REVIEWS
OOH, CANADA! YVETTE TOLLAR
GIRLSINGERS.ORG
dwboynton
May 16th, 2009
Yvette Tollar – Ima
Released November, 2008
Not many who ask me to listen to their music send a three-page handwritten note along. Yvette Tollar did.
She writes: “All my years in World Music ensembles has turned me into something other than a torch singer. (I do lots of standards gigs – making my living that way most of the time, in fact), but Toronto is such a multicultural place and the musicians in town reflect that, so…I’ve sung in a dozen languages and styles and am drawn to the traditional instruments I’ve been exposed to.”
This isn’t any kind of traditional jazz, except in the tradition that jazz is what different cultures make of it. My experience with Toronto is that (besides being one of my three favorite cities in North America), it’s a city that wears its multiculturalism on its sleeve; a melting pot for sure, but maybe stirred not quite as much as counterparts in the US.
Ms. Tollar’s album reflects that, even in its title. “Ima” (pronounced EE-mah) is the Hungarian word for “prayer,” she writes, “the title of my Uncle Joska’s song that I put into English and wrote music for.” The appeal to Ms. Tollar’s voice lies in its (well, her) soul – world-aware, but not yet weary – still optimistic, as in “Prayer for HumanKindness,” with words written by Montreal drummer Jim Hillman.
tollar200-2I’ve rewritten this a half-dozen times now. Here’s the problem I’m having: growing up where I did, also having lived in Canada (Sudbury) for a while as a kid, I’m overly sensitive to that patronizing tone that Americans sometimes (heck, often) take when talking about (or to) their neighbors. For us in Detroit, those neighbors were right across the river. On the other hand, I’m generally amused when Canadians dish it right back. So. Canadian friends, please understand. I’m trying hard not to do that here. If there’s a faux pas on my part, it’s one of ignorance, not of intent.
To my cynical US eye, it sometimes appears that all kinds of Canadian arts councils fund all kinds of projects. Some of them are good, some bad, some are crap. Art is like that.
But like all art, some of ‘em just take off and leave you breathless.
This disc – this disc – is one of those. An eclectic mix of jazz, folk and world music – “Ima” is one of those out of the ordinary discs that, when the first play-through was complete, I went back to find the tracks I enjoyed most to savor again. 2009 Juno-nominated, “Ima” rates a highest recommendation. Yes, it’s off the beaten path, especially for American (well, US) ears. But like those weekend trips to Toronto, where its multiculturalism is part of the appeal, well worth the ride.
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