Heather Bambrick

From One Coast To Another

Posted on Apr 3, 2018

Heather is hitting the road in May, joining musicians on Canada’s East and West coasts … starting with the East Coast Music Awards!

Halifax, NS, will host one of Canada’s biggest music parties, as the city welcomes the 2018 ECMA conference, including several showcase performances and the awards, themselves, happening on Thursday, May 3. On Friday, May 4, Heather will launch showcases on the Jazz Stage at Lot Six Bar and Restaurant. Joining her will be a crew of East Coast Jazzers, including fellow nominee Florian Hoefner (piano), Tom Easley (bass), Martin Davidson (saxophone), and Mark Adam (drums). The show begins at 8:00 pm and admission is free. For more information, visit www.ecma.com.

Later in the month, Heather heads to the West Coast, joining JUNO-nominated bassist, and BC’s own Jodi Proznick, for shows with Jodi’s award-winning ensemble, including pianist Tilden Webb and drummer Jesse Cahill. On Thursday, May 24, they’ll take the stage at one of Canada’s outstanding live performance and streaming venues: Blue Frog Studios in White Rock. (Click HERE for details and tickets.) Then on Sunday, May 27, Heather makes her debut at Vancouver’s renowned Frankie’s Jazz Club with Proznick and trio. (Details and reservations can be found HERE.)

For more information on these performances and more, visit the SHOWS page on Heather’s website.

News, Performance details

You’ll Never Know Nominated for East Coast Music Award!

Posted on Feb 2, 2018

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

On Monday, January 29, the East Coast Music Association announced the nominations for the 2018 East Coast Music Awards and I am thrilled to announce that You’ll Never Know has been nominated for Jazz Recording of the Year. This is a very special honour for me, personally, as the ECMAs pay tribute to East Coast musicians and their music, so to receive this sort of recognition from my “Homeland” is pretty darned great!

I’m also delighted to be in the same category as these other brilliant musicians. Some of them – like Florian Hoefner and Paul Tynan – are people I’ve worked or performed with in the past, and I’m truly a fan of theirs. The others are artists whose music I’ve recently discovered and appreciate immensely! It’s certainly a broad (and tough) category, and I’m honoured to be a part of it! For a full list of nominees in all categories, click HERE.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the ECMAs which will be celebrated in Halifax, NS, from May 2-6, 2018. The awards, themselves, will be handed out on Thursday, May 3rd, in a ceremony hosted by Jonathan Torrens and featuring performances by Sloan, Rose Cousins, The Once, The Barra MacNeils, and more. You can watch the festivities live as they happen on Bell Alliant Fibe TV1, or at ECMA.com.

News

The Muffin Chronicles: Happy 4th Re-Birthday

Posted on Jan 13, 2018

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

I still remember the first time I saw her little face staring at me from my computer screen. Her eyes, filled with a mixture of sadness and resignation were deep-set and surrounded by fur that was stained to a slightly darker brown than her natural ginger colour. She had a wee bit of snow sitting on the bottom of her chin, giving her an air of grey-haired world weariness, and you could see areas on her front paws where the fur had been shaved off, evidence of some veterinarian work – or so I’d hoped was the cause, because I couldn’t bare to think of any alternative. The picture captured her standing alone amidst a snowy backdrop, her stare void of any sort of joy or playfulness … just a sort of sorrow that instantly made me want to steal her away from whatever world had created that stare and bring her into my life.

I recall the phone calls I made to my parents in Newfoundland, my sister in Washington, and a couple of close friends in Toronto, asking them all if they had any advice as to what I should do. I was single, living alone, and hosting an early morning radio show (when I wasn’t performing or doing voice work), so my lifestyle wasn’t what you’d call “ideal” for raising a dog, much less a puppy mill rescue. However, each of these trusted souls in my life told me to “go for it” and promised to help in any way they could (something for which I’ll be forever grateful). So, I bit the bullet, as they say: I completed the paperwork on line, and – along with my dear friend Lisa – made the trip to St. Mary’s Ontario to visit this sweet little soul at a rescue organization called “Kismutt”.

Kismutt is run by Kimberly Thomas and her family. Kimberly is seemingly tireless in her attempts to end the business of puppy mills in Ontario, specifically, and Canada as a whole. (If you are unfamiliar with the conditions of puppy mills, and the treatment of dogs therein, I encourage you to do some research. They’re horrible places and they are doing tremendous damage to the dogs they “mass produce” there!) Once we were seated comfortably in her kitchen, Kimberly reached under the kitchen table, and pulled out a ginger-haired, stiff-legged, docile little creature and laid her on my lap. This was the first time I met Muffin. For the next 90 minutes or so, I held her on my lap and gently stroked her fur while we we chatted with Kimberly. Eventually, I could feel her relax and settle in my arms. I must admit: it certainly didn’t take the full 90 minutes for me to fall in love with her. I think it was probably more like 90 seconds.

