Swoon Music

"I'm feeling in a good place, musically, and kind of on the path that I want to be on,” the former self-proclaimed “smoky folkie”, Jill Barber, on the line from her home in Vancouver, admits, “which I continue to explore. But I'm really proud of this record.”

The record in question is latest album, Mischievous Moon, a collection that recalls classic jazz standards from last century, but is still entirely her own. The transformation from folk-oriented singer-songwriter to jazz diva began with her previous album, 2008's Chances.

“I think Mischievous Moon is a really natural progression from Chances. A lot of the songs were written, just like Chances in a sense. I spent time at a writing retreat in the Canadian Rocky Mountains at a place called the Banff Centre, which is an international Earth Centre. I've been there a few times. I wrote a lot of the songs on Chances there and I also wrote a lot of the songs for this record – it's a really special place for me. It's where I go to write and reflect and get away from everything and try and open the floodgates of ideas and creativity.

“I did some collaborating with great people – the guys in my band were incredibly important with this record. It was a really collaborative experience for me. I think songs come from a place of experience, and kind of being more comfortable as a singer, a songwriter, a musician and performer. Yeah, this next stage in my life, I suppose a lot's happened since the last record. For me, this is my way of keeping a record of what's going on in my life, in my head and my heart.”

A major life turning point has certainly been her recent marriage, so there's plenty of love and romance across Mischievous Moon. The release was produced and co-written once again by her guitarist, Les Cooper, but the big difference, however, is the lush string arrangements, courtesy of the 'Mischievous Moon Chamber Players'.

“I really wanted to create a soundtrack worthy of this music. I wanted to go for a lot of high drama and certainly paint with a broad palette of colours and instruments. It's just so tempting to use strings for dramatic effect and to really help build songs. Dynamics were really important to us on this record, for sure.”

If, apart from the more darkly pop Tell Me, Mischievous Moon is about Barber tipping her hat to the great jazz divas – Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore – then If It Weren't For Loving You, with the addition of accordion to the musical palette, points to the other side of the pond, such as French chanson Edith Piaf. In fact, Barber finishes the album with a French rendition of Tell Me, Dis-Moi, a nod too to the French-speaking side of the Canadian coin. “And it's all leading to my next record,” she explains, “which I'm working on right now – a French covers album. I'm definitely experimenting lots with French and European influences.”

Jill Barber will be palying the following shows:

Wednesday 24 October - Clarendon Guesthouse, Katoomba NSW?
Thursday 25 October - Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW
Friday 26 October - Heritage Hotel, Bulli NSW
Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 October - Sydney Blues And Roots Festival, Windsor NSW
Wednesday 31 October - The Basement, Circular Quay NSW
Thursday 1 November - The Abbey, Canberra ACT
Friday 2 November - Bennett's Lane Jazz Club, Melborune VIC