This interview takes us over the pond to Canada to speak with a favourite jazz artist of ours, the lovely Diana Panton. I do always wish that we covered a bit more jazz than we do, and maybe that is something that I will look at next year. I came across Diana Panton when I reviewed her album “Cheerful Little Earful” in 2019 for another publication that we won’t mention here (LOL). That album was a reach out to get a younger audience listening to jazz, and it is an aim to be applauded. I remember (please excuse the name dropping) speaking to the wonderful actor Alan Rickman, who I knew back in the day, and he spoke up about how actors who were working on children’s stories were sometimes looked at as lesser in some way, when actually they were real craftsmen and women. The same applies in music; that album got me hooked as an adult!

JUNO Award winner Diana Panton has established herself as one of the brightest lights on the international jazz scene, praised by listeners, musicians, and critics alike for her ethereal vocals, exceptional song selection, and emotive nuance. Diana is pleased to announce the October 25 release of her eleventh album, “Soft Winds and Roses.” Our review of the album will be out shortly, with Anna-Louise writing that up at the same time as we are editing this feature!

A departure from Diana Panton’s more recent albums, “Soft Winds and Roses” features modern classics composed from the 1960s onwards, including songs by Lennon and McCartney, Burt Bacharach, Gordon Lightfoot, Don McLean, Ron Sexsmith, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, and more. Diana’s signature sound, which Jazz Times called “arrestingly beautiful,” makes every song her own, and the feather-light intimacy of each track is so direct that the lyrics feel like a secret passed between Diana and her listener. The album’s arc follows a relationship, beginning shyly with hard-to-declare feelings, continuing through a deeply emotional connection, and finally separating with lingering traces of love. 

Why songs from the ‘60s onward?  Diana Panton explains, “Through the years, I have recorded several compilations for the Asian market, and I was often asked to include a bonus track that was a bit more contemporary and well-known in that market than some of my more obscure song choices. Fast forward to the present: I decided to assemble a selection of modern standards composed from the 1960s onward. It was a fun challenge to bring our trio’s distinctive sound to these modern classics, mixing well-known songs like Elton John’s ‘This is Your Song’ alongside some new jazz standards, such as Fred Hersch’s ‘A Wish (Valentine).'”

On soft winds and roses, Diana Panton’s evocative vocals are backed by the artistry of two long-time musical colleagues—both former members of George Shearing’s ensemble—who have made significant contributions to the beauty and passion of Diana’s previous albums: pianist/vibraphonist/bassist/arranger Don Thompson (Officer of the Order of Canada) and guitarist Reg Schwager (Member of the Order of Canada). The minimalist instrumentation on soft winds and roses enhances the raw emotion of Diana’s vocals. Thompson plays as though he is in conversation with Diana, hanging on her every word, sensing her every breath, and responding in kind. Schwager dazzles with shimmering runs, yet is always understated, playing in full support of the lyric.

With all that in mind, we wanted to speak to Diana again, as we last spoke to her around the time of the release of her last album, “Blue” (2022), which we have linked below. 

You can stream her music from here, and let us just give a nod to those 83k + numbers on Spotify now and rising. 

To the interview: Hello Diana, always nice to say hello, hope this finds you in good spirits as we enter the ‘season of mellow fruitfulness!’ 

Diana: Nice to hear from you again. I’m doing well – the ‘season of mellow fruitfulness’ is my favourite time of year! 

The last time we spoke, you had just released “Blue,” which had close relatives among your release as it was part of a wider trilogy. It really drew close to a wider story. ‘Soft Wind and Roses,” on the other hand, sits alone more. Is that a fair comment,  do you think?  

Diana: The latest release actually has ties to my compilation releases in Asia, which usually include a bonus track consisting of a more contemporary, well-known song.  This sprouted the idea for an album of modern classics.  That said, this album differentiates itself from all my previous North American releases, whose songs largely stem from 1920–50 rather than 1960 onwards. 

We have heard the whole album through once only at the moment. At first listen, you seem to have scaled the instrumentalisation right back; the music is very bare on many of the numbers, which does equate to elevation of the vocals with the simple melody beneath (I’d say especially true for “Here, There and Everywhere”). I think you also have one less musician than you used on “Blue”—are we on the right lines with this?! 

Diana: The trio of Don Thompson, Reg Schwager and myself is where we started out with our first two albums and this has always been the backbone for all subsequent albums, though we have, over the years, invited several wonderful guest soloists to join us—the “RED” and “Blue” albums featured a string quartet as well.  It was nice to get back to our roots with “Soft Winds and Roses.”  Aesthetically, I feel very at home with minimal instrumentation and it also helps that Reg and Don are two of the most humble and skilled accompanists/soloists/musicians out there. 

