Emma Jane Thommen – UK to LA

From upbeat, mysterious funk to sweet, emotional soul – Emma Jane Thommen has it all. This Gigmor artist has mastered strong range of style, and with each song, she tells her story with her smooth, simple harmonies. Perfect, limited accompaniment grooves with her in every song, and her sounds are easy on the ears – perfect for a long car rides or even meditation! Listen to her performing her original “Running with my Eyes Closed” at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.

Emma Jane Thomenn has performed at some pretty notable venues around the world. A few of these venues include the Pyramids in Egypt, many US and UK festivals, on board the Queen Mary II on a cruise to New York, as well as at LA’s Greek Theater opening for Norah Jones & Corinne Bailey Rae. Watch this moody performance of another on of her original songs, “Open Eyes,” at The Hotel Cafe in LA.

She enjoys writing her own music, but also loves has quite a knack for covering songs. She covers many different artists but her recordings are always infused with her unique mysteriousness and sentimentality.  Her melodies are dark, beautiful, and smoky, and keep listeners hooked, as she evokes something in sound much deeper than her lyrics. Watch this artsy video with her chilling cover of Nina Simone’s “Feelin’ Good.”

Emma-Jane is currently stationed in LA, and performing regularly at Hollywood’s famous music venue, The Sayers Club. She is also on her way to a milestone moment, as she’s currently working on a soon-to-be-released EP with Elton John’s Rocket Music in London & LA. If you’re in London or LA, check her page for gigs and definitely look out for her to try to see her in concert; from her videos, it sure seems like she is a marvel live. Watch this last clip of her performing her original song, “Halfway House” at the Sayers Club.

Pianos Can Sing Too: A Quick Look into Pop Piano Covers

It’s not every day that we get to hear piano renditions of hit songs. All we hear on the radio these days in the way of individual instrumental solos are classical pieces or a 10-second solo in another song. That’s why you should check out these two accomplished Gigmor pianists, Michael Bogomolny and David Galvan, both experienced cover artists, in their fantastic covers of popular songs. First, here is a stylish video of Bogomolny covering Santa Esmeralda’s “You’re My Everything.”

Now, watch Galvan in his impressively multi-dimensional take on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book, in the form of a medley. Not only does he make it sound as though there are four hands playing the piano rather than two, he also manages to capture the essence and bounce of Chance the Rapper’s style and sway. Somehow, he manipulates the keys, adds his own style and rhythms, but never steers to far from Chance’s iconic beats. Galvan’s seemingly effortless performance is bound to make you do a slight double take.

Now, let’s bring it back to Bogomolny. With this song, you might remember it the best as a soulful, powerful John Legend hit – maybe one of his most famous and well-known. It graced the hit radio stations for months and got stuck in the heads of many, many, people at some point in time. However, here we have something different. Bogomolny captures the style of Legend in this cover of “All of Me,” but adds his own style to deepen the experience of a piano cover of a pop song. The emotion from the original lyrics sings through his hands, and tells its own story of the overwhelming pain of love – all vibrating up from the keys.

If that was not enough, take a look at one more great cover by David Galvan. He covers Drake’s “Too Good,” but takes it to a whole new level. Not only does he radiate Drake’s sounds, but he adds a completely new dimension only achievable by closely examining the melody on piano. Listen as he, like in the other videos, manages to sing the lyrics through his emotive playing and passionate rhythmic precision.

If you enjoyed that or are interested in more of their works, please check out both David and Michael on Gigmor. Hopefully you got a small taste of the world of pop music brought down to basics by some sweet, simple strokes of the keys.

Spotlight on JayLong, LA-Based Violinist and Producer

Meet Jonathan Long AKA JayLong. Jonathan is a songwriter, vocalist, violinist, guitarist, and the frontman for the Los Angles based band Vulpes. Vulpes enjoys playing all sorts of music ranging from indie rock to R&B and hip-hop to electronic. Long has been playing violin since the age of five and does not plan on stopping any time soon. He has been playing for almost twenty years. Long also has a degree in Music Education and Music Performance from Xavier University and tends to focus on the “purpose” within music. According to Long his life is centered around that purpose.

Vulpes is actively looking to play shows so make sure to reach out to JayLong on Gigmor. They have a ton of work on the page including really great covers of massive pop hits like Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and Sam Smith & Disclosure’s “Latch”.

JayLong is a self taught producer. He taught himself how to use ProTools and is classically trained in violin as well as the art of acting– talk about multi-talented. With so many different influences, there is no wonder Long aims to create a fusion of as many genres as possible. For example, Vulpes would play live jazz while using 90’s hip-hop samples and a heavily syncopated dubstep bass in the background. Jonathan isn’t looking to find a specific sound, but instead a language that he can communicate through. He really seems like he’s going places between his smooth voice, talent on multiple instruments, and all of his production experience. Make sure to check out his Gigmor page and give him a follow!

Written by Gigmor guest blogger: Ari Kapner