Following upon the success of Lily Swings, Lily Frost
continues her exploration of the American songbook. Infectious and charming are
the best words to describe this album. Backed by a great band and arrangements
that recall the heyday of swing - with just a hint of western swing, Lily
blends a period feel with a contemporary sensibility. This recording appeals to
both veteran jazz fans and a young contemporary audience.
Lily was
featured on Michael Feinstein's Song Travels on National Public Radio
http://etvradio.org/post/lily-frost-song-travels performing songs from both Too
Hot For Words, and Lily Swings.
Singer-songwriter
Lily Frost occupies a very special place on the Canadian music landscape. With
eight albums to her credit, she blends elements of rock, jazz, tango, film
noir, French chanson and swing. Lily fled the nest at age 18 to study jazz in
Montreal. One serendipitous day, while flipping through sheet music at a record
store, she was asked to
audition for
a band, The Sheiks. Lily joined them on stage the very next night. The Sheiks
covered songs from the 1920's, doing Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway and Big Mama
Thornton, while also giving Lily a trial-by-fire education of the blues. From
that first performance, Lily was drawn to the stage and has never looked back.
Meanwhile, back at university,
Lily found herself restless. She was anxious to make records and hit the road.
Consequently, during exam week, she found herself traveling in a rickety van to
The New Orleans Jazz Fest with a bunch of French garage rockers.
Instead of
going back for her third year, she accepted an offer to sing in Cairo for six
months. Returning to Canada, she settled in Vancouver where legendary
rockabilly star, Ray Condo asked her to be the featured vocalist in his group,
The Swinging Dukes. Lily sang with The Swinging Dukes for a few months until
Ray told her, "You gotta get your own thing going, kid". Lily Swings,
her tribute to Ray Condo, was released on Marquis in 2008.
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