How nostalgia, musings, and melody have shaped my musicality (and playlist tastes).
I remember being in the garage with my dad as a little kid, watching him slowly walk over to the radio and turn up the volume on the song that was playing. It made me take note of the beautiful voice coming out of the speaker. It made me think that not only did my dad love the song, but it also held some memory for him. It was Dinah Washington, one of the most popular artists of the 1950s, singing “What A Difference A Day Makes.” My dad sang along, and I became captivated by Dinah’s voice; the song became a fond memory for me. It was my official introduction to and love for the ladies of jazz.
Juanita MORE!’s first time on stage performing “Such A Night” by Dinah Washinton at Lily’s on Market Street, 1993
The first number I ever performed was one of Miss Washington’s songs titled “Such A Night“. It was a bit of me remembering that moment in the garage with my dad. But I also believed that if I performed something I truly felt in my heart and soul, the audience would feel it too. I have performed so many of the songs on the playlist I created, which brought back so many memories of being on stage.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing so many of my jazz idols. And some have left some unforgettable memories. One of the first was Peggy Lee, whom I saw at the Fairmont Hotel, her head wrapped in a turban and her gown hitting the floor. I got chills when she started singing “Fever”, but I became completely mesmerized when she sang “Is That All There Is?”. Years later, I would get to see Glamamore lipsync that number to life.
Glamamore performing “Is That All There Is?” by Peggy Lee at The Strand Theater, 2017
I got to see Nancy Wilson at the Blue Note jazz club in Manhattan. She was the most impeccably dressed woman I have ever seen onstage — perfection from head to toe. I also got to see Sarah Vaughn there (twice), who I can still envision sitting on that stool in a yellow kaftan, eyes closed with the microphone at her chin, singing “On Green Dolphin Street.” I saw Ella Fitzgerald, late in her life, get walked center stage to the microphone at Bill Graham’s Civic Auditorium, and Nina Simone at Davies Symphony Hall, who demanded our love and wouldn’t begin another song until she felt she had received enough of it from the entire audience. At the Herbst Theater, in the middle of her set, Shirley Horn sat down at the piano and played “Estate (Summer)”, leaving my jaw on the floor at what an accomplished pianist she was. In 2007, I got to perform on that same stage and lipsynced a tribute to Etta James. I asked Anita O’Day after a performance at Kimball’s West to sign my paper cocktail napkin- she looked at me and rolled her eyes (and didn’t sign it). Etta James was historical magic for me at The Fillmore, and Etta Jones played with a jazz trio at the old bar Mecca on Market Street in the Castro, where a couple of my MOREboys worked.
I got to meet and become friends with award-winning pianist Tammy Hall, who has been active in the San Francisco jazz scene for over four decades. She surprised me during a show at the Great American Music Hall with a song she had composed for me titled “Juanita’s Blues”; needless to say, I was honored and blown away by the depth and love of that track-so much so that, along with the dispensary SPARC, we printed it onto vinyl.
Juanita MORE! & SPARC – The 7 Inch
San Francisco also got to hear Veronica Klaus, whose voice is the sound of jazz and blues. “Black Diamond Days” is an original song that Veronica wrote about her experience growing up in the small town of Gillespie, Illinois. I still hear it as an anthem for our trans siblings.
A dear San Francisco friend and jewelry designer, Matthew Swope (he created the necklace I wore to my annual Pride party this year), who understood my love of jazz, had this to say:
“Juanita’s viewpoint on choosing her musical numbers is her own. What drag queen working on the scene today chooses to lip-sync to an 8-minute version of “Mack the Knife” by Gloria Lynne? Who else does Etta James “Feeling Uneasy?” Juanita has an extremely tuned ear, sophisticated and luxe. She possesses a marvelous and rare appreciation for classic jazz and big-band tunes of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. Her musical tastes are refined and timeless; she loves bluesy, melodic jazz songs and is fearless about performing them before a jaded, drunken, rowdy crowd in a nightclub. I’ve witnessed her doing numbers that have silenced swaying, delirious, raving crowds of hundreds, leaving them stunned and moved. She loves the great ladies of song, and she has enormous respect for them. In some unfathomable way, by an unknown means of alchemy and a certain naivete, they have managed to live again in her.”
So, please enjoy “Ladies of Jazz”, 4 1/2-hour playlist of just a few of my favorite songs by some of the ladies of jazz.
Juanita MORE! is a denizen of the limelight. For almost three decades, the laudable hostess has blitzed San Francisco with high glamour, drag irreverence, and danceable beats that have illuminated the entire city. MORE! continues to be a heaping dollop of generosity and a sprinkle of nerve. She inspires those around her to make positive differences in their lives and communities — and doing it all with timeless elegance and an innovative spirit. Most recently, after her reign, Miss MORE! holds the title of Absolute Empress 56 of the Imperial Council of San Francisco –– one of the oldest non-profit organizations globally.
To date, MORE! has helped raise over 1 million dollars for local charities — among them GBLT Historical Society & Archives, Our Trans Youth, Q Foundation, Queer Lifespace, Transgender Law Center, and more. In addition, MORE! tirelessly fundraises for organizations in San Francisco that are adamant about helping communities in the seven-by-seven thrive, all while shining light and offering support to those who’ve been overlooked for far too long.
MORE! embodies what it means to be a conduit of connection. MORE!’ brings the people together to fundraise, celebrate community, and demand social change around San Francisco and elsewhere. Her culinary expressions are an extension of what mothers have been doing in their kitchens for generations — which, simply states, is sharing “loads of love.”
