In the studio with drummer Jeramy Burchett and producer Dean Baskerville

A sunny day for the photo shoot... finally!

"Those sunny days, with their sunny rays, can sometimes seem few and far between...."

A line from one of my songs, "Hey Yeah", was so true this September in Portland, Oregon. September also happened to be the month for the outdoor photo shoot for the new album. We wanted summertime photos, but had to wait because Annie Schilperoort, the amazing photographer I just HAD to use, was on maternity leave through August. September hit and then it was just rain, rain, rain every day! Luckily we had a few days to choose from, and as they always say, 3rd time was the charm. Day 3 of all of the possible day options the stars aligned: clouds parted, the sun shone, all the clothing made it in the car, and childcare was lined up for all the women involved (hair stylist, makeup artist, photographer, and myself).

I was so excited when I left my house that morning, because I had put so much prep into the day. A few months ago I asked myself, how do you create images that mirror the music on the album? How does auditory art transfer to visual art? What is the setting, what are the clothes, what is the style, what kind of piano should I play on? First I spent a lot of time thinking about the music. What are the main themes in my lyrics? What musical styles are represented? It came down to 4 elements:

1. nature

2. romance

3. vintage

4. current

Okay if you've read this far, surely you'll keep going!

Nature: I refer to beauty in the natural world over and over again in my lyrics. It's so inspiring! I love being outside. I wish it was summer all the time. All I want for Christmas is a mountain bike and a couple days to ride on the Deschutes River Trail...

Romance: a jazz-influenced album just has to be romantic. Plus I have a few songs inspired by my marriage in the line-up.

Vintage: yeah, I'm a little old-fashioned. I bake sourdough bread and am trying my hand at pickling. Plus I spent all my college years studying classical music, which is vintage and timeless and so lovely - of course there will be elements of classical music on the album, my hands can't help it when they're at the piano. Oooh, and a string quartet!

Current: It feels like I'm finally standing in my own shoes with this album. Mostly original tunes performed in a unique blend of musical styles that is brand new - I hope!

Once I had these 4 elements clear, planning this shoot became really fun. My friends Emily, Stephanie, and Tiffany leant me clothes from their closets. I emailed a local designer, Kate Towers, and borrowed some of her one-of-a-kind pieces. I collected dozens of pictures online for reference. I hoofed around Sauvie Island with my kids and mom, scoping out the best spots.

Finally when the day came, it was like pushing the GO button. First stop, hair and makeup. I didn't want to look like a glamour girl. Just romantic, natural, outdoorsy. My professional stylist friends Tiffany and Bri spent nearly 2 hours covering me in makeup, curls and hair spray. It's amazing how much product and time goes into creating a "natural" look.

I put on the first outfit, picked up Annie, and headed over to the first photo setting: my friend Shirley's house. She has this cool vintage piano in a craftsman style house. And Shirley is a total groupie. She rarely ever misses a show and has supported me in my music and personal life for over 10 years. It was so special to take the "piano" shots at her house. And when we left, of course she sent us out the door with homemade gingersnaps. Love her.

Then Annie and I were off to Sauvie Island. First stop, a little pond. I changed in the open air to outfit #2 (an amazing Kate Towers dress!) next to my car (luckily there was no one there!) and pretty much walked into the pond. I love the water, so why not have some shots IN the water?

Then we headed to a wild Oak Tree area. Nothing made by humans in these settings, like orchards, fences, or barns. Just wild old trees and grasses. We did have to shoo away some insects and watch out for deer droppings, but that's just part of it all, right? I actually climbed an oak tree at one point. Then clothing change number 2 right there in the trees. Luckily no hikers ambling by.

Final stop, the Sauvie Island beach. Right at sunset - Annie said the light was perfect! We found some old driftwood to pose on, sat in the sand, stuck our toes in the water. Annie had brought these pink dalias that added just the right touch of romance.

Annie was just amazing the whole time - the few shots she showed me in the viewer on her camera were so artistic. And she kept me laughing by acting silly. I was so thankful to have a good friend for my photographer, because it's honestly quite a challenge for me to not feel like a total dork when I'm posing for a camera.

I haven't seen the official proofs yet, but I'm excited for them. Just to give you an idea of the look, here is a snapshot from my camera, taken just before we headed out to the beach:

So now the rain can fall and I won't be mad at it anymore. I'll grab my coffee, my kids, a blanket, and curl up on the couch with "The tawny scrawny lion". My kids will pick out which bunny they want to be on the carrot soup page. I'll still wish it was summer, but I'll accept the fall. The photo shoot is done!

Aug 13 gig

At the gig last night with special guest Guy Tyler on cello, and the always-stellar bassist Bill Athens:

What a great night! I had TWO string players with me. Although we played absolutely no Bach, Brahms or Beethoven, my classical self felt at home with this 1/2 of a string quartet. Guy brought an uber-mod electric cello. The thing weighed next to nothing and sounded really unique. Plus, jazz on the cello is just wacky cool.

Some of my favorite moments from the night:

Bill's improvised bowings on the song "Both sides now". My arrangement is a bit classical in style, so I just gave him the chart and said - come up with something really beautiful, Bill. Goosebumps.

Guy's reggae-ish rhythms in "Love is here to stay." My arrangement of the well-loved tune grooves like Ahmad Jamal's Poinciana, so it's like Gershwin in the islands. Somehow Guy made the cello sound like a steel drum. Super beachy.

The older gentleman that stayed till the very end - midnight. He clapped and cheered after every tune, and said we "made his Friday night".

