Emilie-Claire Barlow
Renown Canadian jazz vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow tours
Atlantic Canada over the coming week, with stops in Fredericton, Saint John,
Moncton and Halifax. Recently AE spoke with her about her latest recording Lumières d’hiver.
What are your roots?
I am Canadian, born in Toronto,
Ontario!
Where do you currently reside?
I move between Montreal, Toronto, and Southern
Mexico
How long have you
been involved with music, and what inspired you to start?
I’ve been involved in music ever since I can
remember. Both of my parents are musicians. My mother is a singer and my father
is a drummer. In the 70’s and 80’s they were both first-call studio musicians,
so I spent a lot fo my childhood in Toronto studios. I started working
professionally when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Music was and is our life, so
it was just a natural thing for me to do. I learned to read music at a very
early age. My parents could see that I expressed interest, and had a natural
musicality.
Are they the same reasons you continue to stay involved today?
Singing and making music is a part of who I am.
It’s constantly challenging me, inspiring me. I’m grateful to have the
opportunities to tour and play music live. Though I love the studio - there’s
nothing like being on stage with my band, and connecting with an
audience.
How have you evolved as an
artist over that time?
As a vocalist, you can hear the evolution of the
sound of my voice over the 12 albums. When I made my first album, I was only 20
years old. Now, 20 years later, my voice has matured. My range has
expanded, and I believe that my voice has more nuance today than it did then.
There are certain elements of my phrasing that have stayed consistent, but I’m
hoping that my delivery has more emotional maturity. I’ve had more life
experiences to apply to the songs - so I can connect with certain lyrics on a
deeper level. I’ve also evolved into doing more composition. There has always
been a large compositional element to the re-interpretations and arrangements:
original bass lines, new melodic ideas, sometimes original additional lyrics.
But on the newest album Lumieres d’hiver, there are three original
songs, which is a first.
How would you describe
your style & sound today?
It’s difficult to be objective about it.
Musically, I would describe my style today as jazz/pop. It could either be
accessible jazz or sophisticated pop. (Haha) Basically, I feel like I’m walking
that line between jazz and pop. There are many elements that would be
considered jazz, such as improvisation, upright bass, some swing elements,
sophisticated harmony. But then there are some elements that are more pop
oriented, such as songs that have choruses (refrains). I would say that my
vocal style is generally clean, warm.
What are the challenges of
the vocation?
When I went back to speak at my college (Humber) -
I said to the students: If there is anything else at all, that you could do
with your life - you should do it. Meaning, you need to have the absolute
burning NEED to be a musician/artist if you are going to pursue it. It’s not
meant to be discouraging. It’s meant to inspire you to really ask yourself if
you have the drive, the need, the desire to navigate through the inevitable and
plentiful challenges ahead. It’s difficult to make a living making music, in
part, because recorded music has become (almost) free. Of course there are many
groups of passionate music lovers who buy music - audiophiles who buy high
definition music, people who collect vinyl, etc. But there is not an entire
generation who will do most of their listening via YouTube. This is not a
complaint - just an observation. However, there are new platforms, and more
opportunities than ever to have your music heard all over the world - if you’re
passionate, and creative, and driven and are willing to work really hard.
What are the
rewards?
Creating something beautiful and lasting that
wasn’t there before! I’m always amazed by the magic of the studio. Gathering
talented musicians in a room, and speaking the language of music. After a day
in the studio, this recording now exists. The dream is that it becomes
someone’s soundtrack, that it invokes a feeling. There’s also the reward of
playing live with my band. When everyone is listening to each other and
bringing their own perspective. I love to hear how the arrangements evolve as
we hone them, and find little moments of magic.
What have been some career
highlights?
Playing Massey Hall in my home town of Toronto
with an orchestra. Recording Clear Day in Hilversum with the
Metrolope Orkest and conductor Jules Buckley. Playing for a crowd of 50k on the
Montreal Jazz Festival outdoor MainStage. Being nominated for Juno Award for
Producer of the year (along with Steve Webster). Generally, traveling the world
with my band!
Why the decision to do a
‘Seasonal’ album at this point in your career?
I released my first holiday album “Winter
Wonderland” in 2006. I always thought that I would do another one at some
point, as we revisit the material every year. We’ve had many opportunities to
play Christmas concerts, and I thought it was time to add some new material.
So, now, 11 years later we have our follow-up, Lumières d’hiver.
What can
listeners expect?
Lumières d’hiver is a mix of
familiar nostalgic tunes, some lesser known gems, plus 3 original compositions.
The personnel is a combination of my regular stellar band members from Toronto,
as well as some supremely talented Montreal musicians. There are a couple of
surprising duets: As-tu vu le Père Noël? featuring Mitsou, and
a re-imaging of the Wilson Sisters pop hit Hey Santa, featuring
Ingrid St-Pierre. I’ve spent many winters touring in Quebec, so the overall
tone of the album is a celebration of Quebec winters, the winter lights, and
the warmth of the people here.
What can audiences expect
on this tour?
We’ll be presenting the new material on the tour,
as well as lots of tunes from Winter Wonderland! We have so much repertoire to
choose from! We’ll probably include a couple our favourites from our
non-seasonal repertoire. The band consists of Kelly Jefferson on tenor sax, Reg
Schwager on guitar, Amanda Tosoff on piano, Daniel Fortin on bass, and Fabio
Ragnelli on drums. We will also be doing a special show in Longueuil, featuring
a string quartet, who will also join us on our Ontario dates. Plus a few more
special guests at the Koerner Hall show in Toronto and the First Ontario PAC
show in St. Catherines.
What’s next on your
musical agenda?
Not sure! There are lots of ideas brewing, but my
focus right now is on Lumières d’hiver. I can’t wait to bring this
album to life on stage!
www.emilieclairebarlow.com
Photo: Steve Webster
