Patricia Barber is one the world’s finest and most accessible exponents of modern jazz. Patricia’s last recording, NIGHTCLUB, was selected for our short-list of 2001’s best female solo albums. Her latest album, VERSE, was similarly honoured in 2002. Whether interpreting the songs of others or (as in VERSE) recording her own songs, Patricia brings something very special to the table. Other albums by Patricia include SPLIT, MODERN COOL and the wonderful live performance album COMPANION. The level of sound of these Premonition recordings can be classified as of outstanding audiophile quality.

When and why did you start to think about music as a profession?

My father had been a musician so it was a legacy I had been living with all my life. I thought perhaps it would be a smarter decision to go into a profession that could offer more security than that of being a professional musician. So I majored in music education and got a second degree in psychology that would allow me to consider graduate school in many different fields such as law, psychology, etc. But in the end, the music got me.

Who were you listening to in your musical ‘formative’ years, and did anyone in particular influence your earlier career?

While growing up, I was listening to all the classic American singers: the Frank Sinatras, Peggy Lees and Judy Garland. Return To Forever the group by Chick Corea with Flora Purim was the first jazz group that really got my ear at college. I then went back and listened to everybody else, especially the Bill Evans Trio.

The production and sound quality on all your records is superb. Could you tell me a little about the why, who, how…

Premonition Records has made a commitment to high sound quality. I was assigned an engineer during my 1992 stay with Island Records. The engineer was Jim Anderson and he was so good, efficient, sweet and calming. Most importantly, he made it easy for me to sing without straining my voice, so I asked for him for the first Premonition project. Mike Friedman at Premonition loved his sound and personality, and he’s been my engineer ever since.

What does jazz mean to you?

Jazz is an African American music that I learned because it was part of my cultural background and my father loved it. It represents my family for me and also the USA to me… the joy and the pain. There’s something so boldly free and exploratory about it and it’s also home for me. And yet, I give it my voice with a certain humility and nod to those African Americans who brought the flatted thirds and fifths from Africa. Nobody can own music these days… my favourite Mozart pianist is Mitzuko Uchido… she’s not Viennese, but Japanese. We live in times when music filters through fast media into every culture and therefore becomes a part of us all. These are different times than when music was the province of a smaller neighborhood or village…. and yet, with jazz, there is even more awareness of the music and the sense that you’re playing it with respect.

Your write your own music. Can you explain how the writing process works for you…

Writing music is mysterious. Nobody has yet been able to describe the most important part of the creative process. Sometimes I start with a lyric, sometimes I start with a melody, sometimes I start with an idea, sometimes they come all together. But that doesn’t describe it. When it happens, I’m awe-struck by the elusive nature of the process as anybody else.

What came first, piano or vocal?

Piano at 6. My father taught me.

It seems to me that most of your music is your own, and you occasionally interpret the music of others. But NIGHTCLUB is all other people’s work. What is the reason for this and how did you come to choose the songs here?

Standards have been the largest part of my repertory forever. I didn’t start writing music until around later in my career when I became frustrated with not having contemporary vocal material, and thought I might as well give song-writing a try. I love the standard repertory…. love it. It is the American song form as high art… the Cole Porters and , etc, etc. I had always wanted to do a recording of the material, but waited until I formed an original voice before going back and recording the material I had done in concerts and clubs for years. My mom also wanted this recording. I chose the songs over the period of a year… it was just a pleasure… I wrote down the set lists and then looked at them afterwards to pick the ones I felt the closest to and that the audience seemed to like the most.

What is the comparative satisfaction level between playing your own music and that of others?

I feel exactly the same way about performing a standard as I do an original composition. I’m looking for the same transcendence of spirit and technique.

All your albums have been produced by yourself. Is this something you need to do; something you enjoy; or is this something you need to control? Is the live ambience something you aim for?

I do seem to need control over production… producing a recording has such a huge effect on the way the recording eventually sounds that I can’t imagine giving over the production to somebody else. What would be the point of working so hard on the arrangements and compositions and performances to begin with if you gave over the important musical choices to somebody else? I can imagine having some help though… I’ve started to realise that my projects are getting bigger and more difficult, so Mike Friedman of Premonition will be helping me with production on the next CD.

Could you name a favourite track from the album and explain why?

I like Summer Samba and Invitation very much. I also love A Man And A Woman. Invitation is probably my favourite cut. It sounds complete… I like the integrity of the rhythm section from start to finish… I love that it was performed ‘live’, meaning that I sang it while we as a trio played it. It was the first and only take of this cut. The song has an old-fashioned black and white movie feeling to me…. very much a part of this American song culture that I love so much and also it has a sophistication that only jazz can bring to the performance of a song.

What about a UK tour?

I don’t know if we’ll be touring the UK. We tour often in France and the rest of Europe, but have not had an easy time finding a nice venue in London. The Jazz Café, where I played last time, turned out in the end to be a nice performance, but when I went in there, the people had obviously been used to talking during the musical performance and it took my leaving the stage and leaving the club for the situation to change. The owner asked me what they could do to have me back and I told them they had to enforce the concert silence and they did. But it was not a wonderful experience… I won’t sing with smoke or talking.

The instrumentals, to me, play a larger part in this album than others. Is this correct, and if so, why?

Yes. The piano trio is a precious musical format to me. The legacy of it rings beautifully throughout the history of jazz… the Bill Evans Trio, Keith Jarrett, Jackie Terrasson, Brad Meldhau, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Diana Krall. I love the piano trio and wanted it to be an important sound on NIGHTCLUB.

You play with some awesome musicians. How did this come about and how do you choose?

My bassist, Michael Arnopol, has been with me for 20 years. We grew up together in the Chicago music scene. For the rest, when I can get the guy I hear is the best, I do.

Thank you Patricia, and congratulations on a wonderful album.