The Blue Journey of Monica McIntyre - P.A.W. Print

The line for violins was too long when she first decided to choose an instrument. That’s the simple occurrence that brought Monica McIntyre and her cello together twenty years ago. At the time it may have seemed like merely a convenient choice, but now she views it as fate.

“It takes a certain person to play the cello, a laid back person”. After spending a couple hours on a recent balmy evening in west Philadelphia at Café Clave (43rd and Locust), anyone would agree: McIntyre is a cello person.

In 1996, McIntyre came to Philadelphia to pursue a fashion design degree at Drexel University. She brought with her from her native Maryland a strong foundation in classical music and a thirst for musical adventure. Hurling herself into groups and collaborations and dabbling is Jazz, R&B, Soul and Middle Eastern music, she emerged the unique and eclectic artist that fans all over Philly celebrate today.

But what truly sets McIntyre apart from other cellists as well as other local singer/songwriters and basically all other musicians is her penchant for playing the cello with her hands. Not mere plucking or pizzicato. She pulls, tugs, strums, and riffs, building powerful chords and melodies in perhaps the most unorthodox manner seen in a cellist yet.

When asked how this method came to be, McIntyre responded, “I have bass and guitar envy, that until I channel into actually learning the bass and guitar, I am exploring with my cello.”

Her explorations and journeys with her beloved cello have been captured on her first release Blusolaz, a great starting point for any fledgling McIntyre fan or anyone who has seen her play and needs more. While McIntyre’s sounds are truly and uniquely her own, one can’t help but run into the ghosts of Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and others along the way.

Her singing can be tender or furious, shifting gears on a dime, her arrangements and playing unlike anything you have heard before, creating combinations of sounds only a true artist could concoct.

The title Blusolaz, a word created by the artist herself perfectly sums up the proceedings. A combination of the words Blues, Soul and Jazz, one can find 70 years of music distilled into 8 tracks along with a lot of experience. Chief among the tracks echoing her influences are Bruised Fruit.

“When I wrote Bruised Fruit I felt like bruised fruit. I was in a difficult place, and it was all about being able to express it, and not just express it, but have the metaphor of the fruit in my mind and actually be true to what I was feeling.

“At the same time I think I was hearing Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday and Love for Sale by Ella Fitzgerald a lot, not so much listening to them, but around me as I recorded it.”

In October, McIntyre returns to the studio to get to work on another release of brand new, all original material. This time around, she promises what she terms a ‘blues record with international flavors” and promising to be “not always blues in style but always in content.”

This summer, McIntyre is instrumental in bringing to life two amazing projects. The first, “TranSforMers,” is a collaborative work by McIntyre and Daughters of the Diaspora. Described as a “Kinetic spoken-word theater piece that scampers along harrowing and exhilarating path of womanhood and illuminates the emergence of artistic self-actualization,” it should prove to be an electrifying evening of poetry and song--a night of powerful words and sounds that will resonate with the listener for a long time to come.

The latest pairing of McIntyre and the Daughters of the Diaspora takes place this Thursday June 3rd at 8pm, Friday June 4th at 8pm and Sunday June 6th at 2pm. This teaming of artists is also offering a chance to witness an exclusive Jam session on Saturday June 5th at 8pm. These shows take place at the Arden Theater Company at 40 North 2nd street. Tickets are $12, advance.

On July 17, McIntyre will curate the Second Annual Black Women's Arts Festival which will be held at the Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street. Along with the divine Miss McIntyre performers will include: Daughters of the Diaspora, Ebony Collier, Tamara Xavier, Ghetto Song Bird, Maleka Fruean, Voices of Africa and many others. It will run from noon to 10pm.

To contact Daughters of the Diaspora or Monica McIntyre, phone call (215) 386-8341 or (215) 668-3098 or email them at tanstewart@hotmail.com, withlovefmw@hotmail.com, or cellomama@msn.com. Anyone interested in vending or performing in the Second Annual Black Woman’s Art Festival should contact BWAFphilly@hotmail.com. For the complete Monica McIntyre schedule, visit www.mcintyremcintyre.com.