Preview
SHANNON GAYE
Thursday, May 27
Gateway (SAIT)
To say that Shannon Gaye is excited about her latest album, Pretty Pictures, would be a rather serious understatement. The Calgary vocalist is ecstatic and you can’t blame her. Not only did she write all the tunes on the album, co-produce it with her main collaborator (keyboard player and percussionist Kristian Alexandrov) and release it on her own label, Gaye thinks this is her best work to date.
"There’s a lot of love in this album," says Gaye gushing. "This is my third album and I think my best one, but it was the hardest one to put together and finish because we started it (and) moved to Toronto where it took a new direction. We followed it, scrapped most of the original tunes and wrote a whole bunch more… Of the 11 tunes on the album only five are from the first draft. But I’m so much happier with it."
Pretty Pictures continues Gaye’s exploration into R and B, neo-soul and acid jazz that began with her first album Humankind. Almost a decade later, Gaye’s music is still groove-driven with a strong melodic sense, but it’s evolved in terms of its musical breadth – new textures, powerful harmonies and slicker production, most likely a result of Gaye’s newfound confidence in and out of the studio. Not to say she was ever a pushover, but it’s obvious Gaye has taken control for this project.
"When it comes to my album I definitely wear the pants," says Gaye laughing. "It’s taken a while to get to that point though – to be comfortable in making all the decisions. But I feel it’s important. It is my project. They’re my songs. I’m the core writer even though I work with lots of different musicians."
Growing as a musician herself, Gaye’s work with those different musicians, has helped her explore all facets of jazz. The resulting evolution shows that Gaye has become more than just a jazz vocalist. Pretty Pictures puts her in a different class than artists that merely cover old jazz standards.
"I don’t call myself a jazz singer," admits Gaye. "I’ve written every tune on this album and it feels really good. It’s very personal. Jazz is an interesting thing because you can cover all the old standards and that’s a typical way to do a jazz album but when I’m writing, it’s not cerebral. My process is totally instinct. Take lots of side roads, but when we arrive at the take that feels complete it’s totally satisfying because there’s no question. I know when I’ve arrived at my final place." |
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