MAKING THE MUSIC MINE: Modifies Musical Art Form

[Karrin Allyson] "The fact that you can develop jazz songs and improvise, the fact that you can make it your own. There's such a vast amount of material that you can constantly discover for me that lives on a day-to-day basis." (singing in French)...
[Jana McGuire] Do you think there are certain instruments that complement your voice better than others?"
[Allyson] "I think that in my brain right now which could change, I don't really want a big band behind me or beside me 'cause I like to belt it out occasionally on blues numbers and stuff like that, but I don't want to feel like I have to, and I basically want any musician around me who is sensitive to that and I will be sensitive to theirs, too. It is a two-way street. What I'm preferring now is guitar, piano, bass, drums and that's probably obvious of the instrumentation today."
[McGuire] "You've been compared to Ella Fitzgerald. That seemed to be a wonderful compliment, but is it also a little bit intimidating?"
[Allyson] "It's pretty daunting. I think people need that anchor in order to say what's she like and they go like Ella Fitzgerald only blah, blah, blah. I think where they get that is that I do improvise a lot vocally doing scat singing and I would never ever say that myself but it's not bad company to be mentioned in the same sentence with her either." {singing} "I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm and as jumpy as a puppet on a string, and I'd say that I had spring fever when I know it isn't spring. I'm as starry eyed and vaguely discontented like a nightingale without a song to sing. Oh, why should I have spring fever when I know it isn't spring and I were wishing I were somewhere else walking down a strange new street hearing words that I have never heard from a man I've yet to meet.I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams and as giddy as a baby on a swing. And I haven't seen a crocus or a rose bud or a robin on the wing but I feel so gay in a melancholy way that if it might as well be spring. {scatting} Yes, it might as well, might as well be spring."
[McGuire] "What is scat? It's almost an artform in itself."
[Allyson] "It certainly is. It's vocal improvisation. It's taking syllables and making up your own melody of an already existing song or form. It's never okay, only a guitar solo here or only a vocal solo here or only piano or only bass or only drums. It does vary and that's why it is jazz and improvisation because it's changeable and we're always having to listen to one another to see what's going to go on. These guys watch me which is wonderful because they allow me to lead it. That's because I write the paychecks. No, it's because they're great musicians and hopefully the music works because of it."
[Allyson] "Paul Smith, everybody." {singing } "I'm a restless as a willow in a windstorm..."
Musicians that I have worked with a long time know that almost anything could happen. Musicians that I don't know very well soon find out. It's not that it's that unreasonable either. It basically follows a form but not like from tune to tune. It's just watch me and interesting things could happen. That's going to be part of them, too. It's such a chamber music kind of a thing which is what I love about it is we all have to listen to one another. Everything everyone does is important.:" {singing} "..walking down a strange new street hearing words that I have never heard from a man I've yet to meet. I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams and as giddy as a baby on a swing. I haven't seen a crocus or a rose bud or robin on the wing but I feel so gay in a melancholy way that if it might as well be spring, yes, it might as well, might as well be spring. (scatting)... Might as well. (scatting)... Might as well be spring. (applause)..."
[McGuire] "Do people in the industry find it hard to accept a jazz singer from Nebraska or is that even a factor?"
[Allyson] "I don't think they find it hard to accept it. They like to talk about it, you know, like fresh blown in from the prairie, that kind of thing. It's really surprising to know. But actually it's rather ignorant on anybody's part because Miles Davis came from St. Louis. I mean, we could name a myriad of people, great jazz people so there are great players everywhere and I guess yes, they do find it interesting but I find that surprising."
[Allyson]{singing} "Come with me, my love, and seize the day and live it, live it full and live it fast... Never thinking once about tomorrow till tomorrow's been and gone and past. We'll pour the wine and fill the cup of joy and drink it, drink as if it were the last. Live, just live for life. In ferry today, in Amsterdam tomorrow 60 minutes through the skies. Fly with me to see the setting sun and won't you stay with me to see it rise and say to those who say to live this way is mad, mad you'd rather be than wise. Live, just live for life. (applause)...

[Allyson] "I love "live for life" which is a great, I think, premise for life. Come with me, my love, let's seize the day and live it, live it full and fast. I like to think that that could be my mantra." {sings} "If you let me I will lead you to the mysteries and wonder of a love you've never known before. Share the splendness to be shared, magic places to explore. Dare the dangers to be dared. Life is all of this and more, this and more. Come with me, my love, let's seize the day and let's live it full and live it fast. Never thinking once about tomorrow till tomorrow's been gone and past. We'll pour the wine and fill the cup of joy and drink it, drink as if it were our last. Live, just live for life. Live, just live for life. Live, just live for life."
[McGuire] "If someone hasn't heard you, they ask well, what kind of voice do you think you have, how would you describe your voice?"
[Allyson] "It's funny because I have heard people describe it and it sort of runs the gamut. Pure, bell-like, and then raspy, smoky. So how would I describe it is a difficult thing for me to do and I don't know how to do it."
[McGuire] "Let's talk about your show today. What songs were you particularly pleased with today?"
[Allyson] "I can tell you what songs I love. I love them all. I love the French tunes, the real purely French tunes. It's "If you go away" and it's this desperate lover, one lover who is talking to another lover that if you leave me, I don't know what to even do with my dog. That's how the French are. We all are but they are brave enough to say it and admit it, you know."(singing French)...
[McGuire] "How do you take the standards -- the standard jazz tunes and, I guess, stylize them so they're your own?"
[Allyson] "I think that takes time and I think that's a big thing about this music, jazz, because it is about making it your own. It's not about doing it like someone else did. Certainly it's going to have echoes of someone else possibly or influence hopefully of the greats that people maybe don't know. But it's definitely going to have your own stamp on it.How are you going to do that? Just by doing it, day-to-day almost like any other profession." {singing} The falling leaves drift by my window, the autumn leaves of red and gold. I see your lips, the summer kisses, the sunburnt hands that I used to hold. Since you went away, the days grow long and I soon I hear oh, winter song but I miss you most of all, my darling, when the autumn leaves start to fall."

[Allyson]" I can sit down and play, for example, "Autumn Leaves" and say do I want to do this like a waltz in three-four time or do I want to do it in four, straight ahead do-ding-do or a-doop-boop-a-doop or do I just want to do it rabato which means go all over the place. So when you decide how you want to do a song and you perform it and say that either worked or it didn't and then if you are fortunate to work with players on a pretty consistent basis then you can work out your own language together." {singing} "Ooh, what moonlight can do, ooh, what moonlight can do to you. You're in love, your heart's aflutter and all day long you can only stutter because your poor heart will just not utter those words, I love you.
[Allyson] "It is about making it your own and making it mean something especially with a vocalist, I think the lyrics have to come across and tell a story. {singing} "You can't resist him and all you can say is when you have kissed him, what some moonlight can do, what some moonlight can do to you."
[McGuire]"What makes a good song?
[Allyson]"If it speaks to you as a performer, I think, and if you can relate it to the audience." {singing}..."Because your poor heart will just not utter those words, I love you. What some moonlight can do to you. Just wait a while till the moon beam comes peeping through. You'll get bold. You can't resist him. All you can say is that when you have kissed him is ooh. I said ooh, ooh, what some moonlight can do.
[Allyson]"The reason that jazz is so great is because you can always go further with it. Jazz really attracts, I think, a wonderful group of people whether it be the musicians especially or the audience members because it takes really cool people to be involved in it."