Her Name Is Jerzy Jung

During the summer of 2008 I was living with my former husband and his daughter.  My 25-year-old son was visiting for a few weeks that summer and I was happy to see him and even happier to entertain him. We went out at night, watched movies together and just had an overall great time together. 

We were looking for something to do on a particular warm Saturday night.  I had heard through the family grapevine, that my nephew, Mike Askin was playing lead guitar with a band named Divine Sign at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ.   I had already done a sneak peak of their music on YouTube and liked it very much. I consider Mike an extraordinary guitarist, singer and song writer.  I love live music, hadn’t seen Mike play in a few years and thought it would be nice for my son to see his cousin.

 I talked everyone into it. Asbury Park is about one and one half hours from where we lived outside of Allentown, PA.  We piled into the car and headed out onto Interstate 78 East.  With the help of my printed Google directions, we found the place.  We arrived early.

I do not know my way around New Jersey.  We were able to find The Saint.  We were early.  We grabbed something to eat from a nearby food vendor and I sat with my family on a bench outside of the venue.  The distinct scent of the ocean being nearby gave me a sense of calm and peace.  I'm always at my best when I am near an ocean.

After a while we decided it was an appropriate time to head into the club.  We found a table in the back of the floor, but it was at a nice elevation so we could see the band. 

I saw Mike on the stage setting up some equipment and walked over to him to give him a hug. He is just about the sweetest young, well mannered guy and he thanked me for coming.  I told him how much I had enjoyed Divine Sign’s cover of Jolene and how I thought the version they did started with an excellent combination of Mike on the electric guitar and the acoustic guitarist whom I did not know.  I asked him if I could meet some of the band members. He brought the band's acoustic guitarist up to our table to meet us. Her name was Lindsey and she had a quick wit and positive air about her.  She smiled as she was introduced to all of us. I liked her immediately and looked forward to hearing her play.

 As the crowd poured in, I saw my sister Elizabeth, whom we call Jibs with her husband Richard.  They too had come to see their son play that night.  We caught eyes and waved to each other.  The bands were coming on and I would say hi to them later. 

The stage was set up for a full band.  A young woman with long light brown hair and perfectly applied makeup stepped up to a Korg electric keyboard and the night was fired up with the opening act and her band.  I had no idea who she was.

My son gets a bit overwhelmed in a crowded situation and he went outside for some air.  I was not there for the opening act, so out of concern for him, I went outside behind him. I had no idea what I was missing. We were talking for a few minutes when my husband came out and said, "Jo, you really need to see this girl who is playing.  She is really good!"  I left my son, went back into the club, took my seat and watched the performer. Who is she?

She looked normal. When I say “normal” it’s because I either cringe or laugh at the changes the record industry demands of those who become famous.  I once saw an old video of Lady Gaga playing the song Dyer Maker by Led Zeppelin at The Bitter End.  She looked “normal” during that video. She doesn't look "normal" anymore.

Some of these young up and coming stars have the guts to fight the record company demands off, and some do not. One of my favorite singers, Alecia Moore, AKA P!nk is one who refuses to be anything fake. I think that is part of why I like her so much. Yet for the most part, these talented people give in.  Sex and controversy sells. So they wear something that looks like a diaper with the old cone shaped bra that Madonna made famous in the 90’s, or possibly a freaking meat suit to gain attention and sell records.

(That meat suit really grossed me out. I was watching the awards when Lady Gaga stepped up to the stage to claim her award wearing that thing and my drink of Ginger Ale came out of my nose.)

I watched this singer, whom I never had the pleasure of hearing, play on the small stage in a crowed club.  She banged on the piano with her band backing her up and sang with a voice that seemed to come from somewhere extremely deep inside of her.  She was the real deal.  There was nothing fake about her.

 Each movement her body made was in perfect pulse with the music she was playing.  She was singing from her deep down inside of her soul.  Her moves were not practiced routines.  She just stirred gently in perfect synchronicity with every key she played, every beat of the drum and each chord of the electric guitar.  She made a perfect segues from medium beat style songs, to more upbeat songs and back to one of her superlative ballads. No doubt this woman sang with passion.  Her stage presence was awesome. Her tone and pitch were perfect and her music was original.  Clearly music was the one and only artistic outlet that she wanted in her life.

My first passion is writing, but music come in as a close second.  I consider them both to be a form of art and as with all art, the total picture comes together by way of the perfect combination of talent, passion and, in the case of a musical band, chemistry there are no mistakes.  There are no coincidences.  

I was hooked.  She finished her set and as the applause rose, she humbly said through the microphone, "thanks for coming.  I'm Jerzy Jung."   A tall man stood up in the crowd. It was her father yelling, "CD's for $5.00," while laughing at the same time.  One could not help but see the pride of this man.  I bought two of them that night. 

I took them home, gave one to a friend and listened to the short list of songs on the CD for myself.  I heard lovely piano, incredible soft sound effects that sounded like birds fluttering and chirping, lyrics that made me smile and cry at the same time, and I knew I had encountered artistic brilliance.

Her name is Jerzy Jung.  Stage name?  Everyone thinks that.  No.  I heard somewhere that her father saw the name on a billboard and decided to name his daughter Jerzy; a beautiful name for an incredibly talented, soulful, thought-provoking lady who has as much radiance on the inside as she does on the outside.

Jerzy is involved with many projects.  She's writing, working with Joseph Gordon-Levitt on HitRecord (Pivot TV), doing collaborations with other artists, recording and taking acting classes.  She's grown since 2008. I hear her voice, lyrics and music production becoming more and more powerful, yet strangely, she seems to be the same person I saw in 2008. 

If someone has reached the status of complete brilliance is there room for improvement? I never thought so, but I’ve changed my mind.

Jerzy Jung is testing different styles of music; trying on different hats.  She's clearly enjoying the work she does.  When she sings, her face seems to smile while she’s belting out her song, The Anchor, even though it’s a sad song about addiction.  While she smiles, she continues to sing with a burning zealous echo of lovely lyrics that the average singer could never squeeze into one breath.

Her music is written from love, hope and positive energy and that is exactly what one feels when listening to her work.  Jerzy is always able to combine what is inside of her soul with the exact music needed for any particular project.

My absolute favorite song that she has recorded is called Virginia.  I love that song, not so much because the lyrics are of genius level, but more because when I hear the range she puts out it makes me feel good.  I sent a friend of mine, an ex-military man in South Carolina the link to Jerzy singing "As Tears Go By," at the British Invasion show in NJ this past February.  He responded with one word.  "Chills."

You can download her work on many websites, including the very popular and hassle free Reverb.: Buy Jerzy Jung Music

Our world can be a sad place to be.  Many people do not love themselves the way they deserve to. Many are stuck in the throws of poverty, racism, sickness, criticism, judgment and fear.  Jerzy Jung’s music takes those demons away. How does she do it?  I have no idea, but I do know this; the world needs all the Jerzy Jungs we can get right now. 

........Joanne Moore