Interview with JUNO-Winning Vocalist Ranee Lee
Interview with JUNO-Winning Vocalist Ranee Lee
Today on What On What's Good with Jovin Tardif, I am here with Montréal jazz vocalist Ranee Lee. In her latest project, the international superstar Ranee Lee honours Céline Dion with her new album "Because You Loved Me". Songs include "My Heart Will Go On", "Because You Loved Me", “Tale As Old As Time”, “I’m Alive”, “The Prayer” and much more. In our #cinqque5tion interview, we discuss her favourite song from the new album, her children's book "Nana What Do You Say?", making Celine Dion classics her own, collaborating with other artists, and much more.
1. If you can only pick one, tell us your favourite song from your new album, Because You Loved Me, and why?
It’s difficult to choose a favourite song from this recording. There’s such a great variety of styles and rhythms in each wonderful arrangement that strongly compliments all moods. Essentially every song I personally selected is intimate and expressive. The immediate preference that comes to mind is the title song “Because You Loved Me”, I suppose that’s the reason why I chose it for the title of the album. Learning the lyrics I personalized each song with its own meaning to me. “Because you loved me” is testimony!
2. Was it difficult to make Celine Dion classics your own?
Once there were no restrictions on changing the style of the original arrangements I was totally comfortable with the concept. Although it is true that Celine has put her fantastic and creative signature to these songs, they will always hold their original place in all of us who adore Celine, however, Jazz is an interpretive music, and found in so many of the classic and standard song books of the day. Jazzers are no strangers to improvising and reconstructing songs as it is one of the art form basics, and so much fun to do!
3. You have performed with many jazz notables including Clark Terry, Bill Mayes, Herb Ellis, Red Mitchell, Milt Hinton, Oliver Jones, and Terry Clarke. Do you have a favourite and why?
Every celebrated and notable instrumentalist I’ve been privileged to share music with are like precious gems set in a crown of experiences, each one sharing their brand of genius and complimenting me with their presence on stage or on recordings. Personalities such as bass men John Clayton, Ray Brown, drummers Jeff Hamilton, Ed Thigpen, and Tenor Sax man David Murray have also been causes to pinch myself gratefully for performance opportunities. Still, for the question asked, there is no doubt of my long-standing admiration and friendship with the unequivocal likes of Oliver Jones. If you have heard Oliver play live, if you have any of his numerous recordings, then enough said! He has generously mentored hundreds of music-oriented youth, supported causes to enhance well-being and better living, brings comfort to his audiences worldwide with his evident passion for music and piano virtuosity. In every accolade, he is a genuine and honest person, and has been an important identity in our lives........!
Also and perhaps not as widely known but enormously respected by every musician he has ever crossed paths with notably Richard Ring is my favourite!
4. Can you tell us about your children's book Nana What Do You Say?
Early in 1994, we released the great recording Juno Nominated CD “I Thought About You” with a fantastic nonet ensemble of some of Canada's finest. Richard Ring, Oliver Jones, Dave Young, Terry Clarke, Dave McMurdo (arranger), Mike Malone (arranger) Colin Biggin, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Richard Beaudet, and Michel Dupire.
At that time Richard and I were the proud grandparents of six grandchildren, three little boys, and three little girls. Today there are fourteen, some with children of their own, she says Proudly! The lyrical story of this song that I wrote “Nana, What Do You Say ?” is the direct interpretation of our life and experiences with the children at the time. They visited on a regular basis with their cuteness and wonderful personalities, and they were adored and showered with every imaginable loving grandparents' attention. So when the proverbial visits came to an end there were always the precious bartering and begging and promising’s that ensued. Followed by “So, what do you say Nana??????
Writing the song ( which is a hilarious memory today), inspired me to follow one of my other passions, visual art! I illustrated the scenarios and captioned each drawing in an Interactive story and conversation that I feel represented many a loving relationship between grandchildren and grandparents.
The book is published in English and was translated into French by my fantastic publishing company “Pirouli”, Florence Bolte, editor in chief!
It is Book One, and Book two is ready to go as soon as my schedule permits.
5. Who were some of your musical influences growing up and why?
2000 was quite the musical journey for me, I had previously appeared throughout the years in a number of fantastic theatre productions, another great passion. Inspired by these two motivating elements of my career, singing (Jazz) and Acting, for which I won the prestigious Dora Mavor Moore award for my portrayal of Billie Holiday in the first-ever Canadian Production of “Lady Day at Emersons Bar & Grill.” I awoke early one morning with permeating thoughts of how much I had been influenced and benefited by the enormous contributions of so many great artists who were silent warriors of this industry yet responsible for the careers of so many. Choosing the women whose journey forged a massive path for me and many others, was the homage I personally wanted to pay as a disciple of their legacies. So I wrote the musical “Dark Divas” about seven women who godmothered my career. Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Lena Horn, Pearl Bailey, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald!
6. Where can we see you next?
I will be in the company of and among ten amazing and talented musical geniuses, Taurey Butler piano, and arranger, Dave Watts bass, Carlos Jiménez guitar, Jim Doxas drums, Ron DiLauro trumpet, Richard Beaudet tenor saxophone, Muhammad Abdul Al Khabyyr trombone, The virtuosities of two violins and a cello, the recording features Kate Bevan Baker, And Emilie Brule violins, and Amanda Keesmaat cello. We will perform for the first time the music of my newest recording “Because You Loved Me”
We will be appearing on July 9th, 2022 at the famous theatre Monument National, 1182 St Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2X 2S5 as guests of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal!
Hope to see you ALL there! Thank you..
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