chris wong in sync
Dave Young
Mimosa
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A worthwhile event takes place Feb. 3 at the Vogue Theatre: Divas for Life, a benefit concert for Friends for Life.
The concert features six of our city’s female singers who perform jazz: Dee Daniels, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Karin Plato, Stevie Vallance, Tammy Weiss and Laura Crema. The benefit was born after the vocalists participated in a photo shoot for Vancouver Lifestyles magazine. During the shoot, Vallance told the others she had just been in New York City to visit her best friend, a woman with terminal illness. Vallance was surprised by the lack of caring support services in NYC. Not long after the photo session the women agreed to offer their voices in support of Friends for Life, a Vancouver organization that provides the kinds of services Vallance’s friend lacked.
So one reason to attend the benefit is to support a good cause. Another is to check out the singers, who will perform individually and collectively, with backing from a strong band: pianist Michael Creber, saxophonist Tom Keenlyside, drummer Graham Boyle and bassist Steve Holy. Performers like Daniels, Hammett-Vaughan and Plato are well established in our jazz scene, but others such as Crema aren’t as widely known.
I first heard Crema sing in 1997 at the Gate, a club that was once on Granville near Davie. A tune she did that night was the timeless standard "What A Difference A Day Makes". When I caught her at the Latin Quarter the other week, that same song was part of her set. What a difference four years makes. While I was impressed with her confidence and range at the Gate, hearing her at the Latin Quarter confirmed Crema has made great strides. That confidence has grown, along with her ability to subtly reharmonize melodies.
The Burnaby-born Crema has a degree in economics and fine arts from Simon Fraser University. Crema abandoned a Master’s in economics when she realized her calling was in the performing arts. Crema has since worked as a dancer and choreographer with Karen Jamieson and others. As a singer, she maintained a steady gig at the Kino Cafe for about four years. Her Wednesday night Latin Quarter gig has been going for a year and a half.
As for recordings, Crema sings jazz standards on a full-length demo CD and a three-song disc recorded live in Banff. An album by the pop group The Dreaming also features Crema’s vocals. The jazz recordings document both her vocal qualities and areas that could improve. Crema’s pitch isn’t always exact and her scatting vocabulary isn’t huge. But I appreciate her willingness to improvise and efforts to refresh standards.
Studying at the Banff Centre for the Arts with vocal jazz legend Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton, and at Vancouver Community College, has made a difference. So has her realistic attitude about the long process of developing as an artist. "It’s just a process of revealing itself," says the vocalist. In other words, she’s taking an intuitive approach to jazz singing, which is increasingly engaging audiences.
For tickets to Divas for Life, call 280-4444. For tickets to a post-concert gala reception, call Friends for Life at 682-5992.
Dee Daniels will be the special guest in the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s annual Candlelight & Wine concert, Jan. 27 at the Hotel Vancouver’s Pacific Ballroom. Daniels and a trio will perform with the choir, led by Jon Washburn. Call 280-3311 for tickets.
When vibraphonist Peter Appleyard and his quartet played at Rossini’s Gastown last October, the musicians from Toronto swung unswervingly hard. Dave Young anchored Appleyard’s band with sturdy bass lines and contributed animated solos. Expect more playing at that high level when Young performs at the Cellar Jan. 26-27. His latest album, the solid Tale of the Fingers, features great pianist Cedar Walton. Highlights of Young’s distinguished career include recording and sharing the bandstand with Lenny Breau, Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry and many other jazz greats. He’ll play at the Cellar with Bob Murphy and Buff Allen the first night. Murphy, Dave Robbins and Brad Turner will join Young the next night. Call 738-1959 for reservations.
Bucolique by Vancouver’s Mimosa is one of the more interesting local CDs that have come my way recently. I say that not only because of the album title or band’s name–much of the music makes a distinct impression. It’s difficult, however, to describe that music. Mimosa’s promo material says the quartet incorporates elements such as French lounge, New York swing and Brazilian bossas. I could add words like jazz-flavoured intelligent pop to describe the tunes that feature Lily Frost’s affecting vocals in English and French and Anna Lumière’s rich keyboard sounds. Whatever you want to call it, Mimosa has an appealingly lush sound. But I could do without the swing tunes, which sound incongruously retro.
Mimosa will perform at two CD release parties: Jan. 26 at the French Cultural Centre (1545 W. 7th) and Jan. 27 at the Railway Club.
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