Hi Gina ~
Yes... you're right that I'm sensitive, though I don't know that it would necessarily be overly, when someone says things about Anjani such as you have:
(1) If Anjani was not connected in any way to Leonard (ie, singing her own songs, with her own words), then her
fanbase/
those who bought her CDs would be
massively smaller,
even to the point of her
being obscure, I think.
~ For me, the exposure that Leonard's collaboration with Anjani has brought her is so much a given that it doesn't even bear mentioning in the context of what it would be for her without him, as the latter implies that her talent alone would certainly not have gotten her to where she is now... when, in fact,
anyone must become known through some means before their fan base can build and their CDs be bought. No one can buy a CD until they're aware of its existence. So, your making a point of this seems to come with negative intent, with words such as "massively," et al.
This is not to belittle her talents, as she is obviously talented, but she is not a stand-out artist unless she is a conduit for the work of Leonard, who IS a stand-out, in any capacity. I think fans of Leonard are kidding themselves if they thought they would still cross the country / globe for Anjani if she was completely seperate from Leonard.
~ When you comment that "she is not a stand-out artist unless she is a conduit for the work of Leonard," you
have belittled her talents. There are many, including the popular and famous, who have sung Leonard's songs and have not done rendered them with nearly the quality and expression that Anjani has... she is the one responsible for the melodies and arrangements of Leonard's song on "Blue Alert" and that fact goes into her own, talent column. If she were to perform songs of others, as many popular singers have done, she could easily do the very same thing every bit as effectively, which is also a fact that goes into her own, talent column.
~ I'm curious as to why it concerns you whether fans are "kidding themselves" as to their interest in hearing Anjani, or how far they would travel to see her. I can confirm for myself that I didn't attend the New York Event to see Julie Christensen or Perla Batalla; however, their performances were worth the cost of the trip.
In all the interviews, who gets asked most of the questions? Do they ask anjani about her influences, her history, her future plans for her own music? Not really, because the media want and love Leonard, just like his fans do.
Even though this initially might seem to suggest that it's a skewing by the interviewers, you end up 'justifying' this by suggesting that it's not only the media who has skewed this, but that the fans are perfectly happy with the way they've done it, as they want it that way because they also want to hear from Leonard and don't really want to hear from Anjani, either. In fact, I can speak for myself and say that I would love it if the interviewers could take their questions off Leonard a little more and focus on Anjani. I loved it when she had her say... and would like to hear more from her. In fact, you're not even complaining about the heavily-weighted focus on Leonard, with your perceived slighting of Anjani. As for the questions themselves, it's pretty clear who her strongest influence has been, and she could get away with simply pointing to him and smiling... or saying, "He's here with me today." Being asked about her future plans, when she's just come out with a collaborative album with Leonard; is 'living with' Leonard; and is continuing to work with him on an upcoming album of his, as she's also actively involved there, is something near superfluous. These things could get some media attention, even so... and her history, including Leonard and pre-Leonard, could, as well. It's an unfortunate oversight by the media that they're not asking. Ignoring Leonard, of course, would be the elephant in the living room phenomenon. They both need addressing in interviews.
Anjani's not daft. She's rightfully enjoying a career by hanging on to the coat-tails of an enduring star.
~ "Anjani's not daft" ~ This so much has the feel of a "gold digger's" judgement about someone... except the "gold" isn't money, in the typical sense of that term, which generally has a connotation of cars, jewelry, furs, and spending money, rather than a career. It has the feel of "She's no fool... she knows a good thing when she sees it... she . . . [whatever else one might say when they're being assessed as taking advantage of someone, which is a value judgement diminishing her as a person]."
"hanging on to the coat-tails of . . ."
~ this is a phrase that gets used to diminish the person's ability to do whatever is happening on their own.
"She's rightfully enjoying a career . . ."
~ do you really feel she's "rightfully" enjoying? In the context of your other comments, it doesn't
seem that you feel it's right, or that you feel her career developed in a rightly fashion. It seems that you feel her career is somehow fraudulent.
" . . . as he gets to have his work heard without the associated slog of touring and recording."
~ I've already talked about this; yet, it bears mentioning, as it has the impact of being the reverse side of the "gold-digger" equation... and it's not even accurate.
However, to say that we'd all love Anjani sans Leonard is a fallacy.
~ This is a premise and it's a premise that's in error... that it's a fallacy that we'd all love Anjani
sans Leonard. The only reason that I wouldn't love Anjani
sans Leonard is that I probably wouldn't have had the good fortune of encountering Anjani without Leonard, as she has not focused on pursuing/promoting her career. Your comment, however, doesn't relate to how we came into contact with her; but having done so, whether we'd
love her, if Leonard weren't alongside her. This comment diminishes Anjani and her talent.
If you want to say it's merely a matter of semantics, you can; I think it's a matter of a paradigm difference. We can at least agree that it was semantics with the term "support system." I meant it one way, and you meant it another.
Your opinion was stated as though everything you said was actually a given. Even though you used the words "I think" in the beginning, you increasingly stated things as absolutes, and summed everything up [including everything you'd said and qualified with "I think"] with your final sentence [the last thing I quoted, above].
Anjani any "left-handed, back-door, somewhat underhanded compliments" - eeek!
~ We can agree to disagree on this, Gina, as I do believe that even though you said some decent things about Anjani, you undermined them in one way or another, or reversed them, anyway... except for the "eeek!" and I completely agree with that
!
. . . to comments that may be construed to be negative towards Leonard and/or Anjani in any way . . .
This didn't take much construing, Gina... and the "any way" was more a matter of 'many ways.'
I'll give this a rest, too... and to say that we disagree is massively an understatement.
~ Lizzy
... and sometimes I think I am, or more accurately, sometimes I am; however, I believe that everyone is or can be, with serious focus and reenforcement in that direction, it's there as a potential for everyone. In this instance, I don't know... I'm not always so spot on; in fact, I'm sometimes spot off... hence, my amazement this time with you. It seems I come close often enough, but not this close.
? No idea how much of it preceded your "At Lincoln," but I know about Berlin, as I was there; yet, I know how some things can simply lose their magic... however, in my world, there is nowhere else that I can join in a singalong of Cohen songs, other than at an Event or a gathering... a singalong of two barely meets the definition. It's difficult enough to get more than two in any given place at any given time. The Events and gatherings do it naturally.
Having said this, I know there can be some fairly forgettable renditions of his songs. Again, it's a bit like the singing in church or at religious camps that I recall from years ago: there are definitely some interesting sounds that emanate when folk "make a joyful noise unto the Lord"! 
... well, and hoping you'd let me be the one to buy them.