Love Your Creativity is all about keeping myself and you focused on creativity whether you are an artist, actor, musician, playwright or film director. This is Part Two of a Two Part interview with Earl Okin, and some brief highlights of the podcast are noted below. I have posted this in two parts: he has so much great advice that I couldn’t bear to cut any. the first part largely covers his comedy, knowing who he is an artist and the second songwriting, music making, bossa nova and more tips on audiences His advice: be yourself and know what you are doing, get very clear on what you need to work on.
Earl Okin Earl Okin, singer, songwriter, pianist, comedian He was on stage at three years of age, has opened for Paul McCartney and Wings on their 1980s world tour, he is an incredibly funny and talented performer who has spent the last 60 years entertaining. Due to his family’s history he has echoes of the music hall but has “Entertainer” on his passport, a one man variety show.
This section covers his straight songwriting, he sometimes strums his guitar to demonstrate
(Part One of this interview on charming your audience & doing 18 Edinburgh Fringes is here)
Look at the genre you are writing in as to what chords to use.
What comes first, the words or the music. With Earl it is the music, however he tells the tale of a famous songwriter saying ‘What comes first is the phone call” Whatever the style you have, you have a blank bit of paper but the style from hip hop to blues to jazz will define the colours you paint with. You need to trust your musical knowledge and taste as it will inevitably filter into your writing as much as you focus on your own voice.
We cover ageing, keeping moving forward
Advice ; Be Yourself, dont try and be the second someone else. Sinatra was influenced by Bing Crosby but he sounded different. Earl’s influencer Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong.
Earl has sung bossa nova in Brazil despite being born in Surrey and plays his guitar and demonstrates a little on the rhythm of singing bossa nova. “It is not jazz with a Latin beat, Brazilian has nothing to do with jazz and Latin is very different from Brazilian. Jazz singers lay back on the beat, bossa singers sing before”. On knowing what you are doing to the level you need, be clear on the work you need to do. He plays some Anna Russell as we discuss me singing Michael Tippett ‘For singers who are tone deaf I suggest contemporary classical, no one will notice if you sing the wrong note except possibly the composer and he probably won’t notice either.” Earl is writing a musical, early title ‘A Harlem Story’ and a sort of a follow on from Porgy and Bess, it takes place in the last 40s so late swing style. Earl has a passion for opera and has a monthly podcast where he plays 6 eclectic songs from opera, music hall, jazz and comedy including a track of his own at the end. We finished with playing more Anne Russell then a jam, Earl on piano, singing and doing a fake trumpet and me singing 😉
His Podcast The Earl Okin’s Gramophone Show http://earlokin.blogspot.co.uk/
About Marysia and Love Your Creativity I blog at least three times a week on creativity and techniques to get your art on. Whether you are a musician, an actor or a choreographer I endeavour to make https://loveyourcreativity.com is a place to come for inspiration and motivation. Just go the website for the blog and you can subscribe there via your email if you dont want to miss a post.
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Tags: Andrew Hyde, Anna Russell, Anne Russell, Bess, Bing Crosby, Bossa nova, Brazil, director, Earl Okin Earl Okin, Harlem, ITunes, Jazz, Louis Armstrong, Marysia, Michael Tippett, Music, My funny valentine Marysi, Opera, Paul McCartney, Peggy Lee, Samba, Sinatra, Singing, Surrey
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