Album Notes

Sand Underfoot

I chose the title of this recording to reflect our tenuous relationship with nature, slip-sliding along, never sure of our footing. Is the ground solid or ever-changing? The poems here all look at our links to earthly places; forests, deserts, beaches, snowy plains, and the rim of fire. Performed with great masters of their instruments, Paul Bley on piano, Barre Phillips on bass and Michel Lambert on drums.

I dedicate the Rim of Fire suite to all of the victims of the Boxing Day 2004 earthquake and tsunami. The central poem of the suite was written several years ago, inspired by my father's family history and their impassioned relationship with Indonesia. We recorded the music a few months before the disaster but somehow it seems as if the danger of that event was already in the air, like a ripple in time reaching back.

So now, take these offerings and twirl them around in your hand, like multi-faceted pebbles on a warm, safe, windswept beach. Never mind what I've just said - simply close your eyes and listen. And enjoy.

Jeannette Lambert

Biography
Inspired by her jazz-loving parents and childhood addresses that spanned the globe, Jeannette Lambert began singing professionally in coffee shops at the age of 12. Mentored by veterans of the Montreal jazz scene, including trumpeter Herbie Spanier, and influenced by the diverse vocal traditions of flamenco, fado, and jaipong, she grew up playing in professional jam sessions with visiting artists such as vocalist Jon Hendricks. She would go on to further refine her musical style studying with vocalist Jay Clayton, the legendary Cecil Taylor and others at the Banff Jazz Workshop. Geoff Chapman of the Toronto Star wrote that "unadorned elegance is the keynote of Jeannette Lambert's singing" and she was named one of the 500 best jazz vocalists of all time by author Scott Yanow in his book, Jazz Singers. She has performed around the world, written lyrics for music recorded by a number of other jazz vocalists, and co-founded the artist collective/record label Jazz From Rant with her brother, guitarist Reg Schwager, and her husband, drummer Michel Lambert, in 1991. In addition to her music career, she is an Internet filmmaker and soundtrack composer for a variety of film projects.