A melody worth making a song and dance about
Music can be incredibly powerful and no matter what your taste, you can always find something to suit your mood, even to inspire or carry you through a difficult time.
Music can be incredibly powerful and no matter what your taste, you can always find something to suit your mood, even to inspire or carry you through a difficult time.
As a lover of jazz music and female vocalists, I was recently thrilled to discover the talents of an amazing lady. Her name is Melody Gardot.
Melody was born in Pennsylvania in 1985. At the age of 19 she was struck by a car while riding her bicycle. This dreadful incident, however, triggered a musical career and a remarkable journey
Melody was treated by a physician who was concerned with her cognitive impairment as a result of head injury sustained in the accident.
He believed music would help her brain injury, as it has been known to show remarkable results in improving cognitive ability after such a trauma, helping to rebuild the pathways necessary for recalling data.
Still unable to walk, Melody's doctor suggested she made recordings bedside. This she did, resulting in an EP titled Some Lessons – The Bedroom Sessions. She quickly gained recognition for both her stunning music and her remarkable courage.
Her first full-length album is an awesome follow-up to Some Lessons. Entitled Worrisome Heart, it features 11 original songs written by Melody and co-produced with Grammy award-winning producer Glenn Barratt.
Melody's injuries have left her walking with a cane and needing to wear dark glasses all the time. She often has a little black box tied to her waist, a TENS unit, which alleviates neuralgic and muscular pain. She sits on a specialised chair while performing, owing to pelvic fractures sustained in the accident.
Her pelvis remains misaligned, and she also suffers from an autonomic nervous system dysfunction, causing hypersensitivity to noise and sound. Her determination to overcome her physical limitations and her ability to write and perform despite her pain are inspirational.
I have long believed music is a unique force. An art form that
can bridge cultural and political divides, it can also offer hope and solace for those facing life's most demanding challenges.
As the world plunges into recession, our natural instinct is to fret and panic. Melody's story gave me a swift lesson in blessings counting; the chance to recognise that in the great scheme of things, life really could be worse.
For more about Melody visit www.melodygardot.com
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Weather for Chichester
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: West
