Mallory Chipman, the grand daughter of Senator and beloved jazz musician Tommy Banks is making it in her own way. She has just released her second album in as many years — a tribute to the music of Leonard Cohen called “Rags and Feathers— A Tribute To Leonard Cohen.
The 24-year-old vocalist/ arranger/ songwriter will be playing a couple of shows at this year’s Lethbridge Jazz and Blues Festival, June 14 with the Calgary Jazz Orchestra at the Enmax Centre Lounge as part of a tribute to her grandfather and her own show , May 15 in the same place with her band, long time pianist Chris Andrew, guitarist Brett Hansen, bassist Murray Wood and drummer Jamie Cooper for her June 15 show.
“I wasn’t going to release an album, because I just released my debut not even a year before. I was tired and most people don’t release albums that quickly. But I was working on arrangements of Leonard Cohen songs for the Leonard Cohen Festival in 2014. It takes place every two years somewhere in the world. And I did it again in 2018 in Amsterdam. But working on the first album right before working on the next one really informed the experience of recording this album. It’s a lot of fun to make an album, but it’s a lot of work. There’s a lot to learn,” she said, noting she wrote alternate arrangements of seven Leonard Cohen songs including popular hits like “Bird on a Wire and “Hallelujah.”
“Grandpa came to the home town show in Edmonton and said you have to do this as an album because it’s timeless. And Leonard Cohen passed away just a few months before it was released. I put my grandpa’s name in the thank you credits. He saw it and teared up. He was so humble. That was just like him,” she said.
“I write a lot of songs,” she said, adding she will likely play some of the Cohen project as well as songs from her debut “ Nocturnalize” plus some jazz classics and a lot of improvisation including scatting, which is a prominent part of her sound.
Tickets for each of the shows cost $35. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
