Montreal-based vocalist Karen Myatt has her grandmother to thank for her love of music.
“She turned me on to the American Songbook when I was a youngster. That, in turn, led me to discover jazz, blues, gospel, soul, and rock music.”
After training at the Randolph Academy in Toronto and graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, Myatt performed across North and South America, as well as Europe.
In 2016, she produced and premiered “Ladies of Song” to sold-out audiences. Both 2017’s “Songs of the Silver Screen” and 2018’s “Blues Deluxe” were equally successful, earning rave reviews. Other highlights include headlining the Halifax Jazz Festival and performing with Symphony Nova Scotia.
Her first full-length album – Enchanté (2014) – features Holly Arsenault (piano), David Langstroth (double bass) and Brock Caldwell (drums).
Her latest effort – Femoir – was recorded and engineered by Darren van Niekerk in Halifax, NS. The album was mixed and mastered by Christian St. Germain at Studio 360 in Montreal, QC.
Some of Canada’s most renowned musicians appear on the new recording, including Chris Mitchell (saxophone), Matt Myer (trumpet), Lisa MacDougall (keyboards), Adam Fine (bass), Geoff Arsenault (drums), Shimon Walt (cello) and Jennifer Jones (violin).
Along with nine unique takes on classic and contemporary songs, Femoir features five original tracks co-written by Myatt and Montreal composer J. Rimbaudelaire.
“Femoir was conceived at a small café in Rome,” shares Myatt. “It might have been the cappuccino or the cannoli, but something special there gave birth to the project.”
She notes that the album’s 14 tracks celebrate the feminine spirit.
“I found inspiration in both the immediate and eternal elements that define femininity – emotion, creativity, intuition, sensuality, beauty. These songs explore characteristics and archetypes that help to define us as both a species and as individuals. They are more relevant – even required – these days than perhaps ever before.”