J.Scales is an artist whose creative and performance skills span a broad range of styles and media. One of Washington, DC's most versatile bass players, J. has performed with acts ranging from the Temptations Review and the Jewels to Daughters of the cipHer (featuring Toni Blackman), a hip-hop performance-art group of which J.was an integral part. In demand as both a back-up musician and soloist, J. has also played with LadyRhythm, a popular DC-area band that plays R&B, pop, soul, and rock. She also leads her own jazz & pop group, The J.Scales Project, which premiered at the 9th Annual HRC Dinner, and has also performed at V.I.P. receptions given by the Whitman-Walker Clinic. A well-known presence in the LGBT community, J.Scales' work as a composer, lyricist, poet and vocalist offers a singular perspective in a unique and identifiable voice. (Her composition, "Maybe She Thought", has become something of an anthem among 30-something lesbians.) She regularly presents her poetry at Mothertongue, the monthly spoken-word performance at The Black Cat, as well as Women in the Life poetry readings and events. She was also a featured performer at the 2005 Dyke March during DC's annual Gay Pride festivities. She recently recorded a sampler of original pieces titled "ohm". Always conscious of her roots, J.Scales is also a percussionist of distinction on African drums, performing as a member of the Soul in Motion Players, a respected dance & percussion troupe based in Washington, DC. Her understanding of the many permutations of the music of the African Diaspora has also won J. a place in Washington's hip-hop community, where J. produces the beats and writes the rhymes that other performers have honored by adding J. to their mix. Most recently, Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston included J. performing a brand-name J.Scales rap on Ami's Wammie Award-winning album, "Mosaic". J.Scales originally hails from upstate New York. She was lured to Washington, DC to attend Howard University, from which she earned a degree in African-American Studies. There, she found her voice as an artist. The venues and festivals that J. has played range from small clubs to concert halls, including the Kennedy Center, the Carter Barron, the Merriweather Post Pavillion, the 9:30 Club, and, in New Orleans, the House of Blues, as well as New York University's Merkin Concert Hall. Festivals at which she has been featured include the Lilith Fair, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and Baltimore's Artscape, among others. Her love of dance has led J. to work with a number of choreographers, including her musical performance in the theatrical piece, "No Less Black", written by choreographer Gesel Mason, and performed at the Kennedy Center. J. has also recorded with a number of artists, including the New Orleans women's group, Zion Trinity. J.Scales is available for bookings both in and outside the Washington, DC area.