In Pursuit of a Melody

About the Book

In a 30-year span, jazz vocalist and composer Joan Cartwright has become a Diva in her own right. She's toured in 15 countries and has written over 60 songs. She produced both of her recordings, Feelin' Good and In Pursuit Of A Melody.

With her daughter, Mimi Johnson of Caustic Dames, Joan is bridging the gap between the generations with Jazz Meets Hip-hop. Among her accomplishments as an entrepreneur, Joan has been a newspaper columnist, radio DJ, festival producer of Women in Jazz, a website designer for herself, Caustic Dames and an array of musicians, fine artists and entrepreneurs.

Her claim to fame is that she is the only composer in the Freddie Hubbard Song Book, which includes her composition, Sweet Return. Joan has rubbed shoulders with the greatest jazz artists in the world, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter and McCoy Tyner.

She and her daughter own a recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia, where they produce jazz, blues, hiphop, spoken word and cable television specials. Semi-retired, Joan performs at Ellington's Jazz Bar and Restaurant on Sanibel Island, Florida, one weekend a month. Her book is a memoir of tours in Europe and the music she's written over the years.

About the Author

Diva Joan Cartwright is a Sagittarian from New York City has a B.A. in Communications and Music from LaSalle University, (Philadelphia) and a Master's in Communications from Florida Atlantic University. Joan studied piano, composition and theory with pianist Gerald Price, and harp with Caliope Proios. She also studied ballet and modern dance with Bernice Johnson and Lavern Porter, and African dance with Dinizulu.

She's performed on television, radio and on stage at the Blue Note (NYC), The "A" Train and Erny's (Delray Beach), O'Hara's, Promenade and Riverwalk Sunday Jazz Brunch (Fort Lauderdale). She performs at Ellington's (Sanibel Island, FL) and has performed at JAZID (Miami Beach) in the U.S., and in eight European countries. She is the recipient of a three SEAS Grant (1999-2001) for her presentation of WOMEN IN JAZZ at elementary schools in Broward County, Florida, to over 5,000 children and college students.