By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:54-08:00December 27, 2015|
Happy New Year! I hope that you survived the “Christmas Craziness” and had a beautiful time with friends and family. After the holidays begin to wind down, I enjoy taking a few moments to think about what is important, set […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:54-08:00December 13, 2015|
Joni and Mingus. These two artists managed to influence the world with their musicality, expressivity, bright ideas, and progressive thoughts and approaches to making music. The fact that they can be identified by first or last name alone speaks to […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:57-08:00October 2, 2015|
Check out the fun The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer and I had while making a raucous at the Toronto Star! Big thanks to Ben Rayner
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 23, 2015|
There is something I find incredibly beautiful about the standard, “In Your Own Sweet Way”. I can’t decided if it’s the quirky and lovely melody or if it’s the crafty tonal shifts that happen throughout the piece or the dear […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 16, 2015|
Two masters, one song…Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald recorded together often as a duo. This particular version was recorded in 1973 on their album called “Take Love Easy” which is a beautiful collection of standards that I highly recommend checking […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 9, 2015|
This summer I’ve had the privilege to tour across Canada and make music with some mighty fine people. There is something about being on the road that is fantastic and invigorating, especially during the summer. However, there is always a […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00July 26, 2015|
I recently watched a documentary about Nina Simone called “What Happened Miss Simone?”. It highlighted Nina’s beautifully complicated, brilliant mind and fiery presence. Simone’s personality is as deep, multi-faceted and moving as her music. In a way it seems music […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00July 5, 2015|
Wow, we made it. The 2015 Vancouver International Jazz Festival is officially over and what an inspiring, creative and jam-packed time that was. I find myself savouring the shows that I was lucky enough to see and pining over the […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00June 28, 2015|
Tower of Power is the funkiest and tightest band that you will ever have the pleasure of hearing. Known for their wall of sound, virtuosic solos, percolating bass lines and bubbling grooves they have perfected their brand of Oakland funk […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 21, 2015|
Listening to the first 10 seconds of this track you may already notice that Eric Revis likes to colour outside the lines. This rendition of Jelly Roll Morton’s ‘Winin’ Boy Blues’ immediately evokes New Orleans with its swampy beat, big […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 14, 2015|
It’s summer time in Vancouver which signals the beginning of The Vancouver International Jazz Festival! This year’s festival is stacked with some of music’s BEST! This week I’d like to feature a tune by the skilled composer, arranger, collaborator and […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 7, 2015|
The Roots have been considered hip hop pioneers since the release of their breakthrough album “Things Fall Apart”. Fifteen years later, they are now easily recognized as The Tonight Show’s house band and have earned the right to be called […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00May 31, 2015|
It was Miles Davis’ birthday this week, he would have been 89 years old. I often like to wonder what sorts of things he would have done if he were still alive. Who would he have collaborated with…Hendrix, Run DMC, […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 24, 2015|
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of connecting with Chance Hayden, a great musician and performer based in Oregon. He was somewhere in Europe on tour with Jarrod Lawson and we were swapping albums and sharing stories via […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 17, 2015|
Real, deep, humble…are just a few of the words that can be used to describe the great B.B. King. It’s hard to believe that he has played his last lick, sung his last riff and that Lucille will never sounds […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 10, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam does push the bpm a little to qualify as a true SSJ, but it’s too good not to share. It’s an intelligent, hip arrangement of the classic r&b tune, “Weak” by SWV as performed by […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 3, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam although almost 40 years old still manages to speak to the political climate in our world, in North America, in Ferguson, in Baltimore…This song reminds me that we still need music to express the rage […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00April 26, 2015|
When I was going to music school my friend and I would marvel and sigh as we listened to “Together Again” (the second album featuring duets by Bill Evans and Tony Bennett). We’d often wonder just how the album could […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 20, 2015|
I am so excited!!!
