Joan Cartwright's Biography

Born on December 7,  in Kew Gardens, New York, Joan Cartwright is the consummate musician. She composes, performs, lectures, researches and documents jazz and blues musicians and performers. She is the founder of WOMEN IN JAZZ SOUTH FLORIDA, INC., a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting women musicians locally, nationally and globally, through contacts, articles, interviews, newsletters, events, courses, clinics, workshops, lectures, research, history, archives, websites, film, audio and video recording, concerts, performances and recognition. During her 30-year career, Joan Cartwright has performed with Lou Donaldson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Freddie Hubbard, Dorothy Donegan, Philly Joe Jones, Shirley Scott and hundreds of musicians in the U.S., Europe and Asia! Diva Joan Cartwright has toured 5 continents and 15 countries including the U.S.A., 8 European countries, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, China and Japan, with her swinging brand of jazz and blues. A composer and author of 7 books, her title, IN PURSUIT OF A MELODY contains 40 songs and lyrics to standard songs: "A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Blue Bossa" by Kenny Dorham, "Tune Up" by Miles Davis and "Bessie's Blues" by John Coltrane. (LYRICS) The book contains two lectures that she's given to over 7,000 children, college students and adults, in U.S., Switzerland, Sicily, China and Japan: WOMEN IN JAZZ and SO, YOU WANT TO BE A SINGER? Her workshops are dynamic and educational, highlighting the pitfalls and benefits of the music business. She contends that, "Knowing music theory is a step in the right direction for any singer who truly wants to excel in the world of music!"Diva JC names any ensemble of musicians she works with "Jazz Hotline". Why? Because the music swings and it's always HOT! Her most famous Blues are "Nobody's Husband", "OH, Baby!" and "Treat Me Right and You Don't Have To Marry Me".

Visit Joan's websites: www.divajc.com, www.fyicomminc.com and search "Joan Cartwright" on www.cdbaby.com for her two cds, FEELIN' GOOD (Sicily: 1995) and IN PURSUIT OF A MELODY (U.S.A.: 2005)

Known as the "Hip Hop Mom of Atlanta", Joan performed Jazz Meets Hip Hop with her daughter's hip hop/soul group - Caustic Dames, in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Italy, France and England. Hear Joan on "Atlanta Has Spoken", a compilation of spoken word artists at www.cdbaby.com/cd/causticcomp. Be sure to hear her track "Talkin' That Jazz" and also visit www.causticdames.com. Joan Cartwright is available for bookings around the world. Her knowledge of music and her professional attitude enables Joan to travel alone and work with professional jazz and blues musicians, wherever she is contracted to perform.

In 1998, Ms. Cartwright produced Gaiafest, A Celbration of Mother Earth with Women in Jazz. From 1997 to 2001, she was the recipient of several grants from Broward Schools, where she presented Women in Jazz at K-12 schools. In 2007, she presented at York College, in Jamaica, New York on March 28, 2008; and she was a featured artist of the Women in Jazz Festival on April 5, 2008, in New York City. In Fort Lauderdale, FL, she presented her program with an 8-member ensemble at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center on October 30, 2008, funded by a grant from the Friends of AARLCC, to be completed on March 7, 2009. She is scheduled to do her presentation at Miami-Dade Community College on February 3, 2009.

In addition to music performance, lectures, media, production, marketing, advertisement, publishing, public speaking and public relations, journalism, authoring books, articles, columns, feature stories, blogs, newsletters and creating  a web presence for herself and others, JOAN CARTWRIGHT, M.A. has extensive years of experience in: Computers: Word processing, Information Technology, website design, HTML, JavaScript, Front Page, FTP, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Access, Dbase, Lotus, MSWord, WordPerfect, PC, Wang, Lanier.

Joan has taught on a university level at Florida International University, Broward Community College, LaSalle University and K-12 level at Eagle Charter Academy. She is certified in the State of Florida to teach Music. Presently, she is researching doctoral programs in Music, Communications and Education. She is a frequent contributor to the South Florida Times, In Focus Magazine and Global Woman Magazine. Her website www.fyicomminc.com is a plethora of information about business, entrepreneurialship, culture, jazz, blues, music, art, spirit, women, humanity, videos, mp3s, history, politics, religion, community and more.

For 20 years, Joan worked in the legal field as a secretary, word process, legal assistant and file archivist. She owned a legal secretarial service in 1990, before going on tour for eight years in Europe, where she recorded her first CD, Feelin' Good distributed by Tireno Records in Milan, Italy; and by her own lable, I AM Records in the U.S.A. Her second CD, IN PURSUIT OF A MELODY is distributed solely by I AM Records. Presently, Joan hosts a weekly online radio show, MUSICWOMAN LIVE! at www.blogtalkradio.com/musicwoman featuring women who compose and perform their own music and men who support them. Archived shows are linked at: www.wijsf.com/radio.htm.Joan Cartwright, M.A.Founder and Executive Director of WOMEN IN JAZZ SOUTH FLORIDA, INC.CEO of FYI Communications, Inc.2801 S. Oakland Forest Drive, #103Oakland Park, FL 33309954-740-3398divajc47@yahoo.comwww.fyicomminc.comwww.divajc.comwww.divajc.tvwww.joancartwright.com WORKS BY JOAN CARTWRIGHTBooks:

• Amazing Musicwomen (lulu.com 2008)
• So, You Want To Be A Singer? (lulu.com 2008)
• Songs For My Children (lulu.com 2008)
• The Moon, Sun Showers, Rainbows and Whipped Cream Clouds (lulu.com 2008)
• Rhythms of the Heart (lulu.com 2008)
• Entries on Women in Jazz in the Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora (ABC Clio 2008)
• In Pursuit of a Melody (Trafford: 2006) 40 songs, 35 poems, memoirs, photos and lectures:
  • Amazing Women in Jazz and Blues
  • So, You Want To Be A Singer? A Manual for Up and Coming Divas
• A History of African-American Jazz and Blues (FYICOMMINC: 1994) includes essays:

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  • The Sign of the Blues
  • Jazz: The Unmasked Rhetoric
  • The Cultural Politics of Commercial Jazz (FAU Master’s Thesis: 1994)

 Newspaper and Magazine Articles and Interviews: [ www.fyicomminc.com/files/interviews.htm ]

·         R. DONAHUE PEEBLES

·         B.B. KING & AL GREEN

·         MARY J BLIGE

·         MACY GRAY ·         NATALIE COLE ·         PATTI LABELLE ·         JILL SCOTT ·         QUEEN LATIFAH ·         BARRINGTON IRVING

·         FUNKFEST

·         BOBBY JONES

·         CHRIS BROWN

·         DIONNE WARWICK

·         BILL COSBY ·         HUGH MASEKELA ·         DONNA SUMMERS ·         EARTH WIND & FIRE
CDs: Love Translation CD (I AM Records: 2008) In Pursuit of a Melody CD (I AM Records: 2005)Gianni Basso Italian Balladeur (Tireno Records 1995)

Feelin’ Good: An Evening with Joan Cartwright and Jazz Hotline CD (I AM Records: 1995)

Love Translation (I AM Records: 2007)