Today we’d like to introduce you to Congito Jaffe.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As I closed out forty years of career counseling, public workshops with a cross section of American adults at InfoPLACE, an innovative adult career resource center where we offered state of the arts assessments of interest and personality, life work balance planning, the core issues of job search strategy, resume writing, interviewing — free neutral public service of use to a cross sections of all demographics , educational and social diversity in a rich American tableau— my eyes noted my neglected guitars, bass, and sheet music in the corner of my den and I said to myself, ” self let’s revisit the 17 year old still alive in our soul and go back to music lessons, songwriting, band and solo playing –the inner goal to share my dream vision and music that still vibrates and resonates.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
being 70 years old and getting back to open mics, practice in a basement with other 70 plus year olds, practicing and moving not as supple fingers and vocal cords is a struggle — yet with great satisfaction along the way. mastering a new song, taking the lyrics of my poetic wife and collaborator Lady Ives and integrating my melodies, chords and consultation with a Nashville system chart and finding there were venues ( mostly coffeeshops) that said YES– we would love to have you play for two hours this Friday —while no fortune is being earned the rewards of engagement, new ways of finding meaning and purpose, playing and sharing music with folks ages 30-80– as Jerry Garcia said ” what a long strange trip it’s been.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
my current focus is as a singer/songwriter of folk/Americana and integrating my vocals, guitar styling and very melodic material with the visionary poetry of my wife, the published poet Lady Ives of Rocky River— I’m proud that I am presenting what a recent reviewer of a coffee house concert noted was, “like being immersed in a coffeehouse of rich espresso on a beach in paradise in 1972” that is exactly the vibe that I strive to create in my performances.
I’m proud that my performances with their classic one dude and a guitar vibe hark back to the era of 16th century roving troubadour , or Woody Guthrie, or Dylan of Mr. Springsteen who is two years older than me– no gimmicks no backing track– just melodic visionary fit to human scale instead of an arena or pulsing electronic nightclub.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Respect and believe in your vision, enhance your skills, PRACTICE, look to your soul, your vision, believe that your voice, your vision, that your music is ageless, timeless that you have a vision of a joyous shout waiting to be heard and music form the depths of your soul to share.
Image Credits
photos by Lady Ives, Thomas Kulbickas, Meganne Stepka.
