Jill Barber returns to the Jazz Fest stage with something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue
The chanteuse closes the annual festival with an in-person and streaming concert
Jill Barber studied philosophy and drama at university while playing every open-mic night and coffee shop gig she could.
Jill Barber performs at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival on July 4 at 8 pm PDT at Performance Works. The concert will be livestreamed as well (and available for viewing until July 6).
GROWING UP IN in the Ontario town of Port Credit, Jill Barber worshipped her older brother, Matthew. So when he got a guitar at age 16, she wanted one, too. By the time she could strum a few chords, she had discovered an innate talent.
“I have not stopped writing songs since I was 14,” Barber tells Stir in a phone interview. It’s a skill that has earned Barber three JUNO nominations; a shared JUNO with her beloved sibling for their joint effort, The Family Album; and a string of albums in English and French. Her 2018 album Metaphora featured the hit ‘Girl’s Gotta Do”, while Chances, her breakthrough jazz release, went Gold in Canada. Her tracks have been featured on major shows such as Orange Is The New Black and The L Word. Her most recent release, last year’s Entre Nous, is her full first album featuring original songs in French.
While Barber started out in folk, she now falls in the jazz category, her romantic, whimsical repertoire influenced by 1960s French pop.
When Barber closes the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival on July 4 with a live show in front of a small crowd at Performance Works (which will stream until July 6) audiences can expect a sampling of styles and songs that have marked her career—and then some.
“For all my shows I like to play something old, something new, something borrowed—a cover—and something blue—a sad tune,” says Barber, who’s married to Grant Lawrence with two young children. “But folks can expect a preview of some new tunes from the forthcoming album and also a song or two in French.”
Despite her early love for music and song, the East Vancouver resident didn’t always think she would pursue a life in the arts. Both of her parents are academics (her father is an immunologist and her mother is a teacher), and she studied philosophy and drama at Queens University. During post-secondary school, she got her feet wet, performing at every open-mic night and coffee house she could. Barber later spent time in Halifax, drawn to its thriving music scene. To help pay the bills, she got a job as an accounts receivable officer at an alternative newspaper. As more and more gigs started coming up, she would hop on the the Greyhound bus to places like Fredericton, Moncton, and Charlottetown to perform.
“I was having to start to say no [to shows] because of my 9-to-5 day job,” Barber recounts. “It didn’t pay that much anyway. And I wasn’t even good at it. I cashed in some Canada Savings Bonds that my grandma had given me, so I had a little nest egg, quit my job, and never looked back.”
That was when she was about 22 years old, nearly two decades ago.
“Coming up to my 20th anniversary as a professional musician makes me feel… Experienced,” she says.
Barber adores her work just as much now as she did when she first started out.
“I love everything about it,” she says. “I love writing songs. I love collaborating with other songwriters. I love performing with other musicians—I’m so looking forward to getting back to that. I love being in front of an audience and being on stage and connecting with strangers through music. I love going on tour and getting see my country and beyond. I love that my job every day is about creating new songs that will hopefully mean something to somebody else. I love it all.”
Barber was extremely active during the pandemic with online concerts—whether through her website, the Side Door, or her knockout livestream from the Palomar, a high-tech re-creation of a 1930s Vancouver supper club. But nothing can replace the feeling of performing live with like-minded artists in front of real people.
“I’m so looking forward to playing with the other musicians I have lined up,” Barber says. “Until it was taken away from us, I took it a little bit for granted, even though I have always appreciated making music on stage with other incredible musicians.
“It’s my favourite experience because it’s so collaborative; it’s such a beautiful, connective experience,” she says. “To be able to share that with an audience both in person and virtually is really special—to be able to gather and be together as a community.”
To hear more from Barber, check out her Instagram Live interview for the most recent Stir Coffee Chats hosted by Artigiano, during which she discusses everything from vaccine equity to her love of gin.
For more information about the Jazz Fest, visit coastaljazz.ca.
Related Articles
