- Participant in NEH "J.S. Bach and the Enlightenment", sponsored by Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA.
- Music Teacher in New York City Public School System.
- Performed with JAZZIQUE, a NYC/NJ-based R&B group.
- Self-produced recording artist - Produced two blacklieder albums, and an album for JAZZIQUE with Robert Warren.
- Song "Instantly" entered the Classic R&B Top Ten, the R & B Top 10, the Northeast Top 10, Production - Male Vocals Top 10, the United States Top 10, the Broadjam Earth Top 10, the North America Top 10, the New York Top 10, Production - Ballads Top 10 at Broadjam.com in 2007.
- Performed within the NYC underground music scene with artists Jagen, Dreshan and Julian Meyers
- Extensive training as a jazz and gospel musician.
- Performed with the adult contemporary group InFlyte, winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Gospel category the first year out.
- Performed and recorded with the Rev. Robert Lowe and Queens Community Choir.
- Martial artist: black belt in TaeKwonDo, brown belt in Judo and Combat Hapkido and student of Capoeira, the acrobatic martial art of Brazil.
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My background is indicative of the jazz experience of the late twentieth century:
My musical roots as a keyboardist and vocalist start in the church, having performed
with gospel choirs and Christian contemporary ensembles since I was a teenager.
My education at Long Island University led to a BFA in Jazz Studies
(Ugonna Okegwo, the talented jazz bassist, was in my graduating class);
I continued my studies at Northwestern University, earning a Masters in Music,
focusing on Historical Musicology and Ethnomusicology. I had opportunities to meet
many jazz greats throughout the years – Sheila Jordan, Hank Edmonds, Walter Perkins,
Antonio Garcia, Bruce Barth & Marcus Roberts – studying and playing with many of them.
I taught General Music to Grades 7-12 for six years in Queens. I currently teach K-5 in the Bronx.
I have been the Minister of Music at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for the past ten years.
My administrative skills were developed by directing an After-school program
and a Summer Day Camp for Universal Martial Arts Center in Queens, New York.
With limited resources and virtually no budget, our program contained 24 campers,
including a full itinerary of trips and outings,as well as intensive martial arts instruction and academic enrichment.
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The blacklieder philosophy
When my generation of musicians and artists were growing up, many of them were educated by the sage advice of Schoolhouse Rock, which taught the adage that "knowledge is power." I believe this to be gospel, and I also believe knowledge is the secret weapon in the creation of art.
Knowledge is part of my background. Having been born and raised in Jamaica, Queens and having come from a creative family, I am no stranger to right-minded ideas. I studied commercial art in high school and college. I was trained as a jazz pianist at Long Island University, and I studied Music History and Literature at Northwestern University. I've toured and recorded with choirs, performed and directed musical theatre, and written and arranged in a variety of genres.
My primary influences are Stevie Wonder, Prince, Elvis Costello, Sting and Mariah Carey. These five artists reperesent the blacklieder philosophy: genius, eclecticism, lyricism, musicianship and prolificacy.
GENIUS - I believe that genius is born, then made. A true genius takes what gifts they naturally possess and amplifies it with hard work. It is like the parable of the talents - if you have five talents, work to make them ten.
ECLECTICISM - I take the best from all styles of music, and incorporate it into my own material. True music appreciation means recognizing the apex within a genre, and using that achievement to better the overall craft.
LYRICISM - Write meaningful lyrics that will last the test of time. Understand the language you write in, and let the conventions follow you, not the other way around.
MUSICIANSHIP - Practice your craft through rehearsal and push your abilities to the max. A true musician always seeks to improve their abilities and doesn't settle for mediocrity.
PROLIFICACY - Write until your mind, body and spirit give out. Write in all styles in all forms, for all occasions. Write standards that people will want to hear and perform hundreds of years from now. Establish a library filled with your own material. And share your output with the world.
My influences are the late 20th century role models for the blacklieder philosophy.
I'm not looking for fame; If a handful of people are touched by my art, I'll be satisfied. Life is a work in progress, and we can only seek to improve upon what we already have.
Antonio Jacobs - blacklieder
Music & Art
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A songwriter should aspire to five qualities when writing songs: eclecticism, musicianship, prolificacy, lyricism and genius. In the artists that I admire, I find these qualities consistently. Without these qualities, your songwriting is limited and uninspired.
Eclecticism is the belief in having varied tastes. In order to write good music, a songwriter must learn about all types of music. Even if a songwriter writes in one genre, an understanding and an appreciation of other styles is essential. If you look at Ray Charles, his capacity for excellent songwriting stems from his ability to combine gospel with rhythm and blues, creating a new genre.
Musicianship is important to good songwriting because a songwriter must understand music in order to write songs. This means continual and devoted practice to the craft. If you play and write at the piano, you ought to practice your piano and learn as much about its capabilities as possible. If you are a DJ, you should have an encyclopedic knowledge of songs, and how to combine them. Kanye West is not limited by his musical abilities; instead, he has embraced his skill at sampling to augment his songwriting.
Every true musician demonstrates prolificacy, that is, the constant creation of material. As long as you are writing, the chance of creating a good song is possible. It is impossible to write a good song if you are not writing. Chuck Berry wrote hundreds of songs, not concerned about popularity or trends, and had a hit record in 1970, fifteen years after his first hit record.
Lyricism is respect for the words of a song, is important to songwriting because bad lyrics can wreck a song just as much as a lousy tune can. A good songwriter has study the language and poetic structure, and will use that study in the construction of verse. Nas pays careful attention to lyricism, paying careful attention to rhythm and flow as well as rhyme scheme.
Most people believe that genius is attached to intelligence, but I believe that genius is about work ethic. An idle mind creates nothing; one must be active in order for genius to be realized. When we discuss genius, it is about what people have done, not what they could do. Action will always speak louder than words, and it is your actions that demonstrate genius. To truly understand this, look at the work of Ry Cooder and the Buena Vista Social Club. Each musician is a genius in his own right, but Cooder's vision to bring them all together demonstrates a unique type of administrative genius rarely savored.
If I had to choose five songwriters who best exemplify the five qualities mentioned above, I would pick the following:
Stevie Wonder - Hands down, Stevie Wonder is the most influential and important Popular musician of the second half of the 20th century. Imagine black music without Stevie; the landscape changing rather dramatically doesn't it?
Prince - His music, like Stevie's, is in a class all by itself. He is a poster child for songwriting, having penned songs for himself and others, and written in a variety of styles for a variety of instruments. Prince continues to reinvent himself, a true sign of genius.
Elvis Costello - A legend in his own right, Costello is unmatched in his lyricism and eclecticism, having work across genres to produce classic songs and a legacy that will make him a legendary songwriter.
Mariah Carey - Many fans and admirers only focus on her voice, but 90% of the songs Mariah is known for were written by her. Her ballads have become the unattainable standard for fledgling singers everywhere, and she has only become to tap into her full potential.
Sting - Yoga and organic farming notwithstanding, Sting is perhaps my first influence as a songwriter. He started his adult life as an English teacher, which has served him well in his songwriting.
If I can model the writing of these musicians, then perhaps I can achieve the critical success I desire. I believe that if I write while keeping these idols and these qualities in mind, then I will develop into a talented and acclaimed songwriter someday.
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