shannon butcher sings

Keeping a Straight Face

Today following a meeting with my new publicist I decided to spend some time in a hip Queen Street book shop looking for magazines that might help me with my publicity copy.  It's a very strange thing to start viewing yourself as a commodity and to develop your brand.  It requires a different kind of creativity and sometimes you wonder to yourself "Is this really what a musician is supposed to be doing with her time?" But the truth is in order to open the space and opportunity to share your art with the public you have to constantly be "takin' care of business." 
Anyway, the purpose of my post this evening is not to lecture you on the trials of self management but to share with you this jazz issue of Stop Smiling, The Magazine for High-Minded Lowlifes, I discovered during my browsing.  It has great articles on Ornette Coleman, classic album artwork, reflections on Eric Dolphy by a host of legendary musicians and a photo essay on William Claxton.  It's definitely worth picking up.

Richie at Hugh's

Last night I heard a living legend Richie Havens at Hugh's Room.  For years now Richie has been on my list of favourite voices.  I'm not sure when I first heard him sing but ever since then his soulful and rich voice has resonated with me.  What a thrill it was to hear him in person and like James Taylor he sounds exactly the same as his recordings from the 60s.  I can only hope my voice maintains itself that way as the years go by. 
I'd also like to emulate Richie's ability to mix personalized interpretations of famous songs with original compositions.  (This week at my Rex gig I debuted two compositions along with a couple of new arrangements - Lily Allen's Smile and Buddy Holly's Well...All Right.  Felt good to get my new material out in to the world!)  Richie's discography is extensive having recorded for Verve since the height of Greenwich Village folk scene so he didn't have time to perform all of his greatest hits but he did sing Here Comes the Sun and Motherless Child which was featured in Woodstock and brought him international fame.  I was truly moved by the lyric to a tune I didn't recognize midway through his set. I can't remember it word for word but it had a line that went something like "I can't believe the world has to choose again who is foe and who is friend"  My heart just ached with the truth of that statement and the fact that it was coming from a man who spent his youth protesting his country's involvement in the Vietnam War and now forty years later he's seeing them in a highly controversial war again.  All those dreams of peace that the flower generation sang about...will they ever come true?  If anyone reading this is familiar with Richie Haven's songbook and can tell me the title of that song, I'd be so grateful.
A big thank you to Richard, the owner of Hugh's Room, for continuing to bring amazing artists to Toronto!

The Fall of IAJE

I'm a little behind the times but it is with great sadness that I mark the demise of the IAJE.  Since becoming a member if the International Association of Jazz Educators by attending their conference this past January I have been receiving email updates from Chuck Owen, President of the IAJE Board, about the comings and goings of the association. I was quite surprised when a month ago or so I received an emergency request of a $25 donation from every member in order to keep the association afloat.  $25?  Really?  That will solve financial woes?  In the end they received $12,000 from 250 generous members but it wasn't enough to keep the IAJE from filing for bankruptcy on April 19th.  I have no personal insight to share on this happening but I can lead to you several bloggers who do:

Darcy James Argue reflects on his past conference involvement and links to several online writers sharing their opinions

Philip Booth's thoughts on Oprah saving IAJE and Philip Booth's suggestion on who should take over the IAJE

Howard Mandel makes some good points in his blog Jazz Beyond Jazz

As much as I wish jazz could survive without associations and thrive on the sheer beauty and power of the music I recognize that support is required to increase music appreciation in our schools.  I do hope somehow IAJE will rise from the ashes of it's financial debacle - hopefully with a stronger business model.  Maybe the old adage "you don't know what you're missing until it's gone" will come into play and we'll see smaller organizations or individuals gather to fill the void left by the IAJE.

