Baby, It's REALLY Cold Outside!

I know previously I've commented on the cold weather in Iowa, but right now it is REALLY cold. The temp is -10 degrees, but with the windchill, it feels like -35 degrees. That is very cold! And it will not "warm" up until Tuesday, January 7, around noon.

So if you have to go outside, bundle up and keep your skin covered then get back inside quickly. When that wind whips the air and snow onto exposed skin, it stings. I can't remember when I have been so cold! Supposedly it was this cold 20 years ago but I was too young to remember. But I still love winter and the snow and the crisp, fresh air!

Be safe and stay inside because "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (from Jazzy Christmas to You!)!

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

I can tell you what I'm doing New Year's Eve: playing games with the family, eating new foods, putting luminaries out on the front porch, and enjoying root beer floats!

My family has a few New Year's Eve traditions. We always put luminaries out on the front porch. The black one is new this year. We started the tradition with special store-bought disposable luminaries. We always reused them, though. Over the years we've collected different kinds of metal luminaries. My sister is a purist and always uses real tea light candles--unscented, of course. But we also use small battery-powered, flameless candles. I prefer the flameless kind since I don't need to worry about the wind tipping over the luminaries!

Another New Year's Eve tradition is each family member picks a new food to try. Usually we go to the store together, but this year my mom went to the store in the morning before the snowstorm hit town and got some new foods for us to try. Here in eastern Iowa there is incredibly beautiful snow! So today we tried baby back ribs, a new kind of pizza, and stuffed mushrooms.

Also, we always have root beer floats. I don't remember how that tradition started, but we've been doing it as long as I can remember!

One of the best New Year's Eve songs is a jazz ballad and I love it so much I released it on my first Christmas album Jazzy Christmas to You! So check out "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" from Jazzy Christmas to You! Happy New Year!

Believe

Christmas can be a time for reflection. Honestly, I haven't had much time the past four months for much reflection, so I feel like I have to make use of the time I have now before the next semester starts!

So on a cold night, I grab a cup of hot cocoa and think. A lot has changed in my life since last Christmas, but my faith in God hasn't!

When life is especially challenging, I remember that I believe. And it doesn't hurt to have it on a mug.

The words to this hymn are contemplative, yet powerful. And the melody is beautiful. So check out "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" from Jazzy Christmas to You!

With Family, It's Still Christmas

I just love Christmas. There's no way to contain how much I love Christmas. I own two "Mrs. Claus" floor-length dresses (for performing and I have two because the first was lost and we had to make another and then the first one was found), an elf costume (also for performing), have released three Christmas CDs (Jazzy Christmas to You!, Jazzy Christmas to You II, and Jazzy Christmas to You III), and I listen to Christmas music year-round.

I also love to be home at Christmas with my family. In fact, we often joke that anytime we are together it's like Christmas. And it's true.

So check out "Please Come Home for Christmas" from Jazzy Christmas to You II. It is and always has been one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

It is the day after Christmas and it IS very cold outside. I grew up with cold winters, but this one has been really cold early on in the season. I'm glad I have warm coat! I am very grateful.

But all of this cold reminded me of a fun duet I recorded with James Archibald for my first Christmas CD Jazzy Christmas to You! So check out "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Jazzy Christmas to You!

Helping Santa...And Asking for a Little Help in Return!

Today I helped "Santa" wrap some presents in preparation for Christmas! I often take on the role of an elf at Christmastime!

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is The Dick Van Dyke Show Christmas episode ("The Alan Brady Show Presents"). In it Rose Marie sings a song asking Santa for a boyfriend. I loved the song so much I recorded it on my first Christmas album Jazzy Christmas to You!

So check out "Santa Send a Fella" from Jazzy Christmas to You! 

And don't forget to download your free track "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from Jazzy Christmas to You III.

Link to Jillaine's Interview on the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show!

If you missed my artist interview to promote Jazzy Christmas to You III on the Doug Stephan's Good Day Show this morning, no need to fret! Christmas miracles--and archived audio--do exist!

You can listen to the archived interview here. I don't think it will stay at the top, so just scroll down until you find "Christmas Star of the Day - Jillaine."