That was four years ago. Since then Muffin’s world has changed tremendously, and all for the better! I documented my time with Muffin in what I began calling “The Muffin Chronicles”, and soon she began to garner a following. Every day or two, I “Dear Diary’d” our life together, telling stories of various things: from our early morning walks, freezing our butts off at “stupid o’clock” before I’d head out to host the morning show … the sluggish process of getting her comfortable with the concept of lying in her crate … the struggles of getting her to eat regularly … her separation anxiety and the way she’d tear up various things in my house due to the stress of being left alone each morning when I went to work … socializing her with other dogs, as she became more and more immersed in my world, including my friends and their fur-babies … her accompanying me to work at various studios and rehearsal spaces, as I recorded commercials and cartoons, or rehearsed for Broadsway performances … visits from my parents (her new grand-parents) and my sister and brother-in-law (which clearly demonstrated Muffin’s ability to create a dog-lover in my mother – someone who was never really partial to animals before Muffin came along) … trips to the vet (the amazing caregivers at Royal York Animal Hospital) and to the groomer’s (Marilyn Zeldin at “For the Love of Dogs”), despite the seemingly endless shaking from Muffin … and finally her introduction to Digby and Finnegan and what would eventually become our new home when I eventually moved in with my partner and brought Muffin into a whole new family. From here, there were all new adventures: trips to the cottage (including a few spins in the boat), visits to Blue Mountain, meeting her cousin Hudson, and even a couple of weekends at Ste. Anne’s Spa. (Muffin seemed to prefer long walks along the country roads there, over the the Swedish massages … )

That’s the nutshell version of the “highlights”. There were struggles, as well. I’ll never forget the call I received from a stranger while on the air, asking me if I owned a dog named Muffin, and letting me know that she was holding Muffin at her apartment. Muffin had escaped from the house and then from the backyard, and made her way down the road, towards Royal York Road and whole lotta morning rush traffic. I still feel anxiety just thinking about it. Thank God Muffin came to the woman when she called her! And thank God I’d heeded the advice of Kimberly at Kismutt who told me to make sure I had a tag on her collar with Muffin’s name and my phone number on it. Apparently, rescues can be prone to confusion and sometimes try to escape their new homes when they’re not yet used to them. Yikes!!

Then there was the time my father got the fright of his life when Muffin got spooked by another dog while Dad and Muffin were out for a walk. She managed to to wriggle out of her collar and took off running down the street, away from my poor father. Because I’d been walking Muffin around the neighbourhood a couple of times a day, she fortunately had the familiarity to find her way back to my house, which is where my father found her: huddled behind my car, clearly still “freaked out”. Another time, we encountered another rescue dog, who (according to the owner) had “recovered wonderfully”. Not so much – while she and Muffin were nose to nose, she lunged at Muffin and tried to bite her face. (My Irish temper and “mother bear protective mode” might have inspired the tongue lashing I gave the owner of the other dog.) There are still struggles with her anxiety (she remains on “doggie-Prozac”) and a continued pattern of chewing blankets, scarves, tea towels, and other things whenever she gets anxious (which generally happens whenever we leave the house). We also still deal with an inability to hold “her business” until we are able to get her outside to relieve herself. Part of the problem of her having lived the first 7 years of her life in cage in the top of a barn is that she quickly learned to relieve herself right there in the cage, where she lived. Thus, the concept of “holding her business” until she’s let outside was never developed in her. She’s certainly better than she was, but we’ve learned to expect varying degrees of cleaning up whenever we’re out or the house for any amount of time.

One of the things I’ve noticed over the past little while is how well-behaved Muffin is. Despite her background and a clear difficulty in traditional “training”. If I want her to come to me, even if she knows that doing so means getting her ears cleaned or having to take medication, she comes when called without hesitation. Sometimes, it’s as simple as nodding my head in the direction I want her to go … she just “gets it” and goes there. When it’s raining or snowing and she goes outside to do her business, she immediately stops at the door upon reentry, sits, and waits for her paws to be dried off, sometimes even going so far as to raise her paw for cleaning without prompting! I can’t help but think that she would have been the most well-behaved, easily trainable dog if she hadn’t endured what she did at the puppy mill.

