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I have been in my downtown Toronto Artscape artist loft for nearly 6 years.

This past weekend I added some finishing touches. I have finally reached a point where I cannot think of anything I would change or that “needs” doing.

The space reflects me completely; knowing I am the only one to ever live in it adds to the “mine” of it all.

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Jef Kearns’ new single “Soulscape” comes off the heels of the R&B flautist being featured in XXL (Hip Hop at a Higher Level) Magazine’s top 20 Hip Hop Covers on Instruments, and inclusion of original composition “Jazz Addiction” on Spotify’s official Smooth Jazz Ride playlist.

Recorded and composed live in the studio, Soulscape is a jazz-meets-hip-hop instrumental which could be likened to the darker, more sensual brother of George Benson’s “Breezin’.”

Soulscape is set to hit all major streaming and retail platforms on November 17, 2017.

Song credits
Written by J. Kearns/D. Cowans/A. Lewis
Keys: Daniel Cowans
Bass: Anthony Lewis
Drum programming: Timian
Mixed by Douglas Romanow
Mastered by Chris Gehringer (Sterling Sound)

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Honoured to be included on the “Smooth Ride” Spotify Playlist along with so many talented artists!

My single “Jazz Addiction” released in 2015, has proven to be enjoyed by a wide audience, crossing a number of genres and one of my favourite tracks to play live.

Currently followed by almost 19,000 listeners, with over 71 songs, The Smooth Ride playlist is sure to become your very own Spotify “Jazz Addiction”!

Click here to listen, follow and share this Spotify playlist!  Thank you for listening — I value and appreciate your support, jazz fans!

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I had a bad experience getting my first album mastered.  I did a few things correctly but made a few mistakes that could have prevented me wasting a thousand dollars having to get it mastered again by someone else.  I’m not saying I chose a bad engineer in the first place, I just didn’t pick the one who was right for my music.

With this blog entry I am going to get into what mastering is and does, how to prepare your track for mastering, and how to pick the right mastering engineer.
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One of the most important things you can do as an artist is to have your own domain name. Even if it simply forwards to a WordPress site in which you make a basic layout with sections on where to buy your music, how to book you, videos, and updates. If you ever move your page it is much easier to bring your fans with you if they don’t have to type or remember a new address. It is also easier to remember and type something like jefkearns.com as opposed to jefkearns.wordpress.com

If you not technologically adept enough to create a simple layout as mentioned above have a friend do it.

Now onto what this article is about: how to increase traffic and interest in your website through YouTube. Continue reading →

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I went with a friend to see a documentary, Searching for Sugar Man, last night. The small description in the paper intrigued her. A Detroit musician in the 1970s named Rodriguez, who released a couple of albums that did nothing in North America (but unbeknownst to him was selling as big as Bob Dylan in South Africa and practically the soundtrack to Apartheid.)

He disappeared after his second (what he thought to be unsuccessful) album didn’t do anything, and rumors in South Africa circulated that he shot himself on stage, or set himself on fire and died on stage after a series of bad happenings at a concert (sound issues, heckling etc.) It is really quite an interesting and inspiring documentary. Continue reading →