The video explores what happens when things like ego, pride, fear and selfishness prevent us from connecting with others in a genuine way. Lovers, strangers, first dates, the lonely, the seekers… all are struggling to find […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 19, 2015|
Technical wizard, virtuosic and masterful are just a few words to describe Stanley Clarke. Check him out on “Spanish Phases for Strings and Bass” and you will hear why he is one of the world’s best musicians. I love the […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 12, 2015|
Today’s offering is a study, a beautiful and subtle demonstration of containment and focus of groove and dynamics. No one over played, space was just as much a member of this trio and everything percolated in a satisfying way. I […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 5, 2015|
Jazz legend and great thinker Wayne Shorter once said, “You need resistance to take off.” He was comparing the struggle of making music, pushing boundaries of self and art to that of an airplane preparing to fly. He eloquently affirmed that […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00March 29, 2015|
I fall in love with this melody every time I hear it, perhaps it’s how and rises, or it’s the way Stevie Wonder sings it…or both. It breaks my heart and soothes it all at the same time. This is […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 22, 2015|
Happy spring! I am always surprised and relieved when spring is here and dark days and winter rain (or snow) are behind us. Hopefully you are can embrace the freshness of the season with lightheartedness and none of the angst […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 15, 2015|
Ahmad Jamal is a master of contrast. He can pull you in with cool and easy licks and then hit you with technical ferocity and dynamic shifts all within the same musical phrase. I love the way he takes his […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 8, 2015|
It’s official. Coastal Jazz has just announced that Snarky Puppy is coming back to Vancouver as part of the Jazz Fest’s Vogue Series this year! Whether you are a long time fan or new to the band’s music there is […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 1, 2015|
Take a moment to fall in love….
This is exactly what happened first time I heard Laura Mvula. She is a refreshing musical voice in what sometimes can be a bland and dreary lanscape. Her album, Sing to the Moon, not […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:07-08:00February 21, 2015|
“After The Rain” is one of my favourite ballads played by John Coltrane…it’s true, tasty perfection! It can be found on the album called, “The Gentle Side of John Coltrane”. The whole album is divine and features greats such as […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:07-08:00February 15, 2015|
Happy Sunday! Here’s hoping that you are still in a juicy, hazy, post Valentine’s Day “love hangover” and in the mood for one more delightfully buttery tune. “Never Let Me Go” written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston is an […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:07-08:00February 8, 2015|
Growing up in my family the weekends, especially Saturdays, were reserved for chores and music. It was common to wake up to someone’s music blasting throughout the house, usually it was my Dad playing his records. Our parents definitely impressed […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:07-08:00February 1, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow Jam is a fresh take on a Stevie Wonder classic and can be found on pianist Robert Glasper’s last release ‘Black Radio’.
Stevie’s music and message are so potent and meaningful, even 40 years later. How is […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:07-08:00January 25, 2015|
Patrice Rushen is my hero. She has an outstanding musical mind. This is the title track off of her 2nd album called “Before The Dawn“, which she released when she was 20 years old (um yeah, she’s a […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00January 22, 2015|
Dawn Pemberton’s performance of Deeper at her sold out release party in Vancouver!
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00January 18, 2015|
I heard this song last week while I was running errands and could not get it out of my head. So, I immediately went home, pressed play and it has been on repeat ever since.
There’s so much to appreciate about […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00January 11, 2015|
Sunday is often considered a day of rest, the Sabbath, a moment during the week to reflect on the all that has been done and created and an opportunity to prepare for the week ahead. I like to think that […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00December 23, 2014|
Here’s to a soulful and relaxing holiday!
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00December 17, 2014|
I am pumped! Here’s some LIVE footage from my sold out ALBUM RELEASE party!!!!! Check it out….featuring my kick-ass band “The Good Almighty”! More videos on my YT channel too 🙂
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:08-08:00December 9, 2014|
Here’s a new video where I get to chat a little more about my debut album ‘Say Somethin’, including footage from the sold out album release party in Vancouver last month!!
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:10-08:00December 30, 2013|
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:10-08:00December 25, 2013|
Sending you lots of love to you and yours this Christmas. May you feel the warmth of the season the whole year through and may peace, joy, love, and hope surround you now and always.
1000 songs,1000 acts,1000 days. What […]
