Karen Young

“She balances herself between jazz and folk, passes from gregorian chant to Richard Desjardins with a remarkable fluidity as if it was nothing. Karen Young possesses a rare talent.” —Marilyne Garneau , Le Journal de Québec

“Karen Young's new album offers us an hour of exotic music that supports this voice, always as fascinating as the singer herself. Karen Young turns out to be a remarkable arranger, a mature songwriter, and a sensitive interpreter.” —Francine Julien, Le Soleil

“... what hits you when you enter the universe of Young, is the huge variety of musical colours that she creates from many influences: jazz, chansonnier, traditional music from Eastern Europe, musique actuelle and contemporary. In an era marked by a proliferation of albums where unity of tone is the law, consisting of perhaps two or three colours, we listen to Karen Young's latest album with the impression that we're visiting not a simple loft, but a house with many expressively coloured rooms!” —Jean Gagnon Doré, Magazine Chanson

Description

After having sung with Michel Donato for 8 years in the extremely black and white style of bass/voice, I longed for harmony again. I was also writing songs again, something I hadn’t done since I was very young. Jazz had made me think that I wasn’t a composer. I was too into learning the standards and considered myself an interpreter. When I left the duo I had a record’s worth of songs. It was terrifying because these new songs were in a style I never listened to, being something of a jazz police. But this was a very important step for me to make and it is really with this record that I turned the page and started creating again.

It is still a lot easier for me to interprete than to sing my own songs. But the feeling you get in the creative mode is too ecstatic to pass up. We named the new record company URSH, bringing back the fact that I had composed before, with the song Garden of URSH, and would again.

We were very fortunate to have the incredible Theodosi Spazov, world renowned kaval player, in Montreal at the time. He plays on two of the songs. Here began my love of traditional folk instruments in all their non tempered beauty, for the eyes as well as the ears. Theodosi plays in an entirely contemporary way as well. I had just fallen in love with Richard Desjardin’s music and had asked him if I could sing some of his songs. There are three on this record.

The band started as a trio, Triple Sens, with bassist Norman Lachapelle and percussionist Francine Martel. Francine and I had started some of the tunes while playing with her new-fangled (at the time) drum machine. This trio, augmented with drums and eventually background singers (including my daughter Coral) toured for several years.

Chaude était la nuit (Richard Desjardins)
Family fight (Karen Young / Karen Young, Francine Martel)
Alone (Trad. Bulgare / Karen Young)
I just wanna be with you (Karen Young)
Pilgrimage to the sun (Karen Young)
On m'a oublié (Richard Desjardins)
Return (Karen Young)
Requiem (Gradual Triplex / Karen Young, Norman Lachapelle)
War (Karen Young / Karen Young, Francine Martel)
Illusion of forever (Karen Young)
Quicksand (Karen Young)
Freedom (Karen Young / Karen Young, Francine Martel)
Lucky lucky (Richard Desjardins)
It is political (Karen Young / Karen Young, Francine Martel)

Production — Karen Young, Jean Lacasse
Arrangement — Karen Young, with
Norman Lachapelle (8)
Francine Martel (2,9,12,14)

MUSICIANS and VOICES
Norman Lachapelle — electric and acoustic bass, synthesizer
Francine Martel — percussion
Karen Young — voice, background vocals, electric (2) and acoustic (3) guitar, piano (5)
Richard Beaudet — alto flute (4), tenor sax (14)
Coral Egan — background vocals (1,2,7,10)
Tim Jackson — synthesizer (7,11,14)
Jimmy James — electric guitar (2,11)
Theodosii Spassov — kaval (3,8)
Wayne Stoute — drums
Guy Thouin — tablas (10)
Ross Whiteman — electric guitar (1)
Doug Young — background vocals (1,2,7,10)

SOUND
Recorded at Studio Works
Engineer — Mario Rubnikovich
Mix — Mario Rubnikovich, Karen Young

COVER
Design — Musigraphe Inc.
Photos — Jean-François Gratton