Pictured above: Jennifer Salima Holt plays violin to her sacred chant, "E Kala Mai," with back up vocalists Kerri Anne Lablang, Jenny Johnston, Katherine Woodward (unseen) and Pooki Lee, for thousands of spiritual seekers at the Agape International Spiritual Center, Los Angeles, California, August 9th, 2009.

Musician/multimedia artist Jennifer Salima Holt has a three-decade musical journey that includes performing at top venues in cities across the United States (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC), and praise in a wide variety of media (New York Times, Spin Magazine, London’s New Music Express, NPR’s “All Things Considered”, Musician Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Village Voice). Jennifer, a Sufi Music Minister, has released several musical and video projects, most recently the CD, Ecstatic Groove: Sacred World Chant Infusions (Salima’s Whirled Peas, 2009). The CD includes unique fusions of chants from many spiritual lineages. Her musical mission is to create bridges of compassion and understanding across all world cultures. 

 

Jennifer’s current multimedia project, “Songs and Stories of Light, Love and Liberation” features vocals, violin, spoken word and photography, telling the stories of individuals who found themselves literally imprisoned, yet who eventually attained permanent states of enlightenment. Jennifer notes, “If prisoners are able to wake up, why can’t we? If not now, when?” In this performance piece, Jennifer performs world chant and kirtan (audience sing-along) and plays the violin, accompanied by performance tracks from her CD, Ecstatic Groove: Sacred World Chant Infusions. A stunning visual dimension is created with dozens of photographic images illustrating the story of each song. “Kyrie Karuna,” a song of compassion and mercy, combines an ancient Gregorian chant with a Tibetan Buddhist chant. See it on Youtube.com

(please be patient, it takes a minute to load and is well worth it).

In the current season, 2009-2010, Jennifer is performing at venues across the country. She recently premiered "Songs and Stories of Light, Love and Liberation" at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota in February, 2010 and received a standing ovation. Jim Gilmore-Tree, a Cherokee elder who provided an opening ceremony as guardian of the internationally recognized United Nations Turtle Pipe, notes, "There wasn't a dry eye in the house--even the men were crying." Jennifer performs frequently at Michael Bernard Beckwith’s Agape International Spiritual Center in August 2009, receiving standing ovations consistently. She has been the solo musical inspiration several times at Agape, one of the largest “new thought” spiritual centers in the United States which is known for its diversity and support of all cultures, including the LGBTQ community. She has been given the personal endorsement of Rev. Beckwith as a national speaker and singer. Return performances at Agape have just been scheduled for Sunday, May 16 and Wednesday, June 30, 2010. She has sung for Marianne Williamson’s public lectures in Los Angeles, and performs with Sufi gatherings, including with Sufi band, Ishq, and at the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism. She has performances coming up at Gateways Bookstore, May 2010 and Inner Light Spiritual Center, November 2010 (both in Santa Cruz, CA), and the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living, August 2010 (Oakland, CA). Her multimedia performance is available for groups in a large variety of venues, including bookstores, prisons, nursing homes, community centers and schools. Jennifer is committed to bringing this work to as many venues and locations around the world as possible, and for nonprofits, she charges a minimal fee to do so.

 

Jennifer's Musical Journey through Time

In the 1980’s, Jennifer attained national prominence with her musical project, Tetes Noires, a feminist punk folk band that released three musical recordings including a CD produced by the Violent Femmes (Clayfoot Gods, Rounder Records, 1987). Clayfoot Gods was chosen by The Miami Herald as one of the Top Ten Releases of 1987. Rave reviews for Tetes Noires include The Village Voice, The New York Times, Spin Magazine, London’s New Music Express, The Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Musician Magazine, Boston Phoenix, and the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Her original song, “Lucky Girl,” a crowd favorite, was made into a garage video that is currently available on youtube.com. Dig the crazy clothes, hair and make-up on those gals!

 

As the leader of Tetes Noires, Jennifer ‘bucked the system,’ and took many risks, independently producing the band’s first two records (“Tetes Noires” EP and American Dream LP, Rapunzel Records). She personally booked nationwide tours for the band and eventually Tetes Noires was picked up by a major New York booking agency, touring with internationally known bands such as 10,000 Maniacs, Violent Femmes and Talking Heads.

 

After the demise of Tetes Noires, Jennifer continued to expand her musical repertoire. She received numerous grants as a composer from such sources as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota Composer’s Forum and the Minnesota State Arts Board. The grants supported the creation and installation of “Vocalmotion,” Jennifer’s unusual performance art project combining primitive vocalizations with choreographed movement similar to the work of Meredith Monk. “Came to Believe,” which features Jennifer’s voice in an original, four-part a cappella chant, was featured in the film, Steps One, Two and Three for Young People, released by the Hazelden Foundation in 1990. Her “Affirmation Song” (1989) video extols the power of positive thinking and loving ourselves, and is available on youtube.com.

 

Jennifer moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles in 1990, where her musical focus shifted to a more spiritual approach. She was a soloist at the Agape International Center of Truth several times, as well as for Marianne Williamson’s public lectures. She performed in top L.A. acoustic clubs including At My Place in Santa Monica, Hollywood’s Café Largo and the Ghengis Cohen Cantina. Jennifer has also been a featured performer and workshop leader at music festivals across the country. The video, “Rain Dreaming,” a song written with the help of guitarist Jan Marra in 1990, encourages us to walk through our grief and continue to love ourselves (available on youtube.com).

 

Jennifer worked as a professional vocal consultant for two decades, specializing in personal transformation and healing through the voice and throat chakra. She is also a harmonic toner and sound healer, who studied with a number of shamans and medicine people including Carlos Castaneda, the Arica School of Mysticism, and Dan Millman.

 

After a return to graduate school in 1995, Jennifer received her Doctoral Degree in Educational Psychology (University of Minnesota) with emphases on counseling and conflict resolution (2000). In 2007, she received a Masters in Sufi Ministerial Studies from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism (California). She is a grief and loss expert and author of the book, Sacred Gateway of Grief and Loss: Freeing the Imprisoned Soul (Indigo Heart Publishing, 2009), which chronicles her work as a grief and loss/sacred chant facilitator in women’s prisons. For several years, she worked as an Advice Expert on the Pat Miles Show of WCCO Radio, the largest radio station in the Midwest. Dr. Holt has taught psychology and sociology courses at a variety of universities, and has written a number of academic articles including “Culture, Gender, Organizational Role and Styles of Conflict Resolution,” International Journal of Intercultural Relations, and “Spiritual Wellness for Clients with HIV/AIDS,” Journal of Counseling and Development.