Thanks to all the new and old friends that made it out last night. Hope to see you again.

Last Friday's gig, June 11

Joining me at the Heathman last Friday was Kevin Deitz on the bass:

and Dave Iula on the guitar:

Now, you all know "I heart Madeleine Peyroux", and would love to sound more like her. Madeleine is a guitarist, and she does this laid-back beachy vibe thing on her guitar. As much as I could try to emulate it at the piano, it just wasn't the same. Somehow it sounded more like Michael Buble than Madeleine Peyroux! And we all know from an earlier post ("And...I'm laughing at myself"), that me playing guitar isn't really an option.

So, having Dave Iula on acoustic guitar is what did the trick. Dave is a very versatile player and can handle just about any style. I played him some Madeleine, showed him my charts, and all of a sudden my music sounded just like I hoped.

Kevin Deitz is a well-respected bass player in Portland - and of course he was rock solid at the gig. He is capable of impressive virtuosic solos, and the tone he creates when using the bow is like rich dark chocolate. But for some of my songs I need something really simple from the bass, like whole notes or half notes. Nothing fancy. He said, "Well I'm not paid by the note, so if it's whole notes you want, that's what you'll get." I said, "No, I AM paying you by the note. That's why I want whole notes." He thought that was pretty funny.... I think? Either way, I got my money's worth. He was great.

Next month Bill Athens will be back on the bass, and Lucia Conrad joins us again on violin. Hope to see you July 9!

Pre-production

Hello everybody!

So pre-production is fun, exciting, new, and challenging - I'm lovin' it. Today Dean and I tackled my song "Hey, yeah". I wrote this song a couple years ago - it's about a bunch of things that I love, that I think of when I need to be cheered up. It's got this funky groove / Sara Bareilles feel.

Dean had some great ideas for the song - a breakdown in the 3rd verse, subtle lyric changes, jumping straight into the bridge after the 2nd chorus, a funky fade out for the ending... (am I giving too much away?) So this is pre-production. And this is what it's like to have a producer! Here is Dean driving the sound ship:

During the recording of the scratch track (the track you eventually "scratch", or erase, but use as the template for recording all the other musical elements, meaning drums, bass, piano, vocals, etc.), Dean encouraged me at the piano to terrace and build the song, saying things like "be sneakier at the beginning.... then do some higher register octaves in the chorus". On vocals he asked me to emote more - pick certain words to sing specific ways, become an actress if I needed to. I can tell he's going to do his utmost to drag the best I have to offer out of me.

The brim on my black hat kept bumping the screen in front of the mic, so I turned it backward - all of a sudden the gangster style just started flowin' out. Just kidding.

I'm excited for the CD. I look forward to sharing these songs with friends/family/the world - and I'll do my best to record them well.

Last night's gig, May 14

At the Heathman Hotel

Joining me was the rock-solid Bill Athens on the bass, and guest artist Cory Sterling on guitar. We played some new arrangements I've been working on for the new CD, a few new folk tunes, some classic jazz standards, plus a bunch of tunes Cory brought to the group. I really enjoyed learning some new (well, new-to-me) jazz tunes, and he had a cool original blues tune with some great rhythmic sections. Cory's off to play guitar in New York in the fall, so I'm glad he could join us at least once.

My 2 sisters showed up at the end of the night - they completely surprised me, because one of them lives in Boulder, Colorado. I knew she was flying in that night, but thought it would be too late for them to come. At 11:30 PM, there they were, just dancing along to the music. No, we're not triplets.

Hope to see you at our next gig, June 11 at the Heathman!

I heart Madeleine

I really like Madeleine Peyroux’s style and approach to jazz music. Here is one of her album covers. Truly beautiful and so artistic. I’d love to do the same thing for my album, complete with a poofy gold dress, red flowers and bare feet, except I’d want to be sitting on a beach instead…

I was inspired by some reviews of her music:

“Norah Jones and Jane Monheit may have spawned a cutesy genre of jazz-lite chirping, but it’s one that Peyroux neatly sidesteps. Here, less is definitely more. Accompanied by piano, guitar, string bass, lightly brushed snare drum and occasional gospel organ, Careless Love has the same live-in-the-studio ambience that made Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee a benchmark album. An interpretive artist as opposed to a nothing-to-say singer-songwriter, Peyroux avoids the overworked wine bar songbook, bringing new sensibilities to Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love” and Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”.”

“In recent weeks, “Careless Love” (Rounder), a record on an independent label by a sophisticated pop-jazz vocalist named Madeleine Peyroux, has quietly edged past 100,000 sales with almost no radio airplay. It’s become an out-of-left-field hit in cafes, wine bars and spas, where its smoky ambience suits the mostly post-college-age clientele.

“People who have heard the record in these places have had an immediate reaction: Who is that? Where can I get that?” says Paul Foley, general manager of marketing for Peyroux’s label, Rounder Records. “We’re looking for an upper-demographic audience that is not being served currently by the record industry’s marketing schemes.”

“With the release of her long awaited follow-up album, Careless Love, Peyroux’s potential as an artist is truly realized. Her smoky voice and knowing delivery make each song her own, whether she’s singing vintage tunes by W.C. Handy and Hank Williams, or contemporary songs by Leonard Cohen and Elliott Smith. Producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin) weaves strands of acoustic blues, country ballads, classic jazz, torch songs and pop into a vibrant fabric that is both timeless and thoroughly up to date, with Peyroux’s arresting vocals always front and center.”

Yep, I heart Madeleine.