We do a  monthly editorial now. In the October editorial, Benny responded to a piece in a national newspaper over here in the UK. We totally disagreed with the piece, which basically was saying that rock had nothing new to offer—it concludes with “In the current post-modernist era, however, rock has dwindled. And, if it’s not careful, it could go the way of classical, big band and swing, and jazz.” In our opinion, this writer is not listening to the wonderful new music from jazz and rock that is out there. Are you with us in this? What do you feel Jazz is still offering that is “new”?  

Diana: First, I would like to say that I believe art, in all of its forms, is one of humanity’s greatest creations.  As a teenager, I discovered jazz through my dad’s old vinyls and further expanded my love of the genre by visiting the local library and music store, where I would flip through CDs and cassettes for hours, inadvertently absorbing song lists and artwork, selecting those albums that would become the soundtracks to my life.  Since that time, listening trends have shifted to online consumption and most retail music stores in my area (and around the world) have closed.  What does this mean?  The upside is that more artists can release music with a lot more artistic freedom and consumers can access more music at lower prices or at no charge at all.  The downside is that the market has become flooded with good and bad quality music and there is limited revenue for artists from this source. I believe the listener’s ability to bond with an album as a whole has been greatly compromised for a number of reasons.  Firstly, the album artwork has been reduced to a 2×2 cm square with no liners, no song credits, and compressed sound files (deluxe downloads aside), so the palpable interaction with the medium is reduced significantly.  Also, the start-to-end listening experience of a vinyl or CD has been largely replaced by listening to individual songs online, which has greatly jeopardised the existence of the album as a conceptual whole.  Add to that the significant rise of Netflix, Crave, etc. (especially during the pandemic) and now you have people binge watching show after show …  so where is the dedicated listening time or the teenagers trying to play guitar sequestered in their bedrooms for hours (probably playing video games instead)? The shift in music consumption has been undeniable.  That said, when I discovered jazz as a teenager, it was already considered a “past” genre with a “niche” market, but no one needed to tell me it was good—I heard it and, more importantly, I felt it!  Jazz connected with my soul—here is where art resides (outside of all markets, money, algorithms, and forward thinkers).  Artists will always create—that’s what artists are compelled to do.  Trends shift constantly; I don’t think as artists we need to worry about something that is beyond our control.  As for Jazz offering something “new,”  I don’t feel as an artist this is my highest goal, but rather to offer something “true”—if I can genuinely put my soul into it, then I believe the art will resonate—even if it is with just one like-minded listener somewhere on this planet, then I have done what I set out to do. 

We often like to zone into a song from the album that was a favourite. Our favourite from the album was your cover of “How Deep is Your Love.” Can you talk us through your approach to that track, why you chose it and how you set about your version? 

Diana: Thank you! This song was a special request for a Taiwanese release.  We approached it as we do all our renditions.  I sang it through for Don; we picked a key and then he wrote an arrangement (he’s pretty gifted at this, by the way).  Without rehearsal, Reg joined us in the studio and what you hear is what you get.  We were really happy with how this one turned out.  It is one of our favourites too. Glad you like it! 

Are you enjoying what you do as much as you did when you first set out? Have your targets changed? And how would the 16-year-old you feel if she was listening to the new album? 

Diana: The only target I have ever had was to make music I believe in and that I feel could stand the test of time.  I have stayed true to this vision, despite challenges and external pressures along the way. I can proudly say that I think all of my albums are representative of me as an artist.  You can go all the way back to our 2005 debut release, “Yesterday Perhaps,” and the vision was there as it is now with “Soft Winds and Roses”.  My 16-year-old self was a very astute listener who demanded authenticity from any albums that ended up in my favourites pile. It may seem deceptively easy to just “be yourself,”  but I always fought for my ideas (when necessary) and was staunchly not worried about the trends and the chatter. 

We wondered if you were a cat fan!? “Pussywillows Cat-Tails” is on this album, and on “Blue,” there is a cat happily sitting next to the bath on the video for “Nobody’s Heart.” 

Diana: Definitely a cat lover!  The cat in the video was “Sahara,” a very special companion who passed last year and whom I miss deeply. She listened to me practice many of the songs for this latest release.

Lastly, any plans you can share with us for the rest of the year up to Christmas? 

Diana: Just the release of the new album online on October 25th and CDs available as of Nov 15th

And, as ever, we wish you well and all the best for the new album.

And we hope you liked the feature, dear reader! If you did, please check out the other pages of the magazine; we have many great features, merchandise, editorials, and even poetry! We work hard for you, and if you want to show some appreciation and support what we do, then do use the Support Us link below! Always appreciated.

Artist website here

By Mark C. Chambers

and

Anna-Louise Burgess

One Reply to “Diana Panton: “Jazz connected with my soul—here is where art resides.””

  1. I always enjoy jazz and this is such an interesting feature. Congratulations to the artist and journalists involved. I look forward to the album.

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