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Interview With China Forbes

You know China Forbes as the lady who fronts the multilingual band Pink Martini with her awe-inspiring vocals, but on February 26^th, Forbes released her second solo album 78, a collection of personal and evocative songs. It has been thirteen years since she released her debut solo effort, Love Handle. The CD 78 has been in the works for several years, as Forbes carefully and masterfully applied her brushstrokes to the canvass of this album.

Speaking to me from her home in Portland Oregon, Forbes says, “I had been working on a lot of these songs (for some time), I recorded them, and I really needed to put out the album. It was a difficult thing to do, because I am consumed by Pink Martini and it is my main thing. I just took a leap and put it (78) out in the best way that I could, with only one small tour to promote it, because that is all that I have time for.”

 

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Cleo Laine and John Dankworth ~  A Shimmering Union

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of being in the audience at the beautiful Hammerson Hall in the Living Arts Centre, in Mississauga, Canada when two legends of the musical world, Dame Cleo Laine and Sir John Dankworth, made a rare Canadian appearance.  Surrounded and supported by the Toronto All Star Big Band, we were treated to an afternoon of music at its very best:  a display of unparalleled skill, spontaneity and great joy.

The opening set featured several members of this very young band whose average age is approximately 18.  From the first bars of the Band’s opening selection, it was clear that we were on a ride of youthful exuberance and passion, even though at times the word “exuberance” took on the meaning of “a bit too loud”.

 

Raya Yarbrough Is Pouring A Little Sugar

“To me jazz is like a sponge of culture, you squeeze it out and you get new jazz,” singer/songwriter Raya Yarbrough tells me during our recent conversation, “I disagree with people when they say that jazz needs to be preserved and frozen in (time). I think that dead things need to be preserved, and jazz is not dead, it is very alive. Jazz is changing because it is meant to change. People didn’t think that bebop would ever work and it did. Every step of the way, every time that jazz has morphed, people have said that’s not jazz, that’s not going to work. (They have said), jazz is changing too much; it’s not really jazz (however), each and every time it has come to be accepted. I think that true art is meant to change, and it is meant to reflect all the different cultures, and the different social changes that just happen over time.

 

Internationally Renowned Percussionist Jim Brock

When playing with a click track, the proper mix is very important. The desired tempo can be deceiving if the volume of the click is too loud, thus making it hard to stay with. 

When setting up a click, it may be good to pick sounds that aren't in the kit, and ones that will cut through the track. The easier the sound is to hear, the less volume needed for it to be heard.  

A good way to eliminate click bleed is to use a pair of the heavy isolation style headphones. They are a little pricey but you can get the same results by using ear-bud, Walk Man style headphones, and shotgun ear muffs from your local sporting goods department at Wal-Mart. Great for practicing as well, but be careful that they don't become a crutch.

Beautiful Soul From Cynthia Layne

Cynthia Layne’s video in which she sings her song, “We,” is simple yet elegant, just like the singer. Shot only in black and white, the video is stylish, yet it does not distract the viewer from the most important element of this production, that being Layne’s effortless, luxurious vocals. The gifted vocalist deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Anita Baker and Patti LaBelle.

Layne discusses the creation of the video, “We got together with Ross Simpson, who has his own video company. We told him that we wanted to do something simple and very clean, because the song (“We) is very simple. We decided to do it in black and white to keep it simple. We didn’t want a lot of action going on in it, since it is my first video.

 

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