When it comes to playing or using her voice, she’s getting better, as well. When I first got her, Muffin didn’t make any noise: no barking, no whining, no whimpering … nothing. I still recall the first time I heard her bark, early one morning after I’d closed the door and left for work. (I also still recall crying all the way to work that morning, heartbroken that her first bark was at my leaving her!) Since then, her voice has developed nicely. She certainly isn’t what I’d call a “yappy” dog, but if she senses another dog in the area, or if she feels there’s something threatening close by, she’ll raise her head, open that sweet little mouth, and let loose a few firm “WOOFS” … and will then almost immediately turn to look at me, as if to say: “Is it ok that I did that, Mom?”

Muffin never learned to “play”. She’s never been one to frolic with chew toys, squeaky things, or anything of the sort. However, if she’s ever going get “riled up” and want to play, it’s in the morning, and almost exclusively with my partner. I don’t know if it’s because she sees me as the “Master of the House” (at least someone does!), but she remains pretty subdued with me. But when it comes to my partner, she waits for signs of movement / awakening, and then she jumps, and pounces, and bounds, and nuzzles, and whines joyfully, and generally behaves like a puppy!! It’s the sweetest thing to see and leads me to believe that she finally feels “safe” enough to “play”.

Despite it all, from the chewed up tea towels to the puddles she leaves on the floor, I wouldn’t change a thing. Muffin has brought so much to my life and that of my family. Her personality continues to develop. Never one to miss a cuddle, she’s become quite the little “affection hog”, clearly showing the effect of the “Green-Eyed Monster” and pushing herself in on any affection her brother Digby might be getting. At the same time, when she’s had enough, she’s grown more confident, and will move away from where others may be sitting, in order to lie in her own bed, or hop up on a couch, to sit on her own. While she doesn’t often like to leave either my side, or that of Digby or my partner, she can sometimes sit contently on her own, quietly observing things around her.

So, here we are – 4 years later – and I find myself feeling nostalgic and grateful. I’m grateful to Kimberly and her team at Kismutt for the amazing work they do and for bringing Muffin into my life. I’m grateful to my friends and family for embracing my little fur-baby with such love, care, and concern. I’m grateful to the various studio owners who welcomed Muffin into those initial sessions, when I had no choice but to bring her with me for recordings. (Fact: some of the engineers and producers / directors I work with still ask about Muffin and want me to bring her around.) I’m grateful to Muffin’s Auntie Marilyn for taking such care of her grooming and for always making her look so good, and to the the vets and technicians at Royal York Animal Hospital for their tremendous care and understanding of my little girl. I’m grateful to Muffin’s Auntie Leslie who takes such good care of Muffin and Digby on those rare occasions when we go away without them. And I’m grateful to my incredible partner, who clearly loves Muffin as her own. Oh, yeah, and to Digby for being a terrific older brother … even though Muffin often bowls him over like an over-enthusiastic hockey player in a Don Cherry video! Stay strong, Digs!

Happy Re-Birthday, Muffin! Thank you for the warm cuddles, adoring looks, puppy kisses, and endless love! I’m a lucky Mama!

(If you would like further information on Kismutt, and the wonderful work done by Kimberly and her team, visit their website: www.kismutt.com. They are non-profit and do whatever they can to rescue these dogs from horrible situations, puppy mills, and the like. If you are considering bringing a dog into your home / life, please consider adoption from an organization like Kismutt. I can’t imagine my life without Muffin, and I’ll forever be grateful to Kimberly for finding and rescuing her, and for allowing me to bring her to her “Forever Home.”)

Chit chat

Orchestrating more Symphonic Shows!

Posted on Oct 25, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

After two very successful and well-received shows this past summer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, JUNO-nominated jazz vocalist Heather Bambrick returns to this wonderful format with three more orchestral shows to help close out 2017.

O CANADA with the WINDSOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA October 28 & 29

Heather will be reunited with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra as they present “O Canada” on October 28 and 29. Heather first worked with the WSO in 2016 as a member of Broadsway in their debut performance of Broads on Broadway. This month, she’ll join the award-winning orchestra for a program that celebrates the music of Canadian stage and screen, including works from some of the country’s best-loved musical icons Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young. Performances will be held at the Capitol Theatre (21 University Avenue West, Windsor) and tickets / information can be found at www.windsorsymphony.com.

