Pairings
George Koller, bass (feature)
Reg Schwager, guitar (feature)
Karl Schwonik, drums (feature)
Steve Amirault, voice (feature) with Jon Maharaj on bass and David Restivo on piano
Daniel Janke, piano (feature)
David Restivo, piano (feature)
Featured sax trio:
Richard Underhill (alto sax)
Kelly Jefferson (tenor sax)
Shirantha Beddage (bari sax)
“Straighten Out” arranged by Steve Jones
“Always” arranged by David Restivo
Produced by Fawn Fritzen and Daniel Janke
Art direction, design, and layout by Michael Wrycraft
Photography by Jeffrey Care
Engineered by Daniel Janke, Bob Hamilton, and Jonny McKibbin
Recorded at Northern Town Films (Whitehorse), Old Crow Recording (Whitehorse), Canterbury Music Company (Toronto)
Mixed by Daniel Janke at Northern Town Films (Whitehorse)
Mastered by Phillip Shaw Bova at Bova Lab (Ottawa)
released April 29, 2016
Track List:
- Do Do Do 03:22
- Make It a Double 05:38
- Tea for Two 04:08
- La tête dans la lune 02:18
- Small Day Tomorrow 04:57
- Just a Little Dance 03:41
- Always 05:01
- Can’t Find My Way No More 03:43
- Begin the Beguine 03:55
- Lies of Handsome Men 04:23
- Straighten Out 03:21
- Please Send Me Someone to Love 05:25
Description:
Pairings: playful and passionate with bluesy undertones. An intoxicating voice paired with Canada’s finest jazz musicians, including David Restivo, George Koller, Reg Schwager, and more.
This is the second recording from the award-winning Fritzen, a Whitehorse-based artist who came up with an adventurous concept for the album. As the title suggests, every song features a pairing of Fawn’s voice with one particular instrument.
The couplings on different tunes include acoustic bass, guitar, piano, prepared piano, percussion, and a saxophone section, resulting in a rich variety of tones and musical moods. The instrumental formatting means the arrangements are generally on the sparse side, but there is a large dynamic range to Pairings. The settings place a clear spotlight on the vocals, and Fritzen’s warm, strong, and clear voice is certainly up to the task.
“The Yukon jazz singer makes the minimalism work on her second album ‘Pairings’. By limiting herself to very few backing players – and in most cases, just a single supporting musician – she creates a lot of open room for her sublime singing and her collaborators’ superb sense of swing. I’d like to suggest one more pairing…all jazz lovers’ ears and this wonderful recording.”
— Mark Rheaume, CBC Radio
