik Augis Trio, and with her own group, The Colossal Joy Project. She is also a performer and co-founder of Jazz for Kids, a group that teaches early-elementary age children about jazz though in-school programs, residencies, and community concerts throughout the area. Lisa has well over twenty years of extensive performance experience, and has been a featured vocalist with many wonderful bands including The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and The Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Additionally, she has been featured vocally in venues which include but are not limited to: performances nationally in a huge variety of jazz clubs and theaters, Chamber Jazz, Firehouse Jazz, and Bungalow Jazz concert series, as well as a variety of jazz and music festivals. Her first solo CD, Girl Blue, received national radio airplay and many positive reviews, and her voice has been heard on a variety of radio and television jingles. The Colossal Joy Project is Lisa's second recording project. CDBABY
