Swing-Out Edmonton Blog

Darcy Bundy

From guest blogger, Darcy Bundy:

A hush fell over the crowd.

The entire theatre fell silent the moment that Jill Barber took to the stage at the Myer Horowitz. Her gorgeous blonde hair glistened in the stage light as she struck a pose and her band started to play. And then she started to sing.

My skin began to tingle as Jill’s beautiful voice began to fill the theatre and her shadowy form was lit up on stage. By the end of the first song I was convinced that I would never hear anything so beautiful again.

The music poured off the stage like a waterfall in which Jill shared her life story with us. She told us about the inspirational time that she spent in Banff writing the songs for her new CD, and how her love for many places around Canada has influenced her music. Her showmanship never once ceased as she introduced every member of her band with a hint of pride in her voice. Her secret hope of becoming Canada’s Sweetheart slowly seeped into our dreams while she melted our hearts with her music. Above all, though, were the songs about her relationships. These were the reasons why she raced across Canada falling in love with so many places.

With story-telling prowess, Jill sang about how she had followed her heart from Ontario to Halifax, and then again from Halifax to Vancouver; it was as though her story was written by C. S. Lewis. In both French and English, her heart paved the way for some of the most touching poetry I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Simply put, her performance would simply
not have been complete had she not met her “fast talkin’ man” and other men, like her husband, whom she wasted no time crediting with being the inspiration of her song writing. And “the worst ones,” she said as she looked around the stage, “are the jazz musicians.”

Jill Barber

From the jazzy, ivory-tickling doctor, to the handsome, “ladies”, tour manager playing the upright base, each one of Jill’s band members showed us exactly what it means to enjoy music. You could see it in their faces. The pure, unblemished, essence of blues that I have come to appreciate so much in the last several years. Music for the sake of music; music that inspires movement; music that requires no explanation.

Her violinist, Drew, opened Mischievous Moon with several enrapturing bars that set the mood for an experience that I will not soon forget. For those of you who did not have the pleasure of seeing Drew during Alex Pangman’s incredible performance during the Edmonton International Jazz Festival earlier this summer, let me sum it up: he is incredible. And he continued not to disappoint during this performance. Drew is an incredibly gifted musician who plays the violin, clarinet, saxophone, and also whistles! I didn’t realize that Jill and Alex traded him back and forth until he had stepped out onto the stage and was drawing his bow across the strings of his instrument.

The band received a standing ovation as they finished up and disappeared backstage. They received so much applause that Jill and her band decided to bless us with not one, but two encore songs! The audience cheered as she received a request for “Hard Line,” and she wow’d us with her soft, tantalizing voice once again. To close, Jill sang us a lullaby, nay, “a melody soft and sweet,” before joining us in the lobby to sign our CDs and take pictures.

Jill's friendly friends took this photo during their last moments in line with me.

I was already a fan of Jill Barber before going to this concert, but after listening to her live I am convinced, now more than ever, that I should have dragged more of my friends along so that they could see just what I am so excited about. Jill Barber has definitely hit a sweet spot in her musical compositions and will hopefully continue to voice the truth about who she is through her music! I will definitely be going to see her again in the future!

And who knows… maybe next time there will be a dance floor.