ONTARIO POPS ORCHESTRA November 25

The celebration of Canada’s Sesquicentennial continues with a performance of more “Canuck Hits” courtesy of the Ontario Pops Orchestra and Durham Chamber Orchestra. Once again, Heather will be featured on some Canadian classics, including those from Anne Murray and Paul Anka. This is a one-time-only performance in Etobicoke (Toronto’s west end), at Humber Valley United Church (76 Anglesey Blvd, Etobicoke) on Saturday, November 25. For tickets and information, visit www.ontariopops.com.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS with the HAMILTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA December 16

What could be better than some of your favourite Holiday music performed by the wonderful Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra? Heather reunites with conductor Lucas Waldin to make her debut with this outstanding ensemble for a program of seasonal classics and lesser-known gems! The concert takes place at the FirstOntario Concert Hall on Saturday, December 16. Ticket and concert information can be found at www.hpo.org.

For more information on these and other performances from Heather Bambrick, visit www.heatherbambrick.ca.

News

For Certain Gigs, You Give Up Chips

Posted on May 20, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

1 Comment

“Can you talk?”, came the text.

I was sitting at the side of the stage, awaiting my performance with Broadsway at the Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival, when I saw the screen of my phone light up with the new message. It was from my friend, the wonderful orchestrator Becca Pellett. I responded, “Sure, for a minute – going on stage soon.”

A moment later, I realized it wasn’t Becca who wanted to talk to me. It was Lucas Waldin, Artist-In-Residence and former resident conductor of the Edmonton Symphony, calling to ask my availability for something. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was putting together a special show in honour of Canada’s sesquicentennial, featuring a program comprised of all Canadian compositions. He would be the conductor for the two concerts, and they were wondering if I was available to perform a few pieces with the orchestra. “At this point, they’d like you to sing Oscar Peterson’s Hymn To Freedom, Moe Koffman’s Swingin’ Shepherd Blues, the Log Driver’s Waltz from that NFB vignette a few years back, and a medley of Anne Murray songs. There may be others added later.” He then went on to inform me that, unfortunately, those were all the details he had: dates and songs. He couldn’t let me know anything else, including what the compensation might be. However, he was wondering if I was able to confirm my commitment, even without having all the information. “Sure”, I said. “It’s the TSO. I trust them to pay me something!”, I joked.

And that was how it happened. With that five minute phone conversation between me in Waterloo, and Lucas Waldin in Paris, I confirmed my debut appearance with 4-time JUNO winning Toronto Symphony Orchestra!!

I’d performed with orchestras before. Many years ago, I did a couple of Gershwin tunes with the Cathedral Bluffs Orchestra in Scarbrough. I’ve appeared twice with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra in my home town of St. John’s. Last year, Broadsway made our symphony debut with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.

But this is different. This is the TSO – 88 brilliant musicians who’ve performed the finest classics with some of the world’s foremost soloists … and now, li’l ol’ me. As soon as the Broadsway performance was over in Waterloo, and I was on the highway returning from the gig, I started making calls to my partner, my parents, and my sister to share the news. Now was the time to celebrate this wonderful new opportunity! The nervousness and excited anxiousness would come later. (In fact, I’m feeling it, now, as I type this!!)

Within the coming months, the paperwork arrived, including contracts, riders, performance details, and the addition of more music – in particular, compositions from Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Eventually, I started receiving vocal parts from the scores, and the preparation began!

So, here we are, three weeks prior to the performance, and my preparation includes learning the arrangements, scheduling media interviews to help promote the upcoming performances, and attempting to end my relationship with potato chips in order to fit into the outfits I’m having made for the two concerts. Yup … once I break-up with my chips, you know it’s getting real! As Johannes Brahms once said, “A symphony is no joke.”

For those of you interested in attending, here are the details of the show:

Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents: CA-NA-DA!

Saturday, June 10 @ 7:30 pm and Sunday, June 11 @ 3:00 pm

Roy Thomson Hall

For tickets and information, click HERE.

And, with that, I must go practice … and throw away every chip in the house!

News

Toronto Jazz Fest Announces All-Star Line-up for Heather Bambrick & Friends

Posted on Apr 10, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

On April 4th, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival announced this year’s line-up for Heather Bambrick and Friends, the series that anchors “The Festival Within The Festival”. And what a line up it is!!

We start things off on Friday, June 23, with the delightful, delicious, delovely JUNE GARBER, featuring Jazz at its most elegant, sensuous best. If you’ve ever seen June in performance, you already know her masterful skills as a performer, easily moving from Jazz standards to Cabaret-inspired gems. Originally from South Africa, June is truly and international entertainer and crowd favourite here, in the country she now calls home. She’s the perfect way to launch the series!

