Singer jazzes up music of Cohen
Mallory Chipman remembers hearing Leonard Cohen’s music as a child.
“I was drawn to the high female backup vocals that were so gorgeous and ethereal,” says the Edmonton jazz singer, composer and arranger.
“As I got older, I started digging into the lyrics and found that there are few artists that are so poetic, and I was really in love with that side of him. Just amazing metaphor and figurative language that he would use to create such a vivid image with his music.”
It was inevitable that she combine her kind of jazz with Cohen’s genius. The result is the album Rags and Feathers: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen.
Chipman is releasing the recording on tour and performing a show of Cohen covers and originals that she says will appeal to jazz and folk enthusiasts alike.
“I really do believe it has the power to connect with a lot of people, so I’m really excited about taking it on the road,” says Chipman.
She had no plans to do a Cohen album, partly because her debut album Nocturnalize was still fresh and because she couldn’t afford it. But when Cohen died last year, jazz legend Tommy Banks stepped forward and insisted she do it.
It’s hard to say no to Tommy Banks. Particularly when he’s your grandfather.
“I’m so grateful for his support and encouragement,” said Chipman.
Banks and his daughter — Mallory’s mom — definitely influenced her musical tastes. When she was five at a Banks concert, he dedicated Satin Doll to “my own satin doll, Mallory.” She thought ‘Oh, my gosh!’
“I grew up not knowing who the Spice Girls were or the Backstreet Boys but I listened to a lot of Pat Metheny and Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen — a lot of these artists who are less common, but I didn’t know that.”
Undertaking Cohen, Chipman was careful to balance the songs that would sound best by her musicians with her desire to represent a cross-section of his music.
“The music did change and the lyrics did change but the quality didn’t. He may have had different influences that appear during different parts of his career but it’s all so beautiful and all so sensitive and thoughtful.”
Songs on the album include Ain’t No Cure For Love, On the Level from Cohen’s last album You Want It Darker, Suzanne and, of course, Hallelujah.
Chipman has already shared her jazz covers with audiences at biennial Cohen gatherings in Dublin and Amsterdam and found they’re open to the liberties she takes.
“It’s been done so perfectly and so beautifully by him, why do it the same way? To make it new and unique and to personalize it and make it authentic to me, the only way I saw fit to do that was really to transform it to fit my style and my approach. While I was a little nervous, it was really well received.”
In concert, Chipman will be joined by Brett Hansen on guitar, Josh McHan on bass and Jamie Cooper on drums.