Lenni Jabour (born 1970)[1] is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Paris and Toronto,[2] who plays "an eclectic mélange of carnival music, torch, folk and pop".[1]
Lenni Jabour | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Early life and education
editJabour is half Lebanese, half Canadian. She grew up first in Toronto, until her father died when she was still young, and then she lived in North Bay with her mother and grandparents.[1] She started playing piano at just two years of age, and was subsequently classically trained from the age of three.[3] She studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music and Ryerson University, where she graduated from the drama program.[4][5]
Career
editAt age 18, she made her debut as a professional musician, playing jazz standards and the occasional Nick Cave or Kate Bush cover in Toronto bars and coffeehouses.[3]
Her self-titled debut album was released in 1996, and was in the top 100 of the year's Canadian independent albums. Critic Lenny Stoute wrote that it contained "streetwise soul poems and rich melodies."[6]
Her live album, released in 2000, was performed with a string trio at the Toronto venue C'est What.[7]
The Toronto Star described her song "A Little Sad", from the 2006 album Les Dangereuses, as a "sublimely retro pop song",[8] "[s]ingalong melancholy, with horns that evoke a long-lost Burt Bacharach B-side."[9]
She has toured as a supporting act for Blue Rodeo,[10] Amanda Marshall, Holly Cole[11] and Rufus Wainwright. She also played several dates on the Lilith Fair bill in 1998,[12] and has been a guest musician on albums by Jason Collett, Hawksley Workman,[4] I Mother Earth, Glueleg and The Cash Brothers.
Personal life
editJabour is married to Simon Tuplin. They have two children, Nadege and Anik.[13]
Discography
edit- Lenni Jabour (1996, out of print)
- Demo 2000 (2000, out of print)
- Ten Songs Live (2000, out of print)
- At the Clarion Café (2002, out of print)
- A Small Show of Hands (2003, out of print)
- Les Dangereuses (2006) available on iTunes
- Lenni Jabour : Greatest Hits (covers of hits from the 1970s and 1980s) (2009) available on iTunes
References
edit- ^ a b c McLaren, Leah (February 11, 2006). "Moving from ennui to fabulousness: Lenni Jabour tells Leah McLaren about her mental leap, and how it fuels her muse", The Globe and Mail, p. R4.
- ^ Sakamoto, John (November 3, 2007). "The anti-hit list: Lenni Jabour", Toronto Star, p. E2.
- ^ a b Burliuk, Greg (March 26, 1997). "Singer hides tart lyrics in gentle music", Kingston Whig-Standard, p. 20.
- ^ a b Raynor, Brent (February 9, 2006). "Lenni Jabour & the Third Floor", Now 25 (24). Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ Burliuk, Greg (April 29, 2006). "French kiss for Kingston: Singer Lenni Jabour brings her songs and fishnet stockings to her new home", Kingston Whig-Standard, p. 12.
- ^ Stoute, Lenny (December 26, 1996). "1996 was acrawl with fresh talent", Toronto Star, p. B17.
- ^ Johnston, Michael (May 2001). "Lenni Jabour: Live", Exclaim!. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
- ^ Sakamoto, John (February 4, 2006). "The anti-hit list: Lenni Jabour & the Third Floor: 'A Little Sad'", Toronto Star, p. H6.
- ^ Sakamoto, John (October 8, 2006). "iPodiatrist: Stellar all-stars-of-indie alternatives", Toronto Star, p. C4.
- ^ Primeau, Joan (April 16, 1996). "Tonight in T.O.", Toronto Star, p. E7.
- ^ Ross, Alec (December 9, 1996). "Queen Cole proves a merry old soul: Renowned jazz singer energizes, mesmerizes", Kingston Whig-Standard, p. 16.
- ^ Flynn, Andrew (July 30, 1998). "McLachlan brings Lilith Fair home triumphant and transformed", The Canadian Press.
- ^ [1] (January 19, 2015)