What do Heather Bambrick, Matt Dusk, and Barbra Lica have in common with Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, The Weeknd, Drake, and Sia? Well, besides the fact that we’re all JUNO nominees, we’re also sharing the same music … in VERY different ways! (Hear it, HERE!)
Just after the JUNO nominations were announced, I got a note from Matt Dusk, asking me if I would be interested in a project that would have me and a few of the other Vocal Jazz nominees doin’ some Pop, Rock, R&B, Rap tunes. My brain should have said “HUH?!”, but without missing a beat (<ahem> … pun intended) I agreed, not quite knowing what I was signing up for.
The result was a FABULOUS mashup of styles and sounds, in a JUNO Jazz medley that has everyone talking! Under the musical guidance of Marc Rogers, the hits of more “mainstream” artists were combined with instrumental tracks inspired by everyone from Buble to Sting, and sung by Vocal Jazz nominees Matt Dusk, Barbra Lica, and Your Truly. The songs covered are Shawn Mendes’ “Treat You Better” (performed by ME a la Mighty Might Bosstones), The Weeknd’s “Star Boy” (performed by Matt Dusk as a lounge-y bossa nova), Alessia Cara’s “Here” (performed by Barbra Lica, with a Buble-esque instrumental), Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” (which I sing with instrumentation inspired by Sting), and Drake’s “Hotline Bling” (performed by Matt in a style that could be described as Del-Shannon-meets-Frank-Sinatra).
And you know what? People are loving it!! In just a few days, the YouTube video already has over 12,000 views, and counting! It’s been played and / or talked about on CBC Radio, Much Music, Canadian Beats, FYI Music News, Toronto Life, iHeart Radio, Kiss FM, and CTV, to name a few. We’ll continue to promote it during JUNO week (March 27-31), with appearances on the Global Morning Show (Monday morning), AM740 (Tuesday morning), AM640 (Tuesday afternoon), JAZZ FM (Wednesday morning), CFRB (Wednesday afternoon), and CTV Morning Live – Ottawa (Friday morning).
Here it is, in all its glory: the 2017 JUNO Jazz Mashup / Medley!!!
