It´s 10.30 am on a sunny autumn morning when I ring at the door of Erin Kann.
D. opens the door to their home; the scent of mandarin tea, scattered
half–read books and soft cushions jostle for space whilst children´s laughter
mixes harmoniously with Erin´s singing exercises : something timeless
pervades the air.
We sit side by side at the piano, simply chatting and as the conversation turns, I detect varying shades of tender emotion reflected in her voice; her DNA has been forged from the wisdom of previous generations and their lives.
Each word is carefully chosen just like the music. She tells me about her father, a passionate jazz clarinettist, and her mother, who is fond of painting and interior design - she owes so much to both - her Normandy, the music and danse classes, her career as a graphic designer and the driving force behind everything - her love of music. Erin talks passionately about Ella Fitzgerald and Al Jarreau, who she considers the greatest of all vocalists, about scat, the art of vocal improvisation that goes beyond words and renders the voice the first and principal instrument. Improvisation is firstly about listening, to others of course, but also to that small voice that tells you that anything is possible and to believe in your own ability and your own richness. She proposes a rendition of her interpretation of “Paint the world´. In an instant I discover a singer-songwriter who is expressive and generous, moving seamlessly from simple grace to deep emotion. The rhythm is incisive and her vocal range broad, vibrant and tinged with a depth reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan. Her music and lyrics flow and melt together, charged with emotion thanks to her use of minor keys : “The more a poet sings from his ancestral roots, the more genuine he will sound” Cocteau said. You like jazz ? Don´t hold back. Her music is audacious, vehement and imaginative, which takes the listener far whilst revealing her creative and rhythmical skills.
The time has flown but this is immaterial. It´s time for lunch. Recently arrived friends tease the kids who are asking for fries, the telephone rings and D. signals us. Erin proposes that I stay for lunch and I find myself acceding easily. After listening to Erin Kann I find myself energised with the strange sentiment that I am unchanged... but better.
Elizabeth Touzê - November 2007
We sit side by side at the piano, simply chatting and as the conversation turns, I detect varying shades of tender emotion reflected in her voice; her DNA has been forged from the wisdom of previous generations and their lives.
Each word is carefully chosen just like the music. She tells me about her father, a passionate jazz clarinettist, and her mother, who is fond of painting and interior design - she owes so much to both - her Normandy, the music and danse classes, her career as a graphic designer and the driving force behind everything - her love of music. Erin talks passionately about Ella Fitzgerald and Al Jarreau, who she considers the greatest of all vocalists, about scat, the art of vocal improvisation that goes beyond words and renders the voice the first and principal instrument. Improvisation is firstly about listening, to others of course, but also to that small voice that tells you that anything is possible and to believe in your own ability and your own richness. She proposes a rendition of her interpretation of “Paint the world´. In an instant I discover a singer-songwriter who is expressive and generous, moving seamlessly from simple grace to deep emotion. The rhythm is incisive and her vocal range broad, vibrant and tinged with a depth reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan. Her music and lyrics flow and melt together, charged with emotion thanks to her use of minor keys : “The more a poet sings from his ancestral roots, the more genuine he will sound” Cocteau said. You like jazz ? Don´t hold back. Her music is audacious, vehement and imaginative, which takes the listener far whilst revealing her creative and rhythmical skills.
The time has flown but this is immaterial. It´s time for lunch. Recently arrived friends tease the kids who are asking for fries, the telephone rings and D. signals us. Erin proposes that I stay for lunch and I find myself acceding easily. After listening to Erin Kann I find myself energised with the strange sentiment that I am unchanged... but better.
Elizabeth Touzê - November 2007