The only way to follow this strong a start is with a powerhouse performer, so on Saturday, June 24, we’ll welcome a woman with talent, energy, “sass”, and incredible command of every stage she graces: Shakura S’Aida! From across the US, into Europe, Shakura has established herself as a true Blues superstar, and we’re incredibly excited to have her “Force-of-Natureness” as a part of the series this year!!

The following weekend marks Canada’s birthday and we’re thrilled to start the weekend on Friday, June 30, with a woman who’s brought her Mexican / South African Roots and flamenco soul to Canada, becoming one of the leading Latin and World Music artists in the country: Amanda has toured internationally, representing her unique brand of multi-influenced Latin Jazz. On this evening, she’ll bring with her a flavour and spirit that will light the Home Smith Bar on fire!

Finally, on Saturday, July 1, we close out the series with the charming, charismatic, and ultra-suave Micah Barnes, whose latest recording New York Stories is delighting audiences across Canada and around the world. As a musician, Micah is a “multi-threat”, working as a singer, songwriter, pianist, and all-round entertainer. We can’t think of a better way to close the series and celebrate Canada’s birthday, than with one of Canada’s best artists.

As in previous years, the stellar cast of musicians with whom everyone will be performing will be lead by the incomparable Russ Little, who will be directing the musical traffic with his usual panache and flair! Once again, the band will include the creme-de-la-creme of the Jazz world, including Tom Szczesniak on piano, bassist Scott Alexander, and drummer Brian Barlow.

If past years are any indication, this series is guaranteed to sell out. It’s a highlight of the TD Jazz Festival, and not to be missed, so don’t wait! Book your tickets today and mark the dates on your calendars! Heather Bambrick and Friends, as a part of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival’s “Festival Within The Festival” – June 23, 24, 30 and July 1 at the Home Smith Bar in the Old Mill Toronto!!

For more information about the series, and to order your tickets, click HERE.

See you in JUNE!!

News

We came, We saw, We JUNO’d!!!

Posted on Apr 8, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

10 Comments

In the words of the Irish Rovers: wasn’t that a party?

The JUNO Awards were celebrated in Ottawa (appropriately, the nations capital) on March 30 – April 2. This was my first time attending, so I wanted to enjoy every minute of it, and what better way than to surround myself with people I love?! So I brought my partner, my best friend, and my sister along for the ride.

The adventure began with a quick trip to pick up my outfit from Atelier Umetsu (thanks to Rosemarie Umetsu for the fabulous design!) and then we were on our way! My partner and I arrived on Thursday afternoon, checked into the hotel, and then headed out for the final quiet night of the weekend, which included a fabulous “date night” dinner and walk around the Byward Market – one of my favourite parts of Ottawa. Along the way, I might have found one or two things that caught my eye … including the most beautiful Fluevog store!!!

The next day, the fun began early. I woke ahead of the sun, and headed out to do some media appearances in support of the JUNO Jazz Mashup that Matt Dusk, Barbra Lica, and I recorded a while back. First, it was off to CBC Radio for CBC Ottawa Morning. Then, I enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the Market, just in time to grab another well-needed coffee and meet at the CTV studios where we had a fantastic time performing and hanging with the hosts (who even invited us to stick around with them while they signed off!). (Click HERE to see the performance.)

After that, there was a little time to relax, pick up some supplies for the hotel room, and wait for the gang to arrive. First it was my pal Kylie, whom I call my “Soul Scat Sister”. Kylie and I went to U of T and were the only two vocalists in the same year at the Jazz Studies Department together. We were in the Beehive Singers together, have recorded together, toured Canada together, and have probably survived this business because of each other. So she didn’t hesitate to tell me that she’d be joining me for the weekend. A little later, my sister Karen arrived. Karen has been living in Washington for 7 or 8 years, now, and flew up especially to be with me for this JUNO weekend. She used to live in Ottawa, so it was also a chance for her to connect with some old friends. Once Karen and Kylie arrived, we broke out the champagne, helped each other make some final outfit decisions, and then hopped in a limo to head to the JUNO Opening Cocktail reception at the National Art Gallery.

This was the official launch of JUNO weekend festivities and featured several of the nominees, as well as a bunch of industry people, all in a gorgeous foyer at the National Art Gallery. Because TD bank was one of the sponsors, we walked the “Green Carpet” and then posed for a bunch of photos. This was my first taste of this sort of media attention and it was VERY cool! First, a JUNO staff member walked in front of the photographers holding a white board with each nominee’s name on it. Then, we – the nominees – followed our names and did the ol’ “Step and Repeat”, which is what they call the stopping and posing you do for photographers / media sources. Not to sound all “green” and stuff, but this was so cool!!! It was kinda neat hearing photographers calling out: “Heather – over here!”, asking you to face them for a good shot.

