Ottawa jazz artists Renée Yoxon and the Jean-Pierre Allain Trio (Denis Ouellette on drums, Normand Glaude on bass, and Jean-Pierre Allain on piano) will perform their arrangements of songs by Dave Frishberg, “the Stephen Sondheim of jazz song-writing”, in The Songs of Dave Frishberg at 7:30 on Thursday April 26 in the Fourth Stage of the National Arts Centre.

Dave Frishberg’s song catalogue includes such hits and cult classics as “Peel me a Grape”, “My Attorney Bernie”, “Van Lingle Mungo”, “Blizzard of Lies”, “Can't Take You Nowhere”, “Zoot Walks In”, “Do You Miss New York”, “You Are There”, “Useless Waltz”, “Sweet Kentucky Ham”, “Slappin’ The Cakes On Me”, and “Walking On Wall Street”.

Dave Frishberg has enjoyed a career remarkable for both its quality and its diversity. Long known as one of the outstanding pianists in jazz, Frishberg has also established himself as an internationally recognized composer and lyricist as well as a solo performer with a loyal following. Early in his career, during the 1960s, he was a busy pianist in New York City, playing regularly with the major jazz artists of the time, including Ben Webster, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Carmen McRae, and Gene Krupa. In 1971 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a studio musician and stayed active in jazz circles. He has recorded with a diverse array of artists, including Manhattan Transfer, Jimmy Rushing, Bud Freeman, Bill Berry's L.A. Band, Susannah McCorkle, Kenny Davern, and Rebecca Kilgore. Frishberg has become best known for writing and recording his own songs and performing them in prominent jazz and cabaret venues. Four Frishberg albums have earned Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Susannah McCorkle, Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Diana Krall, Blossom Dearie, Carol Sloane, John Pizzarelli, Bob Dorough, Tony Bennett, Jamie Cullum, and Mel Torme. His songs, including the well-known “I'm Just A Bill”, appeared regularly on ABC’s Schoolhouse Rock series. Frishberg’s current recordings are on the Arbors Jazz label. His latest Arbors CD is Retromania: Dave Frishberg at The Jazz Bakery. His earlier recordings are available on the Concord, Blue Note, and Fantasy labels. He makes his home in Portland, Oregon.

Young vocalist Renée Yoxon is a central figure in Ottawa’s jazz scene thanks to her grace, captivating presence and beautiful voice. In only a few short years, Renée has firmly established herself as a musician dedicated to the art of jazz singing. In 2005, while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in physics, Renée began her jazz studies with acclaimed Toronto jazz vocalist Tena Palmer. In 2009, Renée was awarded her B.Sc in physics, with minors in math and music. In 2010 she participated in the National Arts Centre’s Manhattan on the Rideau masterclasses led by Theo Bleckmann and Peter Eldridge. Renée received an Astral Emerging Artist Award from the National Arts Centre and Astral Radio which helped to fund a summer in New York studying with John McNeil, Janet Lawson, Peter Eldridge, and Karen Nimereala. In the fall of 2010, Renée released her first album entitled Let’s Call it a Day, a minimal and intimate, jazz-inspired guitar/voice duo with veteran guitarist René Gely. This work showcases her clear and unembellished lyrical delivery, poignant song choice, and emotionally charged performance. Copies of Let’s Call it a Day sold out within the first year of its release. Since the release of her first record, Renée has been garnering notice at the national level with several of her tracks receiving airplay on such radio shows as CBC Radio 2’s Tonic with Katie Malloch, Planète Jazz’s Let Lève-Tards with Annie B, and Dinner Jazz on Jazz.FM91.

Since the late 1970s, Jean-Pierre Allain has established himself as one of Ottawa’s favourite pianist-accompanist-arrangers in many of the region’s best ensembles, including the Vernon Isaac Big Band, the Champ Champagne Orchestra, the Ottawa Saxophone Quartet, and smaller groups led by such notables as Hugh O’Connor, Rene Lavoie, and Brian Tansley. He has led his own trios, quartets, and quintets during the Festival franco-ontarien, the Ottawa and Halifax Jazz Festivals, and, for many years, has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. He has led Ottawa-based rhythm sections accompanying such jazz exponents as Eddy Davis, Kenny Davern, Warren Vaché, and Nicolas Payton. Jean-Pierre has also recorded many concerts for radio broadcasts, including a 2-hour show celebrating CBC Radio’s fiftieth birthday, featuring the works of both French and English Canadian composers, and one featuring compositions by Cole Porter. One of his favourite projects was a 2-hour recital of Gershwin music, interpreted by his sister Ann on vocals and arranged in a way that merged originality with the author’s original intentions. This program was presented twice as part of Les Concerts Ponticello, where it was often referred to as the best concert of the year. More recently, Jean-Pierre participated in the recording of two CDs with jazz singers from the region, as leader, arranger, pianist, and composer. A third CD is being recorded. A fourth, containing a dozen original compositions interpreted by the Jean-Pierre Allain Trio, will be recorded at a later date.

The Songs of Dave Frishberg takes place in the Fourth Stage of the National Arts centre at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday April 26. Tickets are $20; they can be purchased at the National Arts Centre Box Office in advance or, if available, at the door on the day of the concert.

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Information:  
Gerald Morris
Communications Officer, NAC Music
613-947-7000, ext. 335  
[e-mail]  gerald.morris@nac-cna.ca