WELL ARE YOU IN THE MOOD FOR SOME GREAT MUSIC?
THEN YOU ARE IN LUCK.
THE 14TH ANNUAL JAZZ IN THE GARDENS MUSIC FEST KICKS OFF
NEST WEEK FEATURING SOUL AND R AND B ARTISTS LIKE BETTY WRIGHT
AND LIONEL RICHIE AND LOCAL MUSICIANS LIKE THE ACCLAIMED DUO
BLACK VIOLIN, MUCH FOR THAN A JUST A MUSIC FESTIVAL IT OFFERS
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UP AND COMING ARTISTS AND GIVES A
BOOST TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY AS WELL.
HERE WITH ALL OF THIS DETAILS IS MIAMI GARDEN'S MAYOR OLIVER
GILBERT AND PERFORMING AT THIS YEAR 0'S EVENT LOCAL GOSPEL
SINGER AND ALL AROUND INSPIRATIONAL LIST SHERRONDA
DAY, GREAT TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU HERE WITH US.
THANKS A FOR HAVING US.
MR.
MAYOR, 14TH ANNUAL, DOESN'T THAT BLOW YOUR MIND?
THERE ARE KIDS THAT ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL RIGHT NOW WHO, YOU
KNOW, WHO WEREN'T BORN.
I HAVE A 14-YEAR-OLD.
I HAVE AN 11-YEAR-OLD, GARDENS IS, MIAMI GARDENS IS
OLDER THAN THAT.
IT IS AMAZING WHAT THE CITY CAN DO WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PARKING
LOT AND IMAGINE PUTTING A STAGE THERE AND A COUPLE OF CHAIRS AND
IN THE FIRST YEARS A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE BUT YOU SHOW
PERSISTENCE AND IMAGINATION YOU ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND
PROFESSIONALS, 14 YEARS LATER, THE FACT THAT THIS MUSIC
FESTIVAL, ONE OF THE MOST GROWING MUSIC FESTIVALS IN THE
COUNTRY.
Pam: HOW IMPORTANT IS IT ONLY TO SOUTH FLORIDA AS A WHOLE
BUT MIAMI GARDENS IN PARTICULAR?
IT CAN'T EVEN BE ESTIMATED.
THAT'S THE THING.
MIAMI GARDENS THEY START JAZZ IN THE GARDENS RIGHT AFTER THE CITY
BECOMES A CITY, THE CITY DIDN'T BECOME A CITY UNTIL 2003 SO YOU
NEEDED SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU YOUR OWN IDENTITY.
YOU NEEDED SOMETHING TO SEPARATE YOU FROM THE LARGER SOUTH
FLORIDA MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMUNITY.
YOU NEEDED SOMETHING TO OPEN THE DOOR AND SAY COME ON IN, TALK TO
ME ABOUT MY CITY, NOT ABOUT ALL OF THIS, AND JAZZ IN THE GARDENS
HAS DONE THIS.
IT REALLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE USE, I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME,
JAZZ IN THE GARDENS STARTS THE CONVERSATION WHEN WE FINISH THE
CONVERSATION WITH THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE MOVING THERE, WHAT WE
ARE DOING IN OUR PARKS, OUR EXTRAORDINARY RESIDENTS, OUR
INVESTMENTS IN PUBLIC PROPER, IT IS THE BEGINNING, IT GETS YOUR
ATTENTION.
Pam: 70,000 PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED.
YES.
Pam: IF NOT MORE.
THAT IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.
YES.
Pam: IT CONTINUES TO SHOW HOW THIS FEST CONTINUES TO GROW.
IT IS A PARTY.
THIS IS WHAT I TELL PEOPLE.
IT IS A PARTY THAT WE THROW WITH SOME WORLD CLASS TALENT.
IT IS A PARTY A IN YOUR BACKYARD EXCEPT LIONEL RICHIE IS ON THE
STAGE AND HE COMES TO YOUR.
Pam: HE COMES TO MY HOUSE ALL THE TIME.
ACTUALLY I HAVE TO SAY I DID SEE HIM PERFORM NOT TOO LONG AGO
WITH THE BOSTON POPS HE IS ON, HE IS UNBELIEVABLE AND I THINK
HE IS 69, 70 YEARS OLD NOW?
I DON'T KNOW.
HE IS AND OLDER GENTLEMAN BUT MORE ENERGY THAN ALL OF US.
Pam: AND HE SOUND AMAZING AND EVERYBODY IS JUST UP OFFER
THEIR FEET AND DANCING SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE LINEUP REAL
QUICK.
WE HAVE LIONEL RICHIE, OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE BOBBY BROWN,
IN VOGUE, BRANDY IS CONNING.
BACK STREET, MY ITALIAN ACCENT THERE.
IT REALLY IS AN AMAZING LINEUP.
Pam: YES. AND NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH
SOME OF THE LOCAL ARTISTS THAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR, WE HAVE WITH
ME SHARON DA DAY, SHERRONDA DAY, SHE'S IN MY SEGUE.
THE VOICE IS AMAZING.
Pam: ALL RIGHT.
STOP RIGHT THERE.
WE HAVE A LITTLE CLIP OF THIS.
LET'S LISTEN TO IT.
Pam: SHERRONDA, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?
