Jazz vocalist Barbara Leah Meyer has been laying low for a while keeping singing engagements to a minimum and focusing her creativity teaching voice and piano at Sturgeon Music School.
A single mother with two teenagers to support, it just seemed like a good idea to hold down a couple of steady jobs as a morning secretary at Vital Grandin School before biking in the afternoon to Richard Fowler School as the librarian.
However, two weeks ago after completing a tennis tournament at the St. Albert Tennis Club, she stopped in for a coffee at Saviour’s CafĂ© and Bistro.
As she spoke with owner Solomon Debesay, Meyer hit on the idea of hosting an intimate jazz concert at the cafĂ© on Thursday, June 22. The concert’s name is, of course, Summer Solstice.
“There will be 16.33 hours of daylight on the 22nd. Although we technically say the 21st is a solstice. But when I checked the daylight hours, there were three days with the same,” smiled Meyer.
She is native Edmontonian who received much of her musical grounding from Grant MacEwan College’s jazz vocal performance and piano program.
Throughout her career Meyer has grown a long list of enviable accomplishments that range from performances at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal and Edmonton Jazz Festival to a United Nations Entertainment Tour to Cyprus and Israel.
In 1989 Meyer travelled to Europe and settled in Frankfurt. For close to 20 years she toured through many of Europe’s bustling cities before returning home in 2010.
“I decided to sing a concert at Saviour’s because I like the guy (Solomon). I like his establishment. It reminded me of little outdoor cafes in Germany, and I thought it was an intimate environment,” Meyer said.
Singing in a Diana Krall style, Meyer vocalizes jazz standards in the tradition of Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Horn – but always with a special interpretation or a dash of improvisation.
Accompanied by her digital piano, Meyer will offer a mix of jazz standards, older pop songs that are jazzed up and possibly a few originals.
“Saviour’s is one of the few places in St. Albert where you can enjoy a good meal and not look at a parking lot. You can look at the people walking on the street. It’s very European that way.”
The performance is Thursday, June 22 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Saviour’s CafĂ© and Bistro, 24 Perron St. Tickets are $10 available in advance at 780-717-5871 or at the cafĂ©.
