August 2014

!earshot

August 28, 2014

in Press

Like a Circle in a Spiral, !earshot, August 28, 2014
by Shelley Gummeson

Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, in her letters to R.H. Horne in 1839, “the luck of the third adventure is proverbial’.

Juno Award-nominated singer and pianist Fern Lindzon’s third recording Like a Circle in a Spiral is indeed an adventure in song. She reimagines classics and makes her original songs seem timeless.

In this recording Fern personifies a woman who lives confidently with her own instincts and artistry. She has taken 11 songs that span distance and time and made them personal with her vocal and musical arrangements. There are moments where she is smart and smouldering, sublimely elegant, and flowing in her interpretations. In addition to some originals, the album includes an eclectic grouping of the work of Michel Legrand, Mary Lou Williams, Cole Porter, Yiddish ballads, and a contemporary Israeli song sung in Hebrew.

The framework of the album rests on Lindzon but she has some wonderful accompniment with Michael Davidson on vibes, David French on sax, George Koller on bass, and Nick Fraser on drums. Flutist Bill McBirnie is like icing on the cake on two of the tracks.

Lindzon sets the stage for the album with the Ron Sexsmith tune “Jazz at the Bookstore”. The song lightly admonishes our habit of listening with half an ear in urban settings, but Fern makes it tres cool.

I haven’t thought about the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” in years, or “Night and Day” for that matter. Both are wonderfully renewed and inventive in Lindzon’s hands.

You’ll hear French or Spanish on many recordings but on Like a Circle in a Spiral you’ll hear Hebrew and Yiddish, which really makes ths album interesting to listen to. Language is a beautiful thing especially when it’s underpinned by music.

Fern Lindzon has really raised the bar with this album, and who knows, maybe third time will be the charm.

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Los Angeles Jazz Scene

August 1, 2014

in Press

Like a Circle in a Spiral CD Review, Los Angeles Jazz Scene, Aug 2014
by Scott YanowLike a Circle in a Spiral

Fern Lindzon is a major singer and pianist based in Toronto. She is an excellent harmonically-advanced pianist who has a haunting voice and a subtle but modern style. On her third CD as a leader, Like A Circle In A Spiral, she interprets all types of superior obscurities with only a reinvented “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” “Night And Day” and perhaps Mary Lou Williams’ “What’s Your Story, Morning Glory” being jazz standards. The other selections are just as worthy with lots of subtle surprises and unexpected twists and turns in her arrangements. The consistently thoughtful music features top-notch sidemen (David French on soprano and tenor, vibraphonist Michael Davidson, bassist George Koller and drummer Nick Fraser plus two guest appearances by Bill McBirnie on flute) who all make strong contributions. Whether it is “Even Divas Get The Blues,” Egberto Gismonti’s “Loro” or the witty “Jazz At The Bookstore,” Like A Circle In A Spiral (available from www.fernlindzon.com) will reward repeated listenings. Fern Lindzon is one of quite a few talented Canadian jazz performers who deserve to be much better known in the U.S.