Diana Panton - Soltice / Equinox

Diana Panton

The first song Diana Panton remembers singing in public is an old American jazz standard called "'Tis Autumn." Its "la-de-da" chorus invites a scat delivery and it's been well-covered by the greats including Carmen McRae, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. Panton was a teenager, attending a four-day "jazz camp" when she first heard the song sung by one of her instructors. At the end of the session, campers were encouraged to perform at the closing concert. Panton picked "'Tis Autumn" without accompaniment. It was the only jazz song she knew. The song has stuck with the two-time Juno winner ever since, but she's never been able to find a place for it on one of her albums — until now. "'Tis Autumn" is one of 13 jazz gems on Panton's seasonally themed album "Solstice/Equinox," which is being released online and in stores Friday, Nov. 3 (Dr. Disc in Hamilton). "'Tis Autumn' was the very first song I ever performed in front of an audience," Panton recalls. "I was so unbelievably nervous. And that was the start of everything, that song. It has been with me as long as any song has." Not long after, Panton would sing "'Tis Autumn" to audition for the Hamilton All Star Jazz Band, again without accompaniment. On "Solstice/Equinox" she was originally going to sing "'Tis Autumn" a cappella as she had been doing all her life. But this time, she decided to try something different. Order of Canada saxophone player Phil Dwyer had flown in from British Columbia to be part of the recording session. They decided to try it together, just vocals and tenor sax. It worked like a charm, the Dwyer's sax dancing through the spaces left by Panton's smooth delivery. "The one you hear is the first take," Panton says of the session. "We never rehearsed it or anything. That's just live, right off the floor." Dwyer isn't the only Order of Canada winner performing on Panton's album, her eighth. There's also pianist Don Thompson and flugelhorn/trumpet player Guido Basso, as well as four-time National Jazz Award winner Reg Schwager on guitar. The four master jazz players combine with Panton on standards such as "They Say It's Spring," "The Heather on the Hill," "Estate," "Cloudy Morning," and "By the Fireside." ~ Hamilton Spectator

Price: $18.99

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