Inside the Jazzers Studio - Alexis Cole

I met Alexis Cole in February of this year at the Brenda Carol Renaissance Jazz Festival.  Originally from New York City, Alexis had been performing that week at Opal Jazz Lounge and extended her Toronto performing scheduled by appearing on the Sunday night of the festival.  She completely captivated me with her musicality, stage presence, repertoire choices and flawless voice.  Truly a beautiful singer and generous spirit (as you'll remember from my Jitterbug Waltz story.)  For about a month now Alexis has been in residence at the Tableaux Lounge in Tokyo where she sings and plays six nights a week. Thanks to the communication friendly internet, Alexis and I have kept in contact while she's been over in Japan. I asked her to give us a feel for being a musician overseas:
 

1. What is your favorite word? Ne, it's a question word at the end of a sentence.  it means like...don't you agree?   It's a gorgeous day, ne?
2. What is your least favorite word?   It's a gesture.  They cross their hands, making an X.  It means no, or not possible, but somehow it always feels like 'screw you and your countrymen.'
3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?   Learning gives me hope in life. When i get depressed it's often because I'm bored.  Learning something, new Japanese vocabulary, changes to a new tune, Portuguese lyrics to a Jobim tune...these things change my headspace.
4. What turns you off?  When I go table to table with my post cards and CD's and people at the table I'm at start talking about me in Japanese and laughing.  What am I to do?   What are they saying!?!
5. What sound or noise do you love?   The outlook version of 'You've got Mail' I love getting emails from people.  I don't have a phone, so that's my main way of staying in touch.  I hate when it's just junk or someone's gig announcement that I can't go to.  I'm really social and being alone out here is a little difficult for me.  I make friends, but it's not the same somehow.   
6. What sound or noise do you hate?   The sound of my little fridge going on and off, the hazards of rabbit hutch living.  And the sound of One loud customer in an audience full of listeners.
7. What is your favorite curse word? I don't know any Japanese curse words.  I like cursing quickly in English here, I feel I can get away with it more easily since people don't generally speak English.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?   I would like to run a retreat center.
9. What profession would you not like to do?   Waitress.  I did it, I was terrible!   
10. If Heaven exists, who's the first person you want to see in concert when you arrive?  Bob Marley

If you can't save up the coin for a trip over to Tokyo don't worry, I have a feeling Alexis will be back singing on Canadian soil this summer.  Keep your eye on her website!

Master of My Own Destiny

Mastering is all about attention to detail.  It's about listening to the things that most people don't even realize they are hearing.  When you're in the mastering studio you don't really know what the engineer is doing but you can hear the difference once it's done.  It's pretty amazing.

The moment I stepped into João Carvalho's mastering studio I knew I had come to the right place.  It's a gorgeous building with gorgeous people working inside it.  It reminded me of my time in Canterbury Studios - I just love being surrounded by people who have dedicated their lives to making music.  Heather, João's right hand woman, is this marvelous mix of wit and organization.  She made getting the digital files to the studio a breeze, even when we had little glitches.  Big thanks to Heather and to Karen Kosowski, my producer's partner and a killer musician in her own right, for managing the files from the hard drive on the other side of the city!

That morning I had discovered this wonderful little spot Altitude Bakery on Queen and I arrived with plenty o' baked goods for all to enjoy.  Like me, João must believe that everyday that starts with a yummy breakfast leads to happy productivity because my tour of his studio began with an introduction to his fully stocked kitchen.  You may be wondering what all this talk about scones and such has to do with making a CD but honestly, all the best recording and mastering sessions are coupled with good food.  When Marc and I were deciding on a recording studio Canterbury's proximity to roti and phở was almost as important as the studio's vintage recording equipment.

Every singer who decides to share their music with the public must admit they have a bit of an ego but even if you're a complete narcissist it's not easy to focus on your own voice for 10 hours in one day.  Fortunately with a pro like João Carvalho leading you along the day becomes about shaping the sound of the album and feelings of self consciousness go by the wayside.  João has an incredible ability to enter into a zone where he can pinpoint the frequencies that need altering or the timbre that needs warmth for hours on end.  His concentration is infectious and the first half day of our work went by in the blink of an eye.  No wonder he's the go to guy in Toronto.

