Patch Blog: The Musical Artistry of Jean Sudbury

We often take for granted the immense talent that we have in our own town. 

One example of this is Jean Sudbury. Her generosity as a musician and performer has spoiled us. She has been playing for our pleasure at , , Cannon Park, , , , , , S.K. Art Gallery, wine and cheese Tastings, , the , to name a few for over ten years. 

Jean Sudbury is living the life she wants and intends to bring it to a fuller realization in the coming years. She has created a life for herself which gives her time to do what she likes to do, which includes many types of artistry. When seeking performance opportunities, she has found that it is good to create her own agenda. She is an anomaly; as her mother always told her, and at this point in her life she owns up to those qualities and embraces them. It is her deviations from the standard path that has made her the multifaceted artist that she is. 

She finds many ways to fit into the music scene to make a living. She has played in orchestras, the studio scene, and also worked as a part time music teacher.  She continues to make money from recordings she has done in the past working for other musicians and studios. She has done recording for movies, television and some POP, classical and Western CDs. This experience helps her to develop her own creative path.

Finally she has been able to work out a work/life style that allows her to be more creative. She has accomplished a first milestone by recording a CD original music with her collaborator, Ruben Ramos. Their title CD, Sudbury and Ramos: Connexion Eclectique is available on Pandora, CD Baby, iTunes, Amoeba Records, Amazon, and samples can be heard on their website: sudburyandramos.com.

Their music is being received with rave reviews by local and international fans.. However, she still sees herself as an anomaly. She has never been ensconced in one musical or social group; she fits into several categories. She is adaptable; her training has played a part in this adaptability. She has a broad knowledge of music: of theory, technique, reading, and chord progressions. This helps her understand many styles of music. Having never finished her college studies, she feels her education continues everyday through working with the masters she has been privileged to work with. She received full scholarships to the University of Utah and the Music Academy of the West. However, when an early opportunity to work in California presented itself, she grabbed it, and has never looked back. 

Her goal is to share the light and inspiration of music which she creates, through performing, teaching, and helping other people develop their talents. She performs and records with a diverse array of musicians and directors. For example, this past weekend she played Western Texas Swing music at Out West Boutique and Western Market in Newhall as well as at the Autry Museum for the annual day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl. On Sunday, she played Mediterranean music at Burger Continental Restaurant with guitarist, Ruben Ramos. She also performs regularly with madrigal groups, playing at Renaissance Faires and folk venues. She performs weekly in venues across the state, and has recently performed with Musique Sur La Mer at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England.  

She comes from a musical family, but she is the only professional musician in the group. Her grandfather played violin, a great uncle played mandolin, her dad played piano and sang, and mom encouraged the family. She has two brothers and a sister but they appreciate music in different ways.

In the best of all possible worlds, her trajectory looks like this; her music collaboration with Ruben Ramos continues to develop, and they travel around the world performing and writing new music. Potentially her group includes a bassist, percussionist, accordionist. She'd like to travel to colleges as a performer and educator, and to share her work with high level college music students and faculty. Some music students need a different approach to music, not traditional nineteenth century violin study, not Suzuki Method, but something more stimulating for the creative individual. That has been her success as a teacher, and that is what she is developing. A more relaxed technique with opportunities to develop improvisation leads to further understanding of the vastness of music styles, and how they influence each other. This is a valuable lesson Jean has learned as a professional musician. She continues to develop this fusion of styles through her own music. It is interesting and stimulating, and her works are user friendly. 

She is developing works for string groups and plans to publish them for others to play. As she fulfills her plan to tour colleges and campuses, her music will also become available for students to play. She envisions workshops with college students and faculty collaborating with her and creating new music together. Imagine having an asset like that right in our own back yard. Jean is also an avid photographer, and it is impossible to miss her amazing cactus and succulent garden at her home as you travel up Mountain Trail Avenue.  

If you haven't had the opportunity to hear Jean play, or if you want to support her work, there is an upcoming opportunity for you to do so.   

On Saturday August 4th, right here in Sierra Madre, Jean and Ruben will be hosting and performing for a Mediterranean dinner and concert at the Sierra Madre Chapter of Nature Friends. Dinner starts at at 6 p.m. For more information on this event, go to www.naturefriendsla.org and review their events calendar.