I enjoyed being on the show and talking about Jazzy Christmas to You III, starting my own jazz record label  (Jillaine Records) with Erik (my brother), and choosing to go to law school! Doug Stephan was great to talk with! And I loved being able to be on radio again! It has been since August that I was on the air. During the Christmas break I'll be joining Chris Farber on Y105 again for the weekday morning show 7:00-10:00 a.m. CST, so stay tuned!

I've been promoting Jazzy Christmas to You III a lot, but I also have two other Christmas CDs: Jazzy Christmas to You! and Jazzy Christmas to You II. Today it was really cold and so icy that school was canceled in my hometown in Iowa. So check out "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" from last year's Christmas CD Jazzy Christmas to You II.

And don't forget, you can still get a free download of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" at jillaine.com/JCTY3!

FREE Track from Jazzy Christmas to You III!

Yes, that's right! You can get a free download of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" from my newest CD, Jazzy Christmas to You III.

It's easy. Just go to jillaine.com/JCTY3 and download the track.

Thank you and merry Christmas!

And if you need more Christmas music from Jillaine, check out Jazzy Christmas to You! and Jazzy Christmas to You II.

New Year's Eve "New Food"

Mashing the avocado to make guacamole!

Every year for New Year's Eve as a family we try new foods, though we sometimes do eat some of our favorite foods, too!  Did you know there was such a thing as A&W Root Beer flavored topping for ice cream?  Yes, that was a new food to us!  We will be trying it a bit later with root beer floats.

This year we tried pierogi, a Polish dumpling.  Now we weren't so adventurous that we tried making them ourselves: I admit we tried a freezer version.  But they were tasty, nonetheless.

And somehow, I don't know how this tradition started, I always make guacamole on New Year's Eve.  It's one of my favorite foods that I don't make very often.

And since it is New Year's Eve, here's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Christmas Caroling Lives!

Every year, my family and I go Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve...okay, some years we carol on the 23rd or maybe even the 22nd, but that's only when there is some projected inclement weather.

But it never fails.  Every year we don our Christmas hats (I dress up either as an elf or as Mrs. Claus) and we carol to friends and strangers.  We prepare ahead of time and bake up lots of goodies like baklava, molasses sugar cookies, chocolate Rolo cookies, shortbread, and other yummy Christmasy treats!

The best part?  People love it!  They love the fact that there are people in the world who still go caroling for Christmas.

We choose two songs, one secular and one religious, then another one that suits our sense of fun all before going up to the door.  If my sister has her soprano saxophone, we also choose the key.

Some of our favorite songs to sing are:

• Joy to the World
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• Jingle Bells
• The First Noel

Since we can't make it out to carol to everyone, here's "Jingle Bells" from my album Jazzy Christmas to You!

Review of Jazzy Christmas to You!

Merry and Bright Blogspot just reviewed Jazzy Christmas to You! (2011).

Der Bingle gets right to the heart of why I sing.  He also recognizes my love for unique arrangements.  He knows I love Christmas music. I want you, too, to know how much I want you to revel in jazzy Christmas music!

All right, here's a secret!  Jazzy Christmas to You III is almost all tracked, including "Frosty, the Snowman" and "Go Tell it on the Mountain."  Release date is set for October 2013!

Stay tuned for Der Bingle's promised review of Jazzy Christmas to You II.

I LOVE Christmas--Upcoming CD Cover I Smile!

Jazzy Christmas To You! (2011) Album Cover

I love Christmas! So being a musician, I naturally love Christmas music. And what do I love more than Christmas music? Releasing my Christmas CDs!

Last year, I released Jazzy Christmas To You!, my first Christmas album. It had classics like "Jingle Bells" and "What Child is This" but also included "Merry Christmas, Baby" and a little-known gem "Santa Send a Fella." Jazzy Christmas To You! was a success--not to mention a lot of fun--so I decided to record another Christmas album for 2012.

That brings me to Jazzy Christmas To You II! The title may not seem inventive since I only added Roman numerals II at the end of the previous Christmas album title. However, the continuity and prevailing sentiment resound with me since I believe in recycling.

This year I included a request from my grandmother to record "Santa Baby." The arrangement--by drummer Jesse Quebbeman-Turley and pianist Zach Wiggins--transcends all current arrangements of this iconic song! You will just have to take a listen when it is released!

