I recently did some jury duty. No, not the courtroom kind, but a panel that the Pacific Music Industry Association convened on behalf on the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record (FACTOR). Sitting on the jury, which evaluated applications from jazz musicians for recording loans, revealed insights about what sets apart above-average artists from mediocre ones.
My fellow jurors and I arrived at our decisions by considering written submissions and recorded examples. We weren't supposed to compare the applicants, but it was hard not to. It was soon clear that advanced technique wasn't necessarily the reason why certain applicants made the cut. Especially with the singers, it often had more to do with an ability to convey life experience-real or imagined-through distinctive music.
Dawn Aitken (not one of the applicants) has that ability. The singer shows it throughout Be Cool, her impressive debut album. Highlights include standards like ìThe Nearness of You" and tunes from the pop world such as the title track by Joni Mitchell. Aitken's dynamic phrasing, tone and overall character suggest she's paid her dues in the vocal craft and drawn from that experience to develop an engaging sound. This sophisticated yet playful quality compelled me to pay attention to Be Cool.
Aitken must be doing something right-no less than five members of the lackadaisical music media showed up at Rossini's Gastown for her CD release party.
I don't think any of us had ever heard of Aitken before the disc came out. In Toronto, she put in a lot of time doing jingles and voiceovers for radio and television. She also worked in musical theatre and in the intimate cabaret setting. ìThat's was my classroom," says Aitken. ìThat's where I learned to choose material." She lived in Halifax for a while before moving to Vancouver about two years ago. Aitken has kept a low profile here, partially out of necessity-she's a single mom.
That obscure status will change as more people discover Be Cool, which also has a soulful version of ìSmilin' Faces," a hit for Motown's Undisputed Truth in 1971. But is it jazz? A woman from Cape Breton talked to Aitken after she performed in a Halifax club. After emphasizing that her husband was the jazz fan, the woman said,"If this is jazz, I like it." Ditto for me.