Meet Jessy Greene | Violinist, Musician & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessy Greene and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessy, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I am happy to say I find my current natural state to be that of happiness or rather a feeling nothing is missing. After many years of crushing disappointment chasing after what I thought would make me happy, mainly lovers and drugs, I gave up. I stopped running from my mind and began to analyze the thought process that would cause one to make such bad decisions in the hopes of finding happiness. I spun around for a few years, devouring books and lectures from philosophers, scientists, religious leaders and great thinkers. I discovered moving my body can be a direct path out of suffering. Yoga, dance, meditation, healing music, walks in nature and bike rides, all illuminate a deep sense of well being and joy in me, enough so I now do at least one of them daily. I can say in this moment, I’m pretty darn happy. The world around me takes my breath away every day. I love my dog. I love my amazing friends and where I live. I am so grateful to do what I do. I love creating music.. I appreciate the freedom from feeling like I have to have, do or be something/someone to be happy. I am happy, just to be here in this place and time to experience another day!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Who am I? What does it mean to be a musician? Who exactly is drawing the bow across my violin strings? Is it the same “me” who at four years old drew a bow across strings for the first time? Questions like these have fueled my creativity for many years and led me down an incredible path of self inquiry. Whether I am playing a stadium or soundbath my intentions are the same. To lose myself. To channel pure positive energy and light. To become one with the other players and participants. The story of Jessy, the individual, disappears to reveal a collective field of endless potential. This is where I can tune in and enter the zone, often knowing what is going to happen before it happens. Improvisation becomes a doorway to intense feelings of connection and knowing we are all just playing our part in a cosmic infinite orchestra of consciousness.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If they ride bicycles I would take them on a beach cruise along the beautiful Pacific Ocean to the Pacific Palisades where there is a sweet beach we can play frisbee and have an amazing view of the sunset. Another great day ride is the southern bike path to Redondo Beach with a ride around gorgeous Marina del Rey. I would take them to the wonderful local farmers markets, there is one in Venice on Friday mornings 7am to 11am and a bigger one in Santa Monica on Wednesday 8am-1pm.
The Butcher’s Daughter is one of my favorite restaurants on Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice as well as Great White Cafe, right under the famous Venice sign, a block from the boardwalk and beach..
For later night fun I’d take them to the Winston House right next to the beach in Venice or venture to Hollywood and go to The Warwick on Sunset Blvd.
There are also amazing hikes in the mountains with epic views along the ocean, my favorite is Los Liones Trail, off Sunset Blvd. just up the hill from Pacific Coast Highway.
Griffith Park trails are fantastic as well and the observatory is fun to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Coming from a tiny east coast town with few family ties I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the support, mentorship, love and encouragement of so many incredible people! The list is so long. Honestly, I feel my being-ness expand with all interactions and experiences, the good and the bad. All are opportunities for growth and inspiration to continue forward. One standout relationship that has endured the jungles of time and space and immensely contributed to my individual story is my friendship with Rami Jaffee.

I met Rami years ago when I was barely 20 years old and just beginning to perform live as a contemporary violinist. I believe the first time we met was at the Viper Room on Sunset in Hollywood, where I was mesmerized by his powerful stage presence and incredible talent at the keyboards. We ran into each other again at a Soul Asylum session at Sunset Sound, an incredible studio in Hollywood, where our combined role was to add sparkle and shine to the track. It was an amazing session and I felt like I had found my musical twin. We began to play and record together live and in the studio with many incredible artist and bands. A few years later Rami was playing with the Foo Fighters and invited me to a show. Six months after that he called and asked if I wanted to go on tour with them, one of the most memorable calls of my life!

This event is not the reason I chose Rami as the person I dedicate this shoutout to however, the most powerful tool I learned and continue to learn from Rami is how to control the mind. The ability to overcome self doubt and esteem issues enough to believe in yourself and live in the moment with intense passion, unattached to the outcome. I continue to learn this by witnessing Rami’s overflowing enthusiasm for whatever project he is working on at the moment, as well as the great affection for those he is working with. Living true to his belief that what he is doing is the best thing for him to be doing in that moment.

When I handed him my first solo cd back in 2003, I presented it shyly, with trepidation, indicating it might not be very good. And although he called me later freaking out about how much he loved it he also said, “it doesn’t matter what I think though, if you don’t believe in yourself, if you don’t like what you produce, no one else will either.”

We all have our struggles and experience trauma in this life and while both Rami and I have been extremely blessed with our musical careers we have also had a lot of difficulties and challenges on and off the road. Many years ago, in different ways, we began the journey within to find solace. This inward path united around music. I studied the science of sound and frequencies at UCLA and began applying different modalities to create ambient, healing music and Rami quickly became my main co-creator. We began to create peace for ourselves, using the music to relax and sleep, as non-drug and alcohol alternatives to escape the constant chatter of the mind and for general well being. It worked so well we began to give the music to our friends. We are now donating all proceeds from our upcoming release Chakras Lumina to benefit mental health. We are also performing small ambient healing concerts locally. We both find deep joy in creating space for healing. Turning down the volume and tuning in to the sound waves of energy in fields of consciousness we are all a part of and eternally connected to.

Website: https://www.jessygreenemusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessygreene/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessy-greene-564aa152/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessyGreene/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JessyGreene

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1eIBX7BzV3St1mpWKXxqfN https://linktr.ee/admin jessygreene

Image Credits
Kristin Burns http://kristinburns.com https://www.instagram.com/kristingram/?hl=en