I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY MUSIC SINCE YOU WERE A LITTLE
GIRL, EXACTLY.
MY MOTHER WHO WAS CLASSICALLY TRAINED AND A MASTERS IN MUSIC
THEORY.
MUSIC I THINK I PROBABLY STARTED TO STING BEFORE I COULD TALK
REAL WELL, WHEN I WAS THREE I RECORDED MY FIRST SONG, AWAY IN
THE MANGER.
Pam: THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START.
A GOOD PLACE TO START.
BUT MUSIC FOR ME HAS JUST BEEN A UNIVERSAL LOVE LANGUAGE, THAT'S
HOW I COMMUNICATE.
THAT'S HOW I COMMUNICATE WITH MY KIDS, THERE ISN'T A BIRTHDAY
THAT GOES BY WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG WHEN YOU
WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING TO EACH OTHER.
AND IT IS A, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE FROM OR WHAT
LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK, MUSIC SPEAKS TO ALL OF US, SO I THINK IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THAT IN OUR LIVES.
Pam: I LOVE THE FACT YOU SAID IT IS A UNIVERSAL LOVE
LANGUAGE.
IT REALLY IS. AND TALK ABOUT HOW MUSIC HAS
REALLY CARRIED YOU THROUGH THE HIGHS AND LOWS IN YOUR LIFE
BECAUSE YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH SOME TOUGH PERIODS.
I HAVE.
WHEN I LOST A JOB IN 2010, SIX-FIGURE JOB OVERNIGHT, I
ALREADY HAD AN 11-YEAR-OLD AND, AND A BRAND-NEW BABY AND JUST
BOUGHT MY, BOUGHT MY FIRST HOME AND I DIDN'T HAVE A WAY TO FEED
MY KIDS.
I COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. AND I HAVE THREE DEGREES BUT IN
THAT MOMENT YOU JUST FEEL HOPELESS.
AND IT WAS JUST A HUM THAT STARTED IN ME AND JUST THE HUM
BECAME A SOUND AND THAT SOUND BECAME A SONG, AND I SANG FOR
DAYS AND AS I WAS SINGING I JUST STARTED BAKING.
PEOPLE, LIKE I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO -- THIS IS GOING TO
LEAD LIKE I HAD A SINGING CAREER, BUT, NO, IT LED TO
BAKING, SO TELL US ABOUT THAT.
IT LED TO BAKING.
I AM THE OWNER OF -- A DESSERT CATERING COMPANY.
WE DO A LOT OF FOOD SERVICE CONTRACTS, MOST PEOPLE DON'T
EVEN A KNOW IT BUT WHEN YOU GO TO SOME OF OUR LOCAL FOOTBALL
GAMES OR BASKETBALL OR HOCKEY GAMES.
Pam: YOU ARE -- YOU ARE TASTING, AND THAT
CAME FROM A PLACE OF PAIN, FROM THE LOSING OF A JOB, TO THEN I
LOST MY MOTHER AND I JUST WANTED TO CLICK ON IT ALL, AT THAT
POINT YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR MOM TO KEEP YOU SANE SO WHAT DO YOU DO?
THERE WAS NO SONG THAT COULD FIX IT OR NOTHING AND THEN I FOUND
THE LETTER.
Pam: HER BIBLE.
IN HER BIBLE TO ME.
THAT SHE NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO SEND ME, BUT IT WAS THERE,
AND I READ IT AND IT TOLD ME TO NEVER FIVE UP AND THAT THERE IS
ALWAYS A SONG THAT GOD HAS GIVEN HER TO GIVE TO ME, THAT I PICKED
UP ALONG THE WAY THAT I COULD JUST HUM OR SING TO GET ME
THROUGH THINGS.
Pam: BEAUTIFUL.
AND THAT HAD BEEN -- I SING WHEN I BAKE.
I SING WHEN I AM IN THE GROCERY STORE I SING WHEN I AM DRIVING.
Pam: THE MAYOR IS NODDING.
YOU SING ALL THE TIME.
SHE HAS AN EXTRAORDINARY VOICE.
SHE IS A GREAT BAKER BY THE WAY.
Pam: YOU ARE MULTITALLENTED.
Pam: LET'S TALK QUICKLY ABOUT F SMACK BECAUSE IT
INSPIRES PEOPLE.
THE ART AND CULTURE CONFERENCE WE HAVE CHRISTEN
CAMPBELL AND BETTY WRIGHT, WE HAVE LAWYERS WHO ARE COME GOING
COME, YOU CAN TAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH THEM AND TELL YOU HOW TO
PROTECT YOUR ART.
THE THEORY BEHIND FMAC WE WANT TO BRING PEOPLE IN WHO HAVE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL IN THE INDUSTRY SO WE CAN HELP INSPIRE PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY AND SHOW THEM HOW THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.
Pam: RIGHT.
AND MENTORING EVERYBODY ELSE.
IT IS SO GREAT HAVING BOTH OF YOU.
BEST OF LUCK AT THE GARDENS AND THE 14TH ANNUAL JAZZ IN THE
GARDENS KICKS OFF NEXT WEEKEND THE MARCH 9TH AND 10TH 0 OUTSIDE
OF THE HARD ROCK STADIUM AND HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON OUR
FACEBOOK PAGE AT @YOURSOUTHFLORIDA.