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Flying High- the video

Sometimes projects are born in a second of inspiration, but bringing them into the world always takes much longer. I just released the music video for a song called “Flying High”, but it was a long time in the making.

In fact it was almost two years ago, on a break between sets at a live performance that the idea was born. I was playing some old school jazz live for a swing dance event. As a side note: swing dancers are definitely the best crowd a jazz singer could ever wish for!

Anyway, on the break I was looking for any excuse to hit the dance floor myself, and that is when I met Dave. He definitely had one of the best vintage outfits in the place, and we danced and chatted as though we already knew each other.

Then he told me about his 1947 silver Cessna 140. I learned how to fly Cessna airplanes years ago so I was immediately excited. Next he showed me pictures of his fabulous collection of vintage uniforms and clothing. “I have to shoot a music video with you!” I said. “But I need to write the song first.”

It was a few weeks later that we met up for coffee and I learned a bit more about him. Making the difficult choice to walk away from a situation that was poisoning his life was something that he had found necessary. We shared experiences, and as I thought about this days later I could relate, and then the lyrics for the song started coming to me.

Now I had a song, but I was looking for a jazz producer to work with. My previous collaborator had moved and I didn’t know the right person to create the sound I was after. It would take more than a year before I found Bryant Didier, who produced a collection of songs we called “Hot Damn Romance”. This song was among them.

It was only after recording the song more than a year later that I could think about making the video. I had some ideas, and a great videographer, but Dave added several levels of fabulous to this video. He brought in another pilot and a chase plane to film us in flight, he let us film in his incredible hangar, and he brought a crowd of swing dancers to make it a real party.

It’s a fact that success is rarely a solo venture. It’s in the mixing of ideas and skill sets where the magic happens. I feel very grateful to know some amazing people, and to be able to create things with them. That’s how flying high happens.

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