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June 3, 2005
Kid-inspired jazz tunes
Jennifer Gasoi says she's writing her best music now.
KYLE BERGER
Musical artists all over the world seem to be on a mission to write
the perfect song – one in which unique chord progressions would
flow meaningfully with the melody, combining for musical brilliance.
Jennifer Gasoi was one of those artists. As a jazz singer/songwriter,
she was always trying to put as much detail into her music as she
could to impress the fans who came to see her show her stuff. Then
she reached out to a completely different genre of music lovers
and everything changed. As she works her way through her Canadian
tour, Gasoi told the Bulletin how she finally found her musical
voice in children's music. She's bringing that voice to the Norman
Rothstein Theatre (NRT) June 12, performing songs from her debut
album Songs for You.
"As the years went by, I did a little dabbling in children's
music and I produced a small demo of about five tunes for kids,"
she said. "I sent it to my cousin in Montreal, who was six
at the time, and two weeks later her mom called me and said that
her daughter was going nuts for my music."
Gasoi changed her focus and now believes that she is writing some
of her best music ever.
"What I love about writing for kids is that it can be simple,"
she said. "There is so much more about songwriting than just
the chord changes and melody and I really started connecting with
this simple style. It was really freeing for me."
Growing up in the local Jewish community, Gasoi always had a passion
for working with children. She worked at various day camps, did
some work at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver and
was the music specialist at Congregation Temple Sholom for several
years, teaching music to Hebrew school classes. However, when she
moved to Montreal a few years ago, she committed to a career as
a jazz performer. That was, of course, until her little cousin ultimately
gave her better career advice.
These days, Gasoi explained, she can't seem to go anywhere without
being inspired musically. "Everywhere I went I was getting
ideas for songs," she said. "The jazz club had an aquarium,
which inspired the song 'Mr. Trout,' and even the pizza man inspired
me. Everything started developing really organically."
This has led to some of her popular tunes like the calypso-themed
"The Lemon Song," the lullaby "Moonpie" and
the upbeat "Color the Blues Away." While it might be assumed
that her new fan base is less critical of her music or performance
than the jazz folks, Gasoi explained that it is quite the opposite.
"In a jazz show, I can get away with a lot and the adult audience
will still clap," she said. "But if the kids don't like
it, you lose their attention right away. There is a lot of interaction
in my show and the kids are going to make it clear if they love
it or hate it, so it keeps me on my toes."
Gasoi will perform two shows at the NRT, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. She
described her show as an interactive event where the parents can
share a great experience with their children.
"The kids are going to enjoy the show and the parents are going
to enjoy the show," she said. "It's going to be a great
calibre of music and there will be good community energy. That's
what it's all about."
According to Gasoi, the show is best for anyone aged two to seven,
or 20 and up. More information on Gasoi or the show can be found
online at www.sparklingproductions.com
or www.29productions.com.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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