Influential: Rebecca Jade's Playlist

Speaker 1: 00:00 We continue our black heritage month salute to San Diego's great black music artists today, jazz soloist, Rebecca Jade. She's the winner of multiple San Diego music awards and performs in her own band, Rebecca Jade, and the cold fact, and is also a backup singer with Sheila E. We asked her to reflect on her, influences her childhood with a jazz singer for her mother, the songs that made her fall in love with music and the artists that shaped her style. She starts with how the pandemic has affected her. Speaker 2: 00:33 For me personally, it was like cancellation after cancellation, after cancellation of dates, right at the beginning, you know? So it's a bit of like, Oh boy, okay, what am I going to do? What do we do? So there was a sense of that kind of, um, Oh no, a little bit, but then it was like, okay. So, so now what, this is a reality, what can I do on that? So that's really where things kind of shifted Speaker 3: 00:59 Mentally. It's hard to recognize your power when the world seems to be bringing you down. Speaker 2: 01:14 And I think some of it reflected also in songs, a lot of the songs I write are also very encouraging. I try to write songs that are like uplifting or, you know, and so some of the songs that came out of this pandemic has reflected that as well. So it's a matter of, you know, we could all be what was me or we can be like, okay, this is our reality. What can we do Speaker 3: 01:37 About it? [inaudible] Speaker 2: 02:02 My, mom's a jazz singer. Shout out to my beautiful mom. And, um, growing up, she helped expose me to a lot of different musical styles. Billie holiday was, was one of the icons, you know, Speaker 3: 02:18 Good morning, Hottie Loomis, good morning, Hottie. [inaudible] Speaker 2: 02:29 Her voice. There was something just so haunting. And so I can't even explain what it is. I couldn't even tell you technically, but there was something about her voice when I was, when I was first hearing her that just drew me to, Speaker 3: 02:46 But you're here to stay. It seems I met you when [inaudible], Speaker 2: 03:08 She lived a life, you know, there's, there's such sorrow and sadness and yet power and vulnerability. And there's so many layers that I think I hear when I hear her voice, her voice, and it just draws me to her. And so it kind of reflects in my writing. I don't know why, but I just, I always tend to write love songs or I try to write songs that are encouraging and empowering as well. But I also tend to, to have a lot of like love songs or heartbreak songs. And I think that being a fan of Billy holiday almost gave me the permission to be comfortable to do that. You know? Yeah. She was one of the first voices that, that just really stuck into my, my ear, my soul. Speaker 3: 03:55 Good morning, Speaker 2: 04:09 Whitney Houston is definitely a big influence for me. I tried to sing like her. I was trying to learn her runs and she just had this pure voice that it was undeniable Speaker 3: 04:47 [inaudible]. Speaker 2: 04:47 So all at once was just one of those songs. I just loved the melody and I just loved the way she sang. I love what she's saying, everything. I just remember that being one of the songs that was not really, you know, everybody knew I want to dance with somebody and greatest love of all, but I think this one was just one of those that was not as popular, but it was such a great song when she passed. I remember going, you know, like a lot of people do, Oh, I want to reminisce on. And I was like, gosh, she had so many amazing songs. And I knew so many of them. And she just really, really impacted me to be that voice to try to, to try to be like, I, I did try to sing like her. That's how that's how much she Speaker 3: 05:41 [inaudible] Speaker 2: 05:49 Celia Cruz is one of, gosh, she, she was just, she's kind of more of a representation of the style of music that my mom and I listened to a lot. I was partly raised in Puerto Rico. Like I said, my mom was a jazz singer. She was a jazz singer there in Puerto Rico. So Latin music that Puerto Rican Cuban was just flowing everywhere. It was part of, it was part of my upbringing. Speaker 3: 06:23 [inaudible] Speaker 2: 06:24 When we moved to California, it was just one of those. Like we always still played that music a lot when it was time to do something, to make dinner, to get ready for something, we were always playing Celia Cruz and Tico point. And it was part of the catalog of my upbringing. Speaker 3: 06:52 [inaudible] [inaudible] Speaker 2: 07:09 Favorite. Top five movies is Amadeus. You know, that's, the soundtrack is, is all, is Mozart's Requiem. And the such a contrast, you know, you hear this wide array of instrumentation that is just powerful. And you know, and I can hear the melodies in my head and you just, for me physically, like my head moves when it's like these like low and big Speaker 3: 07:51 [inaudible] Speaker 2: 07:54 Choir comes in and, and then, or there's a lead vocalist that, that is takes this, you know, this part. And it's just, there's something that is just so moving and it's incredible to see it and feel it. I just, I just love it. My mom really helped me a lot with vocal harmonies. Oftentimes it would be just the two of us singing, you know, As I got a little older, she started to share with me bands like Manhattan transfer, where vocals are just almost instrumentation. You know, they are, they are the, the main instrument Speaker 3: 09:10 [inaudible] Speaker 2: 09:10 Anytime we would do go on car rides or if I'd go on car rides with my dad. I remember we drove one time, I think to Texas and we were listening to Manhattan transfer. And just, it's just, again, a different style that like classical where, you know, you just have this wide range of instrumentation. I love how Manhattan transfer, like how they take vocal and put a wide range within that scope within that style. You know, I I'm so blown away by it. And I love listening to the vocal acrobatics. Like Speaker 3: 10:11 [inaudible], Speaker 2: 10:12 I truly believe that the Mozart's in the take six and the, and the Manhattan transfer that all reflects still into the shows that I do either with Sheila E or my own stuff, cold fact, and all it all relates 100%. So I encourage people to keep at it, if there's any doubts within yourself of, you know, Oh, I don't know how this is going to help or contribute. I truly believe it all contributes in some form or fashion, so to stick with it. And at some point it manifests itself to reveal that, that it was, it was part of your, Speaker 3: 10:58 That was said, Speaker 2: 10:59 Diego musician, Rebecca Jade, you can find links to all the songs that influenced her as well as her own music on our website at KPBS dot Speaker 3: 11:38 [inaudible].