I'm so happy with the sound of the album!  Check out some tracks for yourself on myspace.
 

Inside the Jazzers Studio - Brandi Disterheft

If you know the jazz scene here in Toronto than you know that everyone, and that includes me, loves Brandi Disterheft. We love her playing with its intensity and ingenuity.  We love her compositions with their unique voice echoing Mingus and Bjork.  We love her presence on stage which ranges from fierce to playful.  And if you're fortunate enough to spend time with her during a set break, you'll quickly discover her personality offstage is equally adorable (that is - "something to be adored") because she manages to mesh the drive needed to be a successful working musician with the wonder needed to be a thoughtful and imaginative artist.

Although this year Brandi has been brought in to the public eye as a powerful band leader, for the past four years she has been much loved as an incredible sidewoman.  Laila Biali, Richard Whiteman and Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People are just some of the artists who consider Brandi their first call. I've had the pleasure of playing with Brandi in a number of different bands and she always surprises me with her innovative and honest musicality.  Brandi can often be found at the Rex and it was there one night while her band was hosting the jazz jam that I interviewed Brandi with the following questions:

1. What is your favorite word?  ocean
2. What is your least favorite word?  concrete
3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]? sincerity
4. What turns you off?  someone who's derogatory
5. What sound or noise do you love? rain, classical piano & gut strings on bass
6. What sound or noise do you hate? a female that's loud & obnoxious & won't stop talking
7. What is your favorite curse word?  MOTHER SHIP CONNECTION
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  world class sailor
9. What profession would you not like to do?  accountant
10. If Heaven exists, who's the first person you want to see in concert when you arrive? Charlie Parker

Brandi has had an amazing year since the release of her first album Debut.  The fun continues as the opening days of April bring Brandi two opportunities to add National Award Winner to her resume.  She's nominated for a Traditional Jazz Album of the Year Juno and a National Jazz Award! Please visit Brandi's website for details on her next gig near you.

**BRANDI UPDATE**  Tonight she won the JUNO!!!!  Yahoo!!

Product Placement Should Never Be Subtle

Many of you may remember that I received a magnificent Xmas gift this year of a pearly white MacBook.
Well in order to fully make the artist-writing-lyrics-in-a-coffee-shop fantasy come true I realized I needed something cute yet practical to carry my new computer around in.  So I hit the google.ca trail and searched for "laptop bag".  To my surprise the first hit was my friend Kate's blog "My Name Is Kate" with her post "Laptop Bags for Ladies" 
I emailed Kate, who lives on the west coast, to let her know that she was number one on Google.  She, not surprisingly, as she's an e-marketing genius, knew this already.  It turns out that Kate is the leading online authority on laptop bags.  Isn't that cool?  She has this fabulous lens called Funky, Chic and Cool Laptop Bags over on Squidoo where she reviews all kinds of designer totes.  She gets thousands of hits a week.  Designers from all over send her their products to review because they know she'll introduce their designs to plenty o' readers.  They also know in advance that she doesn't return the review bags but rather tests them out and then gives them away to friends and family.  And that's where I come in as one lucky lady because I am now the proud owner of the Supreme Love Story laptop bag made by Plastic People Designs.  Isn't it cute? 

I've received lots of compliments as I trek around Toronto with my Mac in it's cute pink house.  I think given the overwhelming number of dark and snowy days all we Torontonians have suffered through this winter paired with our general gray and black wardrobe I owe my fellow citizens something colourful to bring a smile to their frozen faces.  See how I'm smiling?  The designer, Shannon L South, believes in making products that promote positivity and she hopes that by placing the heart shape so prominently on her designs she will help send some "love bubbles" out into the world.  From what I've seen so far it's working Shannon!  If any of you out there would like to light up your laptop's life please check out Shannon's website.

