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- We’re very happy to have some time today with acclaimed jazz vocalist and community artist Patrisha Thomson; greetings and salutations Patrisha and welcome to Vents Magazine! Before we meander down the Q&A music pathway, how is the latter-part of 2024 treating you and yours?
Patrisha: Thank you for the invitation! This part of 2024 has been very eventful and demanding! I’m recording my third album, set to release in November, while also working on a timely project called ImagineAndUplift.com. It’s a positive initiative aimed at providing a positive point of view of dialogue and a society that works together to build dialogue in our society. and I feel an urgency to launch its this website during this election period. It is a critical time for establishing our future and coming together for healthy goals.
- Major kudos and accolades on the launching of your Imagine & Uplift campaign! Starting at the top, can you explain to readers what Imagine & Uplift is all about and what inspired its creation?
Patrisha: Imagine & Uplift is a nonpartisan art and music website that promotes civic engagement, inspired by John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” Like Lennon’s iconic song, which envisions a world of unity, hope, and compassion, Imagine & Uplift aims to unite Americans around these ideals and provide nonpartisan ways to take action during this critical 2024 election year. The website, ImagineAndUplift.com, features a version of “Imagine” performed by six singer, including myself, all of different racial backgrounds. The site also shares resources for people to take civic action now, including how to register to vote, develop media literacy, and engage with their communities.
This site includes art and writings from another website I created with several of my Integrative Art students some years ago. It speaks to the same concepts as Imagine, with art and evocative writings.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit just as we were finishing the recording sessions for my previous album. It was March 19, 2020, and that night the U.S. shut down, making everything very real. I immediately wanted to cover Lennon’s “Imagine.” Then, after George Floyd’s tragic death, I felt that a multiracial version of the song was needed. The talented singers and video editor I met helped bring this song to life.
Investing so much energy into the song showed me how much it meant to me. I felt that our rendition of “Imagine” should be out in the world as a resource to inspire racial unity and serve as an example of dialogue and collaboration. The climate of conflict and violence in our society led to the creation of Imagine & Uplift, in collaboration with marketing expert Bao Vo.
Change requires people stepping up, and this election year, I wanted to contribute a positive, creative force. Now, people can visit ImagineAndUplift.com to share their thoughts as well.
- In an era heightened by partisan politics, where neighbors and family seem more divided than ever, do you feel as if Imagine & Uplift is an especially important concept to explore and put into action?
Patrisha: Absolutely. It’s a “now” thing, and it’s urgently needed. Some people knock on doors, donate to causes, or attend events. Imagine & Uplift is my way of contributing. My goal, working with a team, is to get the website up and out to as many people as possible to help remind us of the optimistic world we want to live in.
- Have you been surprised by the extremely positive response to the Imagine & Uplift campaign? Does it sort of give you hope that we’re not too far down the rabbit hole yet?
Patrisha: It touches me deeply when someone says, “This is how I feel, but I’ve been caught up in an environment that’s the opposite.” When people from different walks of life say, “This meant so much to me,” it does give me hope. There’s still work to be done. The music video for “Imagine” is at the heart of the project, and, as I mentioned above, it connects with another project of mine, CreateABridge.org, which features art and poetry by adult students I’ve taught had the pleasure of working with. I realized that the Imagine & Uplift website could also share poems and writings with similar themes, so the two projects can reinforce each other.
One of the quotes on CreateABridge.org is “Be the change you want to see in the world,” attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The goal is to inspire positivity, even in challenging times. Not to walk away in such times, but to use the challenges to grow oneself while healing our society.
- At the heart of this nonpartisan project which is Imagine & Uplift is your own contemporary take on John Lennon’s timeless anthem, Imagine and refurbished title-wise as Imagine A Better World. This new take is performed by a diverse group of musicians spanning different races and generations. What was it like for you as a music artist to tackle such a revered evergreen as Lennon’s Imagine?
Patrisha: That’s a lovely way of asking the question. I didn’t question it. It felt natural to me. I’m sure John and Yoko would love it, and I hope she sees it. Everyone involved in the project, including my arranger Steve Rawlins, felt the same way—there was no hesitation.
There’s another version of “Imagine” sponsored by UNICEF, featuring children from different races around the world. That was a model for us. Our take was deliberately united, even though it was filmed during COVID. We made the decision to show our images together to convey a sense of unity.
- Can you introduce our ever-inquisitive reading audience to the talented musicians who lent their own musical wares to Imagine A Better World?
Patrisha: The first people I invited were Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu, known as Only Won. They created a PBS documentary called Far East Deep South aboutBaldwin’s ancestry’s immigration to Mississippi from China. Larissa and Baldwin have been touring the film around the country to share their story and to encourage others to explore their own histories. We share a special bond because my own great-grandparents traveled to China in 1886 as medical missionaries. I’m part of the organization they helped to found, the China Society of Southern California.
The other singers are also engaged in special projects. Chloé Vaught is mixed-race, a young, talented singer. She was a graduate student at the time. Now, she’s dedicated to bringing diverse genres of music to her generation. Gitanjali Jain, of Mexican and East Indian descent, is gifted in various performing arts and music. Ray Davis, a wonderful African-American singer from my spiritual community, brought a beautiful spirit to the song.
And then, of course, there’s me!
- What can anyone inspired by your message of working together via Imagine & Uplift do independently and of their own volition in spreading a message and spirit of unity?
Patrisha: I hope they stay the course and take meaningful action. Everyone has their own way of finding support for their inner world and gaining the encouragement they need to pursue their goals. Some people may feel discouraged or want to disengage, but I hope to set an example that keeps them connected.
There’s a Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times,” often considered a curse. I’d like to reframe that positively and challenge people to make these interesting times better in any way they can.
- Looking ahead, will Imagine & Uplift be an ongoing concern for you, or is it meant to be an active thing only for this election cycle?
Patrisha: It’s a “now” project for this election cycle, but it will continue beyond that. Even with the presidential candidate I plan to support, there are policies I don’t agree with, and it takes conscious effort to speak up and add value to the world. We need to keep doing meaningful work. It’s urgent to remind ourselves of the qualities we want to maintain and develop—and that takes time.
- Outside of your efforts on Imagine & Uplift, can you give readers a hint or three as to what else you have coming up as far as your music goes?
Patrisha: I’m currently in the studio recording my third album, with Steve Rawlins as Music Director. It doesn’t have a title yet, but it includes some songs along the lines of the goals we are discussing and very special standards I’ve always loved.
I’m doing “Fascinating Rhythm” because it brings me life, and it’s important to do things that give you joy and purpose. Another song, “You Taught My Heart to Sing” by McCoy Tyner, expresses gratitude for the people in my life who’ve helped me pursue my passion for singing. I’m also doing “Doodlin’,” a fun duet that’s typically performed for the audience, but I see it as a playful conversation between a man and a woman.
Our first single, “If It’s Magic” by Stevie Wonder, will be released in early October. It’s a duet, which is a unique take on the song. For those who would like to attend a live concert, our album release party will be on November 2nd at The Gardenia on Santa Monica Blvd.
I need to be singing, and I plan to do more collaborative work.
- Any final thoughts you might like to share about Imagine & Uplift?
Patrisha: I’d love for people to visit ImagineAndUplift.com. The first thing they’ll see is the joyful video of the six of us singing. We want to show that it’s possible to live in a society we can all be proud of. We also offer some nonpartisan resources, and visitors can enjoy poems from our Create A Bridge project. It’s crucial to present a positive society as normal—and that’s what this website aims to do. Your individual actions can make a difference.
Thank you for this opportunity to share ImagineAndUplift.com!
