Many artists went into hibernation when the pandemic hit and concerts were shut down, not so jazz and blues singer and songwriter Kathy Lyon. The Florida-based artist could not imagine doing nothing, she said in a phone interview. Instead she used the time to compose six new songs for her album “Who Knew?”
Lyon is well-known in Roswell, having performed at the Roswell Jazz Festival.
Asked how the new album came to be, Lyon said, “One of the things that I always wanted to spend more time on and just never had enough of time, was to work on original songs. I had written several years ago, but I hadn’t really developed the process on knuckling down and really working on them. And so I said, well, here’s my opportunity because all my gigs just stopped, so I had time.”
Lyon said that she started working on ideas and, at the same time, was working with guitarist Rich Chorné. Chorné is well-known in the area, being an accomplished musician and songwriter with his own studio in Ruidoso. His songwriting has won awards from the Songwriter’s Association of Washington. He was a ranking member of the Washington Area Music Association.
Lyon said that she did a couple of songs on Chorné’s latest album. “It had gotten good airplay and good promotion,” she said. “Rich and I just kind of decided, let’s do some more collaborations since it worked well on his album.”
Lyon couldn’t stay the entire time in Ruidoso, so she said that most of the work was long distance and she returned to Ruidoso for the recordings. These recording sessions were managed by Richard Cagle of Ruidoso’s Montrose Records. Other musicians working with Lyon on “Who Knew?” are also well known to those who have attended the Roswell Jazz Festival in the past. They are Ruben Gutierrez on keys, Erik Unsworth on bass and Ricky Malachi on drums.
The songs themselves are refreshingly enthusiastic, switching from soft blues that could fit in one of the speakeasy blues bars of the 1920s to others that are impulsive and fun. Each song has one thing in common, they are as honest and unique as the singer Lyon.
Lyon surprises with an ability of using scat singing to accompany her songs. For those who are not familiar with this style, it is something that belongs to true classic jazz: a singer accompanying a melody with wordless vocables, using the voice as an instrument without meaning. The history of scat singing reportedly goes back to legendary Louis Armstrong, who once forgot the words to his song at a recording session.
Her third song in the album, “See You Soon,” mentions that vacations don’t last forever and that lovers often have to part. Asked about the inspiration for the piece, Lyon said, “I kind of joked about it because I wrote it during the pandemic. And I thought that line could easily be ‘pandemics don’t last forever’ instead of ‘vacations don’t last forever,’ because it kind of felt that way.”
The song was based on a feeling Lyon had, she said. “My good friend Mike Carrasco was here, and we went back and forth from his house in Memphis to down here (Florida) during the pandemic,” she said. “He was down here for a couple of weeks and it felt like a vacation. We were cooking and looking at the sunset, hanging out. It just felt like an easy song that came to me and reflected the fun we had and how a vacation can feel.”
Lyon said that the songs were inspired by her new relationship with her friend of 40 years. Both, Lyon and Carrasco, had endured the tragedy of losing a spouse several years ago, which brought them closer together.
Of course, Lyon also has performed songs in the past that others wrote. However, she said, there was always something, an emotion that she could relate to. “If it is a love song, I had love in my life, a lot of (love). I was lucky like that. If it is sadness, I can relate to that. I had losses, too.
“One of the goals I have with every song is to bring real depth of emotion to it. I want people to feel, she (Lyon) lived through this, and I think pretty much I’ve been successful doing that,” Lyon said.
True to Lyon’s nature, she is not taking a break after this album. Another album is already in the works to be released in six months. And she has a concert planned, her first in Houston, Texas.
Lyon said that she was visiting her public relations agent, John McNerney of John in Houston PR company, and met Paul English in a Steinway showroom. English is a formidable jazz pianist and composer. As it often happens when jazz musicians come together, they had an impromptu jazz session, Lyon said.
“It was just John, my friend Mike. Paul sat down on the piano. I said, how about this song and that song? It was just magical from the first note; it was just fun. We ended up singing and playing for an hour and 20 minutes, just exploring. It was such a good click. As soon as we were finished, Paul said, ‘I want to work with you.’ That was a thrill,” Lyon said.
The plan for the concert is Feb. 19 in Houston at Alta Arts gallery at 7:30 p.m. It will feature Paul English’s jazz quartet as well.
Lyon said that she has high hopes to be back in Ruidoso after the Houston concert to have a CD release party in late February, and, hopefully, she’ll return to Roswell in fall for the Jazz Festival.
Lyon’s album “Who Knew?” is available on most streaming platforms. While her website kathylyonmusic.com is under construction, she said that it should be updated and ready within a week.
For more information, visit her Facebook page @kathylyonvocalist. Click Here to see article.
“Kathy Lyon has a boundless energy that brings everyone-the musicians playing with her and the audience-along for the ride. As a pianist, it’s great to play behind a voice that utilizes so many colors. As a musician, it’s encouraging to know the music is performed with such thought and taste. As a jazz fan, Kathy is just plain fun to listen to and experience.”
Eric Byrd, Pianist, Educator (Washington DC)
