The nice thing about the Canadian jazz scene is that our members are widespread. And so, we have a group of world class musicians representing us as nearby as the United States, and as far out as Japan and Australia. Therefore, today we will be discussing one of these artists living in "the diaspora". Vocalist Brigitte Zarie was born into a musical family in Toronto. Her parents, both local musicians, exposed her to jazz at a young age as she fell asleep at night to the music of Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz. After being exposed to live jazz for the first time, Zarie knew her calling. Her debut album, "Make Room For Me", features eleven tunes that were all composed and penned by Zarie herself; an accomplishment that, these days, is uncommon to jazz vocalists. The personel on the record include herself on the vocals, Randy Brecker on the trumpet, Jeff Golub on the guitar, and some of New Yorks finest session musicians. The first song that we're going to note is "See You Again". This original highlights Zarie's exemplary abilities as a composer and a lyricist. As well, Zarie and Brecker's respective tones work side by side to set a beautifully mood for this soft romantic piece. The next composition that we're going to discuss is "Make Room For Me". As the title song on the album, Zarie recorded it in both English and French, shedding light on her Moroccan ancestry. As well, she has dedicated this original to her parents. In addition, it is sometimes seen as an unfortunate circumstance when our fellow Canadian musicians have to start their careers abroad. However, in the case of Brigitte Zarie, her pursuits in the United States can be seen as a fortunate circumstance, for her extraordinary talent allows her to act as a cultural ambassador, exposing the world to our unique Canadian sound.
Purchase: "Make Room For Me"
Brigitte Zarie
No comments:
Post a Comment