Come Sing with Capital Vox Jazz Choir at Ottawa Jazz Fest!

We are trying our hand at the "Come Sing Handel's Messiah" type of event, but with our own spin on it. Join us at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival at our "Come Sing Jazz Standards" event. It's Saturday July 2 from noon to 1 PM at the OLG Stage downtown in Confederation Park.

Be a part of the fun! Join Elise Letourneau & Capital Vox Jazz Choir in singing some favourite standards from The Golden American Songbook. We'll sing a tune or two, and then you'll get to join in the singing too - and pick up a few jazz vocal tips along the way, learn to count in the rhythm section, and sing a few scat riffs too. Lyrics and rhythm section provided - just bring your own voice. All ages and singing levels welcome - the more the merrier!

For more information about the event, or about the Ottawa Jazz Festival in general, please visit http://ottawajazzfestival.com/index.php/come-sing-jazz-standards-with-elise-letourneau-capital-vox-jazz-choir/

Hope to see you there!

Lyrics Then & Now: School's Out!

These last weeks I have been coaching students of all stripes and watching many of them graduate or count down the days, or sometimes both. Those who display the most obvious anticipation tend to make me recall strains from Thomas Augustine Arne's 18th-century masque, Comus, with the libretto written by John Milton.


Here's the text to "Air from Comus":


Preach not me your musty rules, 
Ye drones that mould in idle cells, 
The heart is wiser than the schools, 
The senses always reason well. 
If short my span I less can spare 
to pass a single pleasure by: 
An hour is long if lost in care; 
They only live, 
They only live, 
They only live who life enjoy



Fast forward from 1738 to 2011 and we find that the ups and downs of social codes, formal education, and incorruptibility are still being hotly debated by songwriters. In 1972, Alice Cooper offered us "Well we got no class - and we got no principles/principals - we ain't got no innocence". I'm not licensed to print the whole lyric to "School's Out", but here's a fun link to it - don't let the first 10 seconds throw you:

Congratulations Class of 2011! And Good Summer to all! Hey do they still make those "burning schoolhouse" firecrackers?

Singing Blues/R&B Class - Showcase!

We had such fun the last 10 weeks in the Singing Blues and R&B class at Alcorn Music Studios. Six people signed up - most of whom had never performed in a club setting or with a live blues band. After getting over some normal initial reluctance to sing in front of people - including each other - the class really gelled and supported each other. Everybody got to sing lead on one tune, and backups on two more, and this is the group number we did where everyone sang on Mustang Sally.

Way to go Dan, Candace, Linda, Leslie, Barbara, and Liz!