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Contemporary crooner

Sinclaire takes on Coltrane Gershwin and Stevie Wonder

Being a contemporary jazz vocalist is tough. Of all musical styles jazz and classical are the two most dominated by greats and songs that have evolved into standards. Instead of young jazz singers writing standards of their own most resort to singing the best tunes from the past. Breaking new music into a world drowning in old talent is nearly impossible. Instead succeeding in the world of vocal jazz relies on carefully and uniquely interpreting old songs adding personal flavour to reinvigorate sleeping melodies. In this context Canada is teeming with contemporary jazz vocal talent and one of the best is Toronto’s Denzal Sinclaire.

Sinclaire who currently lives in Berlin but cut his teeth singing in and around Toronto has released three impressive albums on Verve Universal’s jazz imprint. His most recent and arguably most mainstream set is a selection of ballads culled from all eras of traditional jazz and some tunes that border on the contemporary.

“I think ballads are one of my strengths” says Sinclaire. “While this isn’t a straight-ahead ballads album the feel of it overall is quite relaxed. This was definitely a conscious decision as I wanted to develop an atmosphere of sorts to make the album sound more soothing and relaxed.”

Entitled My One and Only Love Sinclaire’s ballads album is by far the most adult contemporary collection in his oeuvre. In pushing towards that sound though Sinclaire stretches his voice further than past efforts as the laid-back instrumentation and careful note selection put more focus on his vocal arrangements than usual.

“I have to resonate with both the melody and the lyrics” Sinclaire explains. “Plus even if the song has a bit of a melancholic vibe I need to come at it from a hopeful attitude. As I’ve gotten older and sang more I have realized that it is always better to keep the music positive and light and sing with that in mind especially within this jazzy pop world.”

The song selection on My One and Only Love was a cathartic process for Sinclaire who along with his production team trimmed nearly 50 standards down to 12. Coltrane and Johnny Hartman are represented as are the prolific Stevie Wonder and Gershwin. Yet throughout the process Sinclaire decided to try and put the focus on the inherent beauty of the song and not on the fact that he was singing it.

“I try not to make the songs about Denzal Sinclaire” he says. “I try to make the songs more about the songs but I know that in so doing it takes on the flavour of the person who is singing and resonates back on me. Yet it is the songs that are important to me. For example a couple of records ago I sang a version of ‘I Got Rhythm’ and in the studio I felt like treating it differently than most. I changed the harmony and altered the vocal intensity but all in hopes to complement the song. It took it away from history but still reflected where it came from. That is what I see today — jazz singers delving into more contemporary repertoires and interpreting them in a more pop or non-jazz manner. But it always remains about the song.”

That is how My One and Only Love succeeds. It’s a beautiful collection of jazz vocals that could give any classic vocalist a modern shake-up. While Sinclaire never forgets the history tied into what he is singing his interpretations breathe new life into each note exemplifying at their core the best of both worlds.

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