I feel like I’ve been battling the passing of time all summer and can’t believe this happened 10 days ago: @terrilynecarrington invited @sajevoices to sing for Joni Mitchell at an event where she was awarded an honorary doctorate from @berkleecollege (coincidentally, my alma mater). Terri Lyne speaks on jazz and gender justice with a clarity and depth of compassion I’ve not yet experienced, and @esperanzaspalding and @diannereeves — two supreme personal heroes of mine — are each their own embodiment of the potential that music and life and love and and and hold at all times. As TLC asked us to consider what this music might sound like today had female and non-binary voices been more present from the start, Joni (who was seated 10 ft from me) shouted, “there’d be a lot more sus chords!” and I don’t think a person has said something that resonated more with my own personal experience as a female identifying music maker. She later told us that life is not happy or sad: it’s both / in between, and a sus chord allows for us to be open to that. Back in June, I revisited a book where a character said, “I’m the happiest and saddest I’ve ever been” and that has been living with me ever since; I don’t know why I’m sharing that now other than to note a theme that keeps reappearing for me in beautiful ways. Everything about that night has turned into a fuel that’ll keep me going for a long, long time. Thank you to Terri Lyne, thank you to my beloved säje, thank you to Joni Mitchell, thank you to @herbiehancock, @wayneshorterofficial and @carolinashorterofficial, to our incredible band (@aparksmusic @andrewrenfroeguitar @kidogo.wav @julianmiltenberger) and thank you to the source that we each get to tap into each time we make music with our whoooole entire beings. ❤️ To Joni forever and ever. #jonimitchell #terrilynecarrington #esperanzaspalding #diannereeves #wayneshorter #herbiehancock #berkleecollegeofmusic #womeninjazz #jazzandgenderjustice