by Angelika Petrich-Hornetz and Carol Stocks
A brief interview on the sweet side of life: American jazz vocalist Heidi Martin is well known in the US and her latest CD "Hide" has received wide acclaim.
She performs to sell-out audiences in and around Washington, where she also lives. Her love affair with jazz began after seeing Shirley Horn perform live in concert.
Wirtschaftswetter: Ms Martin, what does the expression 'La Dolce Vita' mean to you?
Heidi Martin: The something life - I don't know what Dolce is. Italian?
Wirtschaftswetter: What role does happiness play in your life?
Heidi Martin : I think I crave happiness. It's a bit elusive. But if I get really worked up, stressed out and then let go - there it is. Right there. Soft and quiet, making me laugh.
Wirtschaftswetter: How you do balance the sweet with the serious in life?
Heidi Martin : Serious makes me happy. I don't trust frivolous. I don't trust illusions or thoughtless independent wild running away. I have done that and experienced the journey and what it produces. Or maybe it just ran through me till I had enough. I am not saying it is bad or shouldn't exist for anyone else, it just isn't what I want to experience or have to balance out anymore.
How do I balance sweet with the serious? I probably don't feel that in control to actually choose measurements of these things in my life, maybe what I was saying before is serious is just where I am now. I recently gave birth to two beautiful boys and share my life with their father. That is a sweet serious at the same time. They co-exist. But of course the changes you solo through to try to keep that balance is hard and I only lately have seen that if I am balanced within or calm, even... not so reactionary, maybe open is what I mean - if I don't get stuck to the challenging moods of the boys or my husband than I can be more present for them and not so worn out. But I have learned my happiness is sometimes very connected to how they feel in each moment or the moments they share with me.
I am an only child and I think I for a long time was the only joy for my mom. She was quite sad in her marriage and my father was basically just sad in his life.
So this experience of being someone's happiness I struggle to let go and be ok with shared life instead of constant shared giver of happiness to everyone around me. Mother energy is more than just in the moment mood lifting. It's long term, it's the constant deeper love supportive of another in their searching or their various levels of becoming aware of themselves. Or levels of becoming more fully capable of loving themselves and their world. My mother as she grew out of her marriage struggled with so many things. She never quit and never chose less than love for herself and me. That has had the greatest of all effects on me. My father spiraled down into no self awareness, greed, prejudice and hatred of himself and his world. By the time I was 15 he was going through trials and was then incarcerated. He would stay there for the rest of his life till his death in '03.
Wirtschaftswetter: What do you perceive to be the most pressing problem in the world today?
Heidi Martin: Lack of self awareness.
We give off the responsibility to love ourselves more if we think our problems lie in other people, things or cultures, religions. Lack of love. You are either loving or you're not. Don't break it down to some lack of what someone or something is capable of being. Or maybe their not being in terms of not being less frightening to us. Folks don't even know what our personal shopping lists are of each other - how can we think of each other as offensive if we don't even know each other and why we do things. Basically fear or trying to reflect we aren't afraid.
Also lack of time, this is the culprit. If we had more time we could pay more attention. Our minds are on to the next in each fast paced moment. You have to scale down these days and keep what is true around you.
Wirtschaftswetter: Would you like to pass on your personal tip on getting the most out of life?
Heidi Martin: Scale down in terms of attention. I keep it to the things I love: my man, our sons, myself, music, art and conversations with close friends.
Wirtschaftswetter: Say on what to eat or drink, where to go or what to see?
Heidi Martin: Nature, organic food. Less caffeine, but that's just me. Hell, I wouldn't mind a nice '74 Rothschild if I could afford it.
2005-11-09 by Angelika Petrich-Hornetz + Heid Martin + Carol Stocks, Wirtschaftswetter
Text: © Angelika Petrich-Hornetz
Lektorat: Carol Stocks
Fotos: © Andre
Banner: © Angelika Petrich-Hornetz
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