We had a cocktail or two, chatted with a few people there (including fellow-Newf, Kim Stockwood, and the Dean of Canadian Jazz, Phil Nimmons), and then hopped back in the limo to head to LIVE on Elgin for my JUNOFest performance. I was so excited to play with my pal David Braid, again. David is a two-time JUNO winner, and was nominated again this year in the Best Instrumental Recording for Flow. Playing with him was just like old-times and felt so good! We did a terrific set and then relaxed to enjoy some of the other performances, and catch up with some old friends, including a couple of great pals with whom I’d gone to high school and university in Newfoundland, who were now living in Ottawa. All in all, our first day of JUNO weekend was a good one!

The next day started slowly with a leisurely breakfast – and LOTS of coffee – and then some prepping for our make-up application. I’d booked a fabulous make-up artist, Klava Zykova, to do all of our make-up for the Gala Awards Dinner that evening. Klava created four completely different looks and did it all brilliantly! We had an amazing afternoon of good times, laughter, champagne, and make-up! So “girly” and so much fun!!!

Once our make-up was done, and we were dressed in our outfits, we headed out to the big JUNO Awards Gala Dinner at the Shaw Centre. I have to say: we all looked terrific!! First things first: I was to walk the Red Carpet with another “step and repeat”, which I totally had down, by now! 😉 After that, I was whisked back to a room for more photos to be taken in a couple of “pop-up photo studios”. From there, I joined the girls, and we gathered in the foyer outside of the ballroom where the dinner was to take place. I saw many of my fellow Jazz-nominees, with whom I shared hugs and congratulatory wishes. We’re a small relatively small community, and we were all simply thrilled for one another!

One of the highlights of the evening came when I met a Canadian music legend, whose music I’d recorded on my CD: Bruce Cockburn! My sister spotted him and his manager, Bernie Finkelstein, and approached them to introduce us. Bruce was so gracious, saying that he enjoyed my version of “Lovers In A Dangerous Time” and posing for a picture with me while I tried not to gush too much!! (He even said he enjoyed listening to me on JAZZ.FM. Whaaaat?!?!)

Eventually, we entered the main ballroom for the Awards Dinner. Each place setting featured wonderful souvenirs, courtesy of CARAS / the JUNOs, to commemorate the evening. We met the others who were sitting at our table, including someone from the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and fellow Jazz-nominee Mike Janzen. We saw and chatted with various other folks we’d spotted around us, including the gang from Splash ‘n’ Boots and Diana Panton (both of whom were nominated in the Children’s Music category), and a few others, as well.

A little over an hour and a half into the dinner, the Vocal Jazz Recording of the Year category was announced. I must admit: by this time, in my head I had ventured a guess as to who was going to win the JUNO, but I also thought we had a pretty good shot at it. I was very happy for Bria Skonberg, who won the JUNO for her recording Bria. This is a great and very deserving record! I was proud to have been included in the category and was more than proud to hear my name announced over the loud speaker with all the others. Win or lose, it was really kinda cool!!

Once the awards were done, we headed over to the Chateau Laurier to meet up with our friend (and incredible Canadian musician, herself) Margo Timmins. Margo and her husband (Graham Henderson, of Music Canada) toasted our weekend and shared a few stories with us. We were eventually joined by a few other folks, including Eleanor McCain and Ron White (both of whom are lovely) and we all toasted this year’s awards. It was a terrific way to end the night! Or, at least, it WOULD have been a terrific way to end this night … but that’s not exactly how the night ended!!

After walking my sister outside to hail a cab, I turned to walk back into the Chateau Laurier, not paying enough attention to the cobblestone driveway on which I was walking, and “rolled” my ankle! Fortunately, the martinis I’d just had helped numb the pain … at least at that point. Let me tell you: the next morning, there was NOTHING numb about it!!! Clearly, I’d sprained my ankle, and had done a good job of it, too!! Sadly, there’d be no red carpet walking for me that evening. In fact, there was no walking at all!!! We packed up our stuff, hobbled into the car, and took a nice, scenic route back to Toronto.

The return trip was filled with more laughter and lots of chatter about how much fun we’d all had that weekend. I can’t think of a better group of people to have shared the event with, and I’m so grateful to them for having made the trip with me. I’m a very lucky gal: doing what I love, being honoured for what I do, and sharing the accomplishments with the people that I love. Nope … it doesn’t get much better than this!

