Album Notes

B. Iris Tanner's musical background encompasses many years of childhood piano lessons, accompanying experience for high school and college musicals, eight years of flute lessons, seven years of classical voice lessons and several solo concerts in her former incarnation as a lyric soprano.

However, it includes no songwriting training whatsoever.

This did not stop her from writing songs, which she began doing as a teenager. However, it was not until she reached her mid-thirties that they saw the light of day, first at Boston-area open mikes and at the Boston Songwriters' Workshop, and then in her first CD, the self-produced "Fools' Paradise." She considers it a priceless example of what NOT to do when putting together a CD.

In subsequent material, she weaned herself away from torch songs and began to focus more on the everyday absurdities of life and love. Will McMillan performed one of her lighter works at the 2002 Boston Cabaret Festival and has recorded it for his "Will Sings Boston" album. Since then, her songs have also been performed at TCAN (The Center for the Arts in Natick) and at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. In spring 2003, she was the guest songwriter at McMillan's "Will and Company" concert, which also featured Jinny Sagorin. Material from that concert was recorded live and has become her second CD, "Fresh-Cut Iris." Her song "Warning Labels", also on that CD, was included in the fall 2003 revue, "Boston Sings Boston."

Iris is now a member of ASCAP and has just completed another CD, "Magnum Opuss", with Doug Hammer. (Some people never learn.) Now available here at cdbaby.com, "Magnum Opuss" features several well known Boston cabaret talents - Will McMillan, Jinny Sagorin, Mary Scarlata-Rowe, Jan Peters, Sophia Bilides, and others - in studio recordings of Iris's songs.

When not musically involved, Iris keeps the wolf from the door by editing financial services communications. She also judges cat shows. (That spelling of "Opuss" is deliberate.)