Local Legend: Singer Ali Dineen On Jackson Heights Inspirations

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — Folk singer Ali Dineen has no shortage of musical inspirations — her seventh-grade English teacher was Lin-Manuel Miranda, who went on to compose the award-winning Broadway musicals "In the Heights" and "Hamilton"— but the most significant may be the rich cultural diversity that surrounded her as she grew up in Jackson Heights.

The meaning of home is a major theme in Dineen's soulful lyrics. And, for her, home is Jackson Heights, where she developed a fascination with the musical traditions of other countries, particularly those in Central and South America.

"I am always trying to write about larger histories, and a larger human condition than just my own," Dineen told Patch. "Maybe growing up around so many ways of life influenced that."

Dineen has performed at festivals across the country, including the Brooklyn Folk Festival, the Caramoor American Roots Music Festival and the Savannah Music Festival. She teaches at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Brooklyn.

Along the way, she's cultivated a star-studded fanbase.

In an interview with the BBC, Miranda named his former student's song "What You Know" as one of the eight tracks he'd want with him on a desert island, calling it "one of the rare songs that I listen to and think, 'God, I wish I'd thought of that.'"

Dineen, who released her third album, "Hold On," earlier this month, spoke to Patch as part of our Local Legends series, where we interview iconic New Yorkers about the neighborhoods they call home.

Here's what she had to say about Jackson Heights.

Describe Jackson Heights in three words.

Delicious. Vibrant. Amazing.

What was the best part about growing up in Jackson Heights?

For me, one of the best parts was my apartment's garden. I'm lucky to have grown up in The Towers, the historic building on 81st street, which has a huge internal garden that is shared by all the buildings' residents.

I used to play all the time there when I was a kid, and then hang out with friends when I was older. Somehow, especially in the heat of the summer, it felt like you weren't in the middle of New York City — it was quieter and so lush and green.

What spot do you wish still existed in Jackson Heights?

I used to go to the Italian restaurant Armando's on 37th Avenue for every family event growing up, but it burned down a few years ago. They reopened in another location, but I will never walk past 37th and 75th without thinking about Armando's, the sweet owner named Jerry, and all the times my extended family shared at the restaurant.

What food can you only find in Jackson Heights? Where do we go to find it?

There are so many things you can only get in Jackson Heights! But most recently I've gotten into making Burmese tea leaf salad, which is made with special fermented green tea leaves and a mix of crunchy nuts and toppings.

You can get packets of the leaves and crunchy mix at this one tiny little store called Little Myanmar Mini Mart, in the back of a mini-mall on 74th street. They are lovely people and that tea leaf salad is amazing!

How does Jackson Heights, and having grown up there, influence your work?

I think growing up in such an incredibly diverse place, surrounded by different cultures, languages, ways of dressing, types of music, has led me to be more curious about musical traditions from other places besides the U.S., which has in turn influenced my own songwriting. I have a deep appreciation and love of various musics from Central and South America, which I definitely heard a lot growing up.

I also write a lot about home and what it really means, and the fact that both of my parents were born and raised in Jackson Heights means we all have a pretty strong connection to the neighborhood, in a way that is unique in New York City.

This interview was lightly edited for style.