Through it all, I received so many notes, messages, e-mails, social media posts, phone calls, and more, from family and friends all sending wishes of luck and congratulations. To everyone who did that, I say: THANK YOU! You have no idea how much it meant to me!

Win or lose, sprained ankle or not, I had a GREAT TIME at my first JUNO Awards. I have to say: I think I did it up right!!

News, Post performance

The JUNO Jazz Mashup Everyone’s Talking About!!

Posted on Mar 26, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

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!!!

News

JUNOS HERE WE COME!!!

Posted on Feb 10, 2017

by Heather Bambrick

No Comments

It’s with immeasurable pride and more than a little “teenage-girl-squealishness” that I announce: You’ll Never Know has been nominated for a 2017 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year!! We received the news at the Juno Awards Nominations media conference on Tuesday, February 9!!

The nominees for the 2017 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year

As is usually the case, it’s a tough and very talented category, with some incredible creative ability among my fellow nominees: Amanda Tosoff (Words), Barbra Lica (I’m Still Learning), Bria Skonberg (Bria), and Matt Dusk & Florence K (Quiet Nights). Having played tracks from all of these recordings on Jazz FM, I can safely say they’re all wonderful and I’m thrilled to be included in such terrific company!

The media lineup for the 2017 Juno Award nominees. If you look REALLY closely … you’ll see The Weekend. If you look REALLY closely again … you won’t see me next to him.

The experience of being at the nomination media event was pretty amazing. Once the nominees were announced, we were all whisked away to the media area for interviews. As you can imagine, the Jazz nominees were immediately bombarded by media, all clamouring to ask us how we felt, what this meant for our careers, and who we were wearing. (Ok, so maybe that “Weekend” guy received a wee bit more attention than us Jazzers … as did the hipster-beard-sporting Alt Rock guys – who seemed to drop their smiles as soon as the camera was focused on them – and the guy in the cowboy hat and boots – whom I can only assume was a Country nominee – who was working hard to alter his accent from Calgary suburb to Austin City Limits through each and every interview. But other than that, it was ALL about the Jazz!)

Each nominee got a Casper pillow! ‘Cause good music needs a good night’s sleep!

With interviews (yes, that’s plural!) all finished, I was handed my gift bag. You’ve all heard the stories of the glamorous offerings presented to nominees at awards events like these. Well, this was no different. Each and every nominee was given … wait for it … a pillow! And not just a throw pillow. It was a “nighty-night-sleepy-time” pillow! Yes, the perfect reward to balance out the tens of thousands of dollars you’ve just invested into your latest music project, which will be downloaded for fractions of a cent per play: a pillow!! Perfect for lying awake on, night after night, wondering why you ever got into the music business in the first place! (Actually, all joking aside: it’s a FANTASTIC pillow! Seriously – I love it! That’s my kinda goody-bag!)

So, it looks like we’ll be heading to Ottawa for a star-studded, fun-filled weekend of music, schmoozing, and generally basking in the glory of being presented with this huge honour! (Yes, it’s true what they say: it really is fantastic just to be nominated. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not gonna turn the trophy down, should they decide to give it to me, but still …. )

If I may get serious for a moment, my fellow musicians and I don’t create our art for the purposes of garnering glory, laud, and awards. We make music because we are drawn into it and/or called to do it. We don’t choose music … it chooses us, and without it, we’re miserable. It’s the reason we wake every morning with a yearning to do nothing else only immerse ourselves in song. It’s the reason we start each year, each month, each week hoping our work will pay us enough to live a comfortable life, supporting ourselves and our families. It’s the reason we couldn’t possibly imagine doing anything else. And then, when an honour like this comes along – where other folks in the industry determine that the culmination of our artistic efforts is worthy of being held up as something of note – well, let’s just say it feels pretty darned fabulous!

So, thank you to CARAS, the Juno Awards, and all of those folks in the industry who took a listen to this little ol’ CD of mine and decided that it was worth being considered for an honour like this. I’m beyond grateful.

And with that, I’ll begin prepping for Juno Week … starting with my diet.

You’ll Never Know … 2017 Juno Award nominee for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year

News

Muffin Chronicles Return!!

Posted on Aug 15, 2016

by Heather Bambrick

3 Comments

It’s been a long time – and a lot of adventure – since the last installment of The Muffin Chronicles. I’ve had several people asking about her and wondering if I was ever going to share any more of our adventures with her. Well, seeing as I have this whole blog thing going, I thought: “why not”?!

