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| Jeannette Lambert's New CD Coming Feb. 28th  On February 28th, Jazz From Rant will release Montreal- based poet/jazz vocalist Jeannette Lambert's seventh recording as a leader, Sand Underfoot, featuring longtime collaborators, bassist Barre Phillips and drummer Michel Lambert, and special guest, pianist Paul Bley. Funded in part by the Canada Music Fund and the Music Section of the Canada Council for the Arts, her follow- up to 2003's Lone Jack Pine, which Cadence called “an absorbing round of music and voice where the boundaries are tested” and “art at a very high level, ” features Ms. Lambert's elegant voice, distinctive melodies, poetry-based lyrics and a cast of accomplished improvisers. All 13 original tracks explore the theme of humankind's interaction with its environment and the natural world.”I chose the title of this recording to reflect our tenuous relationship with nature, ” writes Ms. Lambert in the liner notes, “slip-sliding along, never sure of our footing. The poems here all look at our links to earthly places; forests, deserts, beaches, snowy plains, and the rim of fire. This focus also reflects changes in my life since the last album...now as a mother I am someone who is alternately needed and discarded, someone to grow away from, in much the same way we treat our planet and our own mothers. I also dedicate the 'Rim of Fire' suite to all of the victims of the Boxing Day 2004 earthquake and tsunami. We recorded the music, inspired by my father's family history and their impassioned relationship with Indonesia, a few months before the disaster, but somehow it seems as if the danger of that event was already in the air, likea ripple in time reaching back.” Inspired by her jazz-loving parents and childhood addresses that spanned the globe, Ms. Lambert began singing professionally in coffee shops at the age of 12. Mentored by veterans of the Montreal jazz scene, including trumpeter Herbie Spanier, and influenced by the diverse vocal traditions of flamenco, fado, and jaipong, she grew up playing in professional jam sessions with visiting artists such as vocalist Jon Hendricks. She would go on to further refine her musical style studying with vocalist Jay Clayton, the legendary Cecil Taylor and others at the Banff Jazz Workshop. Geoff Chapman of the Toronto Star wrote that “unadorned elegance is the keynote of Jeannette Lambert's singing” and she was named one of the 500 best jazz vocalists of all time by author Scott Yanow in his book, Jazz Singers. She has performed around the world, written lyrics for music recorded by a number of other jazz vocalists, and co-founded the artist collective/ record label Jazz From Rant with her brother, guitarist Reg Schwager, and her husband, drummer Michel Lambert, in 1991. In addition to her music career, she is an Internet filmmaker, soundtrack composer for a variety of film projects, and the founder of the Jazz Grrls online community for women in jazz. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |