EVELYN LAURIE - Take Five No: 84
Can you tell us about your new album?
Ever since primary school I’ve loved old Scottish songs. When I got involved in jazz, I used to think about how some of these could be revived and given new “jazz clothes”. In 2019, I was invited to take part in an arts festival in my home town that was named after Robert Tannahill, local bard and contemporary of Robert Burns. It gave me the focus to start collecting some old songs and reworking these.
It seemed to go down well with the audience, so I enlisted the help of Euan Stevenson to work further on my selection of 18th and 19th century Scottish songs. Euan is a talented arranger and together we deconstructed and reconstructed the tunes.
We managed to get into the studio during gaps in the lockdown. Although the recording and production process ended up being more protracted than usual, it did allow for more time to think what else might work with our arrangements. And it allowed me time to write the title track, 'My Scottish Heart '(Mo Chridh Albannach).
I think all the wonderful musicians enjoyed working on the material and each brought their own ideas and inspirations to the creation of the album.I know it’s a bit of a risk to mix genres and move away from recognised jazz repertoire, but these old songs deserve to be remembered and appreciated by new audiences. I hope the album will appeal to a broad cross section of people - including the Scottish diaspora across the globe!
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I’m currently working with another Paisley musician on a collection of songs about the town, again more traditional than jazz, but I hope I do still bring some jazz flair to it!
I’ve also got a few other jazz projects simmering away and am doing a bit more songwriting. Hopefully the next album will be “A bit more of me”!
Ever since primary school I’ve loved old Scottish songs. When I got involved in jazz, I used to think about how some of these could be revived and given new “jazz clothes”. In 2019, I was invited to take part in an arts festival in my home town that was named after Robert Tannahill, local bard and contemporary of Robert Burns. It gave me the focus to start collecting some old songs and reworking these.
It seemed to go down well with the audience, so I enlisted the help of Euan Stevenson to work further on my selection of 18th and 19th century Scottish songs. Euan is a talented arranger and together we deconstructed and reconstructed the tunes.
We managed to get into the studio during gaps in the lockdown. Although the recording and production process ended up being more protracted than usual, it did allow for more time to think what else might work with our arrangements. And it allowed me time to write the title track, 'My Scottish Heart '(Mo Chridh Albannach).
I think all the wonderful musicians enjoyed working on the material and each brought their own ideas and inspirations to the creation of the album.I know it’s a bit of a risk to mix genres and move away from recognised jazz repertoire, but these old songs deserve to be remembered and appreciated by new audiences. I hope the album will appeal to a broad cross section of people - including the Scottish diaspora across the globe!
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I’m currently working with another Paisley musician on a collection of songs about the town, again more traditional than jazz, but I hope I do still bring some jazz flair to it!
I’ve also got a few other jazz projects simmering away and am doing a bit more songwriting. Hopefully the next album will be “A bit more of me”!
Click on the album cover to read our review
What are you currently listening to and what was the last CD or download you bought?
I recently started listening to Ethiopian jazz which I think is undergoing a revival and is very interesting music. Perhaps, again, because it infuses jazz rhythms with native traditional music.
What is your all time favourite album and why?
Being a Gemini, I’ll pick two! Both JM’s - Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and John Martyn’s “Solid Air”. Both wonderful singer-songwriters. I love how Joni tells stories so beautifully and I think the jazz-folk sound of “Solid Air” had a strong influence on my musical taste at an early age (perhaps now coming out in the new album!)
Who has caught your attention recently that we should be listening out for?
Not sure how late I am to the party but I heard Rosie Turton recently and think her writing and blend of instrumentation are great. I think she has huge potential and will continue to produce exciting and innovative work
I recently started listening to Ethiopian jazz which I think is undergoing a revival and is very interesting music. Perhaps, again, because it infuses jazz rhythms with native traditional music.
What is your all time favourite album and why?
Being a Gemini, I’ll pick two! Both JM’s - Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” and John Martyn’s “Solid Air”. Both wonderful singer-songwriters. I love how Joni tells stories so beautifully and I think the jazz-folk sound of “Solid Air” had a strong influence on my musical taste at an early age (perhaps now coming out in the new album!)
Who has caught your attention recently that we should be listening out for?
Not sure how late I am to the party but I heard Rosie Turton recently and think her writing and blend of instrumentation are great. I think she has huge potential and will continue to produce exciting and innovative work