So Muffin’s pretty well settled in, feeling considerably more content than she was when I first adopted her two and a half years ago. Since we’ve created our little family, she’s been more of a “real dog” than I’ve ever seen her! Muffin’s partner in crime (including that which we’ve not been quick enough to discover) is “Digby”, a Yorkie who is as full of personality as he is mischief and cuteness. Together, they snuggle up, get into lots of trouble, comfort one another, and generally get through the day-to-day happenings of their doggy lives. They’re a couple of peas in a cute-as-heck pod!!

Like so many of us, these days, Muffin is medicated. As you may remember from previous installments, Muffin has issues with separation anxiety … and by “has issues”, I mean she barks a lot, paces frantically, and generally will chew any piece of clothing or material, particularly those she can drag from room to room … like tea towels, blankets, curtains. (Yes, <sigh>, I did say “curtains”.) At first, my partner (HG) and I decided to install cameras to see what set her off: were there particular times or events that caused her upset? Did she get worked up right away, or would she wait a while after we departed? Was Digby helping to calm her down at all, or was he providing her with things to chew? (Come on – as if he wouldn’t do that!!)

What we learned was that: (a) she got upset basically as soon as we left, and would almost immediately look for something to chew; (b) it would take her a while to calm down; (d) Digby was not only unable to calm her down, he was also starting to develop a nervous twitch of his own, probably due to being privy to Muffin’s anxiety.

So, we decided to give Muffin some chew toys. We looked for things that were healthy, non-toxic (of course), and generally wouldn’t do too much damage. She took to them like a duck to water … like a pig to mud … like a dog to … er … chewy things! However, if she didn’t have access to said chewy things (for example after some dental surgery, when she wasn’t allowed to chew anything like that), she would revert to other things again. Thus, whenever we left the house, we had to “de-Muffinize” it: remove any and all things that she might want to chew. (Except for the curtains in the window. I’m still hoping she’ll do the job on those, ‘cause, well, I kinda want to get new ones. But I digress … )

Eventually we spoke with the vet, who suggested a mild anti-anxiety drug might help ease Muffin’s worries. So, for the past 6 months or so, Muffin is on Doggie-Prozac (and I’m on an increased credit limit). While it hasn’t completely fixed the chewing (fortunately, we’ve found some good quality tea towels at a Dollar Store), she’s much more relaxed overall. She will actually allow me to leave the room without following me like a mid-thirties hipster follows Fred Armitage’s career. She also takes to friends and family more easily that she does before. When my parents visited in the past, Muffin would usually need a few days to warm up to them. Now, however, she cuddles up to them after only being with them a few moments! (My Dad’s relentless treat-giving probably helps, as well!)

All of that is not to say that all issues have ended. No, indeed – there are still a few. For example, because she lived in a cage in the top of a barn for 7 years (grrrrrr!!) Muffin doesn’t always have the ability to wait to get to the backyard before relieving herself. Thus, inevitably, whenever we go out for any reason – from a gig that might have us away for a few hours, to a trip to the drug store that might have us away for a few minutes – we’ll often return to a little “surprise” from our girl. (Yes, nothing says “glamour” like being on your hand and knees, still dressed in the outfit you were wearing on stage just an hour earlier, cleaning pee off the floor. <sigh> )

And then there are the trips to the vet! (I now have a credit card that is dedicated to Muffin’s vet bills … and I’ll soon be planning our trip to Fiji using the travel points.) Because she’s part Cocker Spaniel, she has issues with her ears. Thus, there are weekly ear drop applications, weekly ear cleanings, and the general check-ins, infections, and the like that go with having a dog with chronic ear issues.

Like her mother, Muffin also suffers from allergies. We’re still not sure exactly what she reacts to, but she deals with occasional itchiness and redness around the eyes and ears, and (every now and again) we notice some occasional spots on her wee belly. She now receives daily doses of children’s Benadryl during high allergy season) and we keep a bottle of Benadryl spray close-by, in case of belly break-outs. I am now on a first name basis with the entire staff at the Vet’s office, who are starting to thank me for my contributions to their new bonus structure and pension plan. (On a related note, I am now available for corporate engagements, bar mitzvahs, and baby showers … )

And yet, even with all of the issues, the vet bills, the chewed up tea towels and sweatshirts with wee holes in the sleeves, the late-night pee wiping, all it takes is for me to look down to where she lies at my feet each day as I work at my desk, or feel her cuddling up next to me as we settle in to sleep each night to know that I can’t imagine her NOT being a part of our family! Our first Christmas with her, HG bought me a wee plaque that (while grammatically not perfect) states it best: “Who Rescued Who?” Indeed!