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 Saturday, 20 March 2010 |
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Off the Zephyr Track: An Interview With Paula Lammers |
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Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor
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Tuesday, 07 February 2006 |
 Paula Lammers
Twin Cities’ vocalist Paula Lammers has spent five years aboard the
Minnesota Zephyr in Stillwater, singing standards, growing an audience,
and wondering where her musical journey would take her. With the recent
release of A Blanket of Blue
(Nightingale Jazz), the destination seems clearly focused on the
presentation of great songs reflecting a personal “longing for
connection,” sung with clear conviction and exemplary musicianship.
Jazz Police caught up with Paula to chat about the new recording and
her journey in seeing this project to fruition.
JP. How you decided to includes these songs on your first
recording--are these overall favorites or new material for you?
PL. I wanted to set a mood for this recording while still having a
variety of sounds to keep the listener interested. I have a personal,
special connection to each song on this CD. Each song has a story
that relates to my journey as a singer and as a person. The theme
of longing for connection emerged, as did an unconscious choice of
material with references to the sky--thus the title, "A Blanket of
Blue" and the artwork that emerged from the title. When I
began to plan the material, I knew I had to do my arrangement of "The
Moon and I" if for no other reason than to introduce this little- known
song to my listeners. The song was originally written for the
movie "Yentl", and I know of only one recording of the song, done by
classical singer, Jessye Norman. This version is very different!
I also felt strongly that I wanted to include my original,
"Goodbye...Again" because it is the kind of piece that requires a
real connection of mood and feeling between the pianist and the
singer to work, and to do it justice, I felt it had to be recorded.
"I Thought About You" is in tribute to my gig on the Minnesota Zephyr,
where I got the performing bug 5 years ago, and where this musical and
personal journey, so to speak, began for me.
JP. I am guessing there is a story behind “Goodbye… Again” and how
Jeanne Arland Peterson became involved in the arrangement?
PL. I wrote "Goodbye...Again" over a period of time. It is a
metaphor in many ways for the process of letting go, of accepting how
things are and being okay with the reality of one's life at any given
moment. My husband and I spent a few years in a long-distance
relationship, and I wrote this at a time when he was doing a lot of
traveling, which stirred up memories of the longing to be together from
that earlier time.
When we started work on the project, I had only a lead sheet with the
words, melody, and rhythm--no changes. We were rehearsing at
Jeannie's house, and she ended up sitting down and writing the changes
out. Then Peter and I worked with the interplay between the voice
and piano, and we ended up with a finished song that we could take into
the studio. I was a nervous wreck, because it is the kind of song you
cannot overdub. We had to get it in the studio, together. I
was battling bronchitis during the recording, and I was really afraid
my voice wasn't going to be there to get it. But we did a few
takes the first day, then came back and tried two the next day. We got
it the second day, second take. And we knew when we had it.
We didn't look back.
JP. You pulled together an ensemble of great musicians. Had you worked
with these guys before?
PL. No kidding! I hadn't worked with any of them before. It
was pure, dumb luck. I was talking to my friend, Darren Rust, an
audio producer and the bass in the a cappella vocal group, "The
Blenders." I was quizzing him about the cost of doing a CD, and
he said, "Let me make a few calls and get back to you." So a week
later he called me with a quote for the project, which included hiring
an arranger and producer for the band. When he told me it would
be Billy Peterson, I knew I was going to go for it. How often
does that opportunity fall into your lap? So I walked into this
not knowing any of these guys personally, and walked out with five new
friends who have all been incredibly supportive and helpful in my
growth as a musician. They are all fabulous human beings who make
the most incredible music.
JP. What would you like to do next, in terms of performance and/or
recording?
PL. I really want to get out there and let people know who I am, to
build my audience. I also want to do creative things with songs
that are underappreciated—to breathe life into things that are not
heard all the time. And I'd love to find the time to do more song
writing. My next recording project will reflect the above ideas.
I already have two or three tunes in mind. What I do know is that
it will be uniquely different from A Blanket of Blue because any
project I do will be a reflection of where I am at personally and
emotionally at that point in time, because that is what my music is
about. I don't have any desire to sing a song that I don't have
the life experience or emotional connection with which to be able to
sell it to an audience. Singing is intimately connected to the
spirit, and that is where it is at for me.
Click herefor a Jazz Police review of A Blanket of Blue.
Visit
www.paulalammers.com for
more about this artist, her tour dates, and CD. |
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