Inside the Jazzers Studio - Kelly Jefferson

First off, I have a confession to make. I kinda hate the saxophone. I know!  It's shocking.  It's just that they play so many notes and they're always trying to show off how fast they can play and they take up so many choruses at the jams.  Am I a jazz traitor?  Well, not completely because there are some shining exceptions to my saxophone rule: John Coltrane, Tim Ries (who I just discovered this year), Richard Underhill and Kelly Jefferson.  Here's what I believe:  Kelly Jefferson is to saxophone like Roger Federer is to tennis.  They are both real gentlemen, kind and unassuming but when they take to their stages you realize they are true masters.

When my producer Marc Rogers suggested we add sax to a few of the tracks on my album I started to tense up, until he qualified his suggestion with "'Cause I just think Kelly Jefferson would sound killer on these few tunes."  "Well, that's different then just adding sax. That's adding Kelly." I thought. "Having Kelly on those songs would just make me smile."  Now that everything is recorded, I can assure you Kelly does sound amazing and I'm so grateful for all of the insightful musicality he brought to my album.  You can hear him having fun on my version of Just a Girl on myspace.

1. What is your favorite word? Cake. (Just say it half a dozen times slowly...see?)
2. What is your least favorite word?  Jazz.
3. What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]?  Jazz.
4. What turns you off? People who need to get on the subway car before
   letting the other people off. 
5. What sound or noise do you love?  The sound of a quiet night at the cottage.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?  Microphone feedback.
7. What is your favorite curse word?  I like most of the four letter curse words...like
   jazz...
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?  I'm still attempting my own, but I've always wanted to drive a Zamboni.
9. What profession would you not like to do?  Air Traffic Controller.
10. If Heaven exists, who's the first person you want to see in concert when you arrive? I'm not sure if I can narrow it down, (it would be one hell of a band!) but (today) I would have to say a 3-way tie between John Coltrane, Donny Hathaway and Glenn Gould.

Check out Kelly playing with Barry Romberg's Random Access Large Ensemble at the Rex Sunday, March 30th at 9:30.  This "big" band makes the most challenging but accessible music tune after tune.  Kelly will be playing alongside a score of players who are at the top of their game, including: Rich Brown, Jason Logue and of course, Barry Romberg.  It's worth showing up late for work on Monday because RA really is the hippest thing to hit the Rex. 

Creampuff Commercial

My good friend Rosemary Rowe, playwright, blogger and leader of the Creampuff Revolution, has posted a lovely little article referencing my advanced CD sales on her blog.  Thanks Rose!  Free advertising!  Woo hoo! And she's included this mini collage of pictures of me from her Gay Wedding Cabaret and Topiary Festival which I think I should steal for my promo materials.   I had the honour of kicking off the Cabaret with a Marilyn inspired performance of Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend with Pete Nunn at the keys.  Later in the night I took over the dance with this fabulous actor just like were back in theatre school.   Ah, those were good times. I think I almost had more fun at her wedding then I did at my own (Shh! Don't tell my husband!)
Please if you haven't yet visited the Creampuff Revolution take a moment to surf over and get ready to laugh.  Rosemary is seriously the funniest woman I know.

Order your copy of Words We Both Could Say

Order a copy of my latest CD Words We Both Could Say before it hits the shelves.  As an indie artist I have completely self financed my album and now that I'm nearing the final stages of pressing I could use your help in the cha-ching department!  If you order your CD today I'll mail it off to you before it's release on June 10th. Yep, your order includes shipping and my deepest gratitude for your support of my music!

If you'd like a preview of the album please visit www.myspace.com/shannonbutcher where I've uploaded four of the ten tracks!

I've set up the presales through PayPal where you can make your order using your credit card or PayPal account.  There are no additional purchase fees and remember, the shipping is included!  So now it's up to you...

 

"I would like to order ONE advance copy of Words We Both Could Say for $20 (shipping included!) so I'm gonna click here":

"I would like to order THREE advance copies of Words We Both Could Say for $50 (shipping included!) so I'm gonna click here":