THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Toronto jazz chanteuse Geneviève Marentette was performing a three-month residency at the hotel bar of the Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong in 2019. Seeking material for a theme to the shows, she used the past as her inspiration, returning to the music made and released a half-century earlier in 1969. The result is the fantastic and extremely novel idea of reworking these classics into her own signature jazz style for Songs of ’69, Volume I, a stellar and stunning 10-track effort that honours each song with thoughtfulness, tenderness and Marenette’s marvelous, majestic voice.
Marentette, also known as “Gigi” to some, was drawn to music created in 1969 amid social activism (women’s liberation movements, Vietnam War protests, Stonewall Riots, etc.) — “a powerful reflection of a time when music and activism were intertwined.” It was also a huge year for Marentette’s mother, musician Linda Girard (one of two people Songs of ’69, Volume I is specifically inspired by and dedicated to). Girard, then 18 in 1969, left her job in Windsor, relocated to Toronto and assisted American draft dodgers trying to evade the war. “Her commitment to social justice, human rights, and peace echoed the ideals that inspired the musicians of that era,” Marentette says.
With a horde of material to choose from considering the year, the artist narrowed it down to 10 essentials. “There are so many gems from this year in music history: The whole era is chock-full of gorgeous, well-crafted music with a message, but I ended up with 10 covers close to my heart,” Marentette says. “These songs are in my emotional DNA; I grew up with them, and they resonate particularly with my parents and loved ones who have surrounded me and kept me in my craft.”
Songs of ’69, Volume I, produced by Marentette and Jono Grant (who also mixed and mastered the album), includes songs made famous by The Guess Who (Undun and These Eyes) and Bob Dylan (Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You and Lay Lady Lay) alongside deeper cuts by Nick Drake (River Man) and British prog-rock pioneers King Crimson (I Talk To The Wind).
Also included on Songs of ’69, Volume I is You’ve Made Me So Very Happy, a song written by Brenda Holloway and recorded by Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song, featuring cinematic string accents by Grammy-nominated Drew Jurecka, is especially personal as Marentette released it last month to celebrate the 83rd birthday of BS&T vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, the other person to whom Marentette dedicated the album. He was also a source of inspiration thanks to “resonant discussions” they had about the ’60s, “a time when musicians were warriors of social justice and peace.”
Marentette began recording Songs of ’69, Volume I in 2022. “The arrangements emerged from many spontaneous performances with my core trio, which includes Eric St-Laurent (guitar), George Koller (bass) and Ben Wittman (drums),” Marentette says. “As is my way as a song interpreter, we’ve fused folk, soul, and pop into a jazz-rooted approach. After years of singing jazz in hotel lounges, I love arranging and interpreting songs from every era.” It’s a sound and style that brings to mind highbrow work by Diana Krall, Sade, Cassandra Wilson and the late Angela McCluskey.
Although the material effortlessly draws the listener in from start to finish, some songs simply shine, particularly Undun, with its sultry horn accents by Alison Young, some great guitar work by St-Laurent and a divine delivery from Marentette. Meanwhile, the rendition of Drake’s River Man, from his Five Leaves Left album, is a sparse, reflective, and deeply bittersweet tribute, made even more poignant by the loss of her sister. “It was one of those songs I leaned on when I was 15 and had lost my sister to an overdose, and I had no idea it was from ’69, and I had no idea Nick Drake had passed away from an overdose as well until I made this album,” she says.
The album — which also features Lay Lady Lay tweaked to reflect a “woman-to-woman plea for intimacy and connection” — closes with an incredible reworking of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising. The gospel, hymnal organ by Lou Pomanti and pedal-steel wizard Burke Carroll accentuates Marentette’s ethereal, soulful approach to the John Fogerty-penned staple. Simply put, it’s a spine-tingling coda to what is an almost criminally consistent collection of covers.
Recorded by Grant, Rob Christian, Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte and recorded at Victory Drive, RC Studio and Canterbury Music Company, Songs of ’69, Volume I includes big band-style horn arrangements on Easy to be Hard and Undun featuring saxophonist Young. Grant played bass, drums, keys and percussion, and singer Lori Cullen provided backing vocals (Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You), with contributions from saxophonist Richard Underhill, trombonist Christian Overton, trumpeter Marie Goudy, pianists Michael Shand and Vezi Tayyeb, bassist Andrew Stewart and steel guitarist Christine Bougie.
Born in Leamington, Marentette spent her teen years in Detroit, inspired by her mother and her career as a musician. After performing throughout Asia and Europe, she returned to Canada in 2014, where she has worked with artists such as Clayton-Thomas, Don Francks and Jane Siberry. Marentette produced The Heart of 21 in 2019, an EP by her mother celebrating her mom’s 70th birthday. In 2021 the artist released Live & Improvised, a recording from a Toronto concert featuring Marentette and pianist Robert G. Scott.”