I love the blues so of course I had to sing "Please Come Home for Christmas." I can't imagine Christmas without it! Now you can include my crying version.

Also, one of my favorite Christmas songs is "I Wonder As I Wander" and thanks to another ingenious arrangement by Jesse and Zach, it's also on the album in Celtic glory!

As a songwriter, this year there is a new Christmas song for you from me! I co-wrote "Santa Blues" with Justin Jensen. And we actually have a few more songs in the works, so you can look forward to those!

Last year I discovered a hep little tune "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus"so I just had to record it. Don't you think everyone should dig Santa Claus?!!

I've got the album cover picture picked out. We're working on the design now. Can you visualize me smiling with my eyes open?! Having a large mouth is all the better to sing with! And this will be the first "smile cover" of my career! Hopefully, there will be many more!

Mixing for Christmas! (Love it!)

Today we started up again with mixing our next CD, Jazzy Christmas To You II! As you can guess, it is a Christmas CD. I absolutely LOVE Christmas...it's my favorite time of year, I listen to Christmas music almost year-round. I even love snow!

So, the first song we started mixing today is an original written by Justin Jensen and me! It's titled "Santa Blues" and is about Santa and is a blues...hence the title.

I also love the blues. It is my favorite kind of music to sing. I love the freedom blues allow me as a vocalist to really add personality, improv, and growls (my favorite effect to use)! I also use a lot of blue notes. In fact I've been told all of my music utilizes the blues in some way, which I take to be a very high compliment!

So having a Christmas blues is...like an early Christmas! Last year my favorite blues off of Jazzy Christmas To You! was "Merry Christmas, Baby." Sometimes I think I should just sing blues...

Birthday, Voice Tracking, Internship

Today is my brother, Erik's, birthday! He is 24. We celebrated by mixing I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm on our upcoming Christmas album Jazzy Christmas To You II! (Check out Jazzy Christmas To You! on iTunes.) We also voice tracked O Come, O Come Emmanuel and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night yesterday!

Okay, so maybe that wasn't actually part of the festivities...but we did have a fun breakfast of German Pancakes (an oven soufflé dish, click here for a recipe that's similar to ours), presents (of course), Dairy Queen ice cream cake (a Chaston tradition), birthday signs all over the house recounting his accomplishments and activities during the previous year, game playing, and movie watching. All in all, a pretty sweet birthday!  (We had Happy Joe's Taco Pizza yesterday to kick off the day's celebration!)

A highlight birthday present for Erik was an orange label LP first edition release of Chicago's first album when they called themselves Chicago Transit Authority--a title that the CTA required them to discontinue using, hence the band name simply being Chicago!

I only have two days left of my internship at Y105. I am really going to miss being on-air with Chris Farber on the Y105 Wake-Up! I have absolutely loved interning with Cumulus again (I interned last summer, too)!

After doing the "Olympic Moment" during the Olympics on the morning show, I started doing a "Back-to-School Tidbit." I love researching for the spot! Tomorrow, I'm going to talk about safety tips for college students and their parents. Tune in at 9:50 a.m. CST on Y105.

More tomorrow!

On Air with Classical 89

Had an absolutely wonderful time at Classical 89 today with Rosie Stevenson and Tom Brinton!  Please help Rosie and everyone at the Classical 89 station reach their goal of raising $50,000 in listener pledges.

Classical 89's fund drive is ending tomorrow, so please pledge any amount no matter how small to keep Classical 89 bringing beautiful music and upbeat music-inspired programming to Utah and the world.

Listen to a live stream and archived shows at classical89.org.

You can also donate to the fund drive through Classical 89's website or by calling 1-800-321-8911.

Cover Song Clearance? No Problem!

When something sounds too easy, I take the skeptic's stance.  I ask a lot of questions.  I do a lot of research.

So naturally when I found out about Limelight, I was skeptical.  Not anymore!

In fifteen business days, I had my song licenses downloaded to my computer and was uploading "Jazzy Christmas to You" to Tunecore for its October 25 release date.  Sweet.

Doubly sweet?  Tunecore and Limelight have a partnership and I got 15% off my entire Limelight order.  Could this be any easier?

Do I recommend Limelight?  Definitely.  Will I be using Limelight in the future?  Indubitably.