Alison Burns Talks To FemaleFirst
It has been a remarkable journey for jazz singer Alison Burns who, not so long ago, was a fully qualified lawyer.She funded her studies by constant gigging before realising music was her true passion and left chambers for the stage.For her new album Alison has teamed up with Grammy award winning guitarist Martin Taylor and I caught up with her to talk about her new record and her unorthodox path into the music industry.
You are just about to release your new album, 1am, which is collaboration with Martin Taylor, what was it like working with such a legendary guitarist?
Martin Taylor is such a fabulous guitarist. Over the years we have played a number of concerts together where I have been invited by Martin to guest on stage with him. The first time I performed with him was in Nashville around 10 years ago.You really couldn’t ask for anything better than that, so when we decided to record the album 1:AM I was really very excited about selecting songs and thinking about how we could make the recording sound. Martin is wonderful to work with in the studio as well as at live performances. He is such a mentor and so inspiring when it comes to actually singing with him. He makes it easy to immerse yourself in the music and thankfully I have enough experience to be able to enjoy the moment as its happening.
If you could do another collaboration with any musician, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
I would love to do a duet album or sing with Tony Bennett. He is the master of portraying a song and letting the words do the work. He never over sings and he just allows the wonderful tone of his voice and delivery of the words carry the song to the ears of the listener. I know I would learn so much from working with Tony and I’m sure we would hit it off as friends too!
This album takes its inspiration from the Grammy award winning collaboration between Joe Pass & Ella Fitzgerald, as well as mixing repertoire from The Great American Songbook and contemporary material from the likes of James Taylor and Stevie Wonder; do you feel you did their music justice?
I suppose in a way we quickly realised that our live shows were very close in essence to what was captured in the recordings made by Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. We really wanted to capture the sound that we were creating in a live setting, as did Ella and Joe.
When we finally honed down our long list of songs for recording we did think that the more contemporary songs sat very well next to the other songs.
The James Taylor and Stevie Wonder songs are great songs in their own right and the question I asked was would Ella have selected these songs for recording? I spoke to Stevie Wonder’s personal manager recently who immediately asked to hear the version of If It’s Magic, so a copy is winging its way to Stevie as we speak! So perhaps the question of whether I feel that we did these songs justice is for others to decide.
One of the songs, True, is a tribute to your brother, how did you find writing the lyrics, and has it meant that this album is especially close to your heart?
I started the lyrics when I first heard Martin’s instrumental composition of the song. He didn’t have a title and the lyrics just seemed to flow from having heard the music. I knew that the lyrics would perhaps take some time to finish but I didn’t want to rush it.
There was no plan at that time to record the song and over the last few years other writers, including Dolly Parton had expressed an interest in putting lyrics to the music. Nothing seemed to materialise and when we had the recording dates in the diary for 1:AM I thought it was time to finish the lyric and see if Martin liked it or not.
I wrote the words very much with my brother in mind. He went off to the Falklands in 1982 and never came home. I was a very young girl at the time and I just couldn’t work it out. I had actually heard of the fatalities on the BBC news 2 days before we had the very sad knock at the door. I remember thinking of those poor young guys and how would their families feel when they got the news.
Not knowing at the time that one of those families was my own. I went to the Falkland Islands in 1983 on the pilgrimage and the Royal Air Force took me, my mum and sister out to the exact location where the helicopter came down. We threw 23 precious stones that my brother had collected into the south Atlantic and said our goodbyes. I knew then that one day I would do something from the heart as a tribute.
How would you describe your music?
I would describe it as late night music to relax to with a glass of wine, girlie friends around or on your own with your phone contacts not too far away. It’s jazzy and hopefully leaves you with a warm feeling.
How would you describe the new album?
The new album is a selection of great songs most of which were fabulous pop tunes of their time with a couple of contemporary songs which I think stand the test of going back in time. I think the songs sit well together for any person who likes to be drawn into the words and music for a late night relaxing moment to yourself. I think the album is a personal experience for the listener.
Who or what influences you?
I am influenced by lots of things I suppose. Musically I have many influences like singers Peggy Lee, Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. I think I must have been born in the wrong decade as I have always felt more at home listen to singers such as The Dinning Sisters and watching old Doris Day movies.
I love detail and especially quirky things or happenings. I could spend all day watching my cat who I find unbelievably entertaining.
How do you find the writing process? Do you have any routines which you go through when songwriting?
I enjoy the writing process and I love the place that mentally I find myself in when getting into writing mode. I find it easy to write when I’m out walking as usually the rhythm of taking steps almost starts a click track in your head. If there are any ideas that I have at the time then I’ll sit up late with a low light and see what materialises.
You are actually a fully qualified lawyer, do you ever wonder what would have happened if you hadn't followed your dream?
Yes I think I would have become one of the many miserable lawyers who hate what they do. Not all lawyers that I know are unhappy but in my view most are getting there on a fast track to misery and unfullfillment.
I don’t think I would have become one of those lawyers whose only aim is to make lots of money. Money has never been a propellant for me. I remember when I first worked in the courts the Sheriff at the court called me through to his chambers. I thought I was in trouble but he asked me through to sign a CD that I had sung on!
How did you make the move from law into music?
It’s strange but music always came first so even when I was studying Law at University I was gigging 3 sometimes 4 or 5 times a week. The other students thought I was a bit bonkers as I much rather preferred to play with my band at the Law Ball than actually join the party.
I remember I was doing some filming for Channel 4 in Glasgow on a night before a Finance exam. On that one I just scrapped a pass so I was very close to pushing it close to the limits. Once I got into the workplace as a lawyer I really enjoyed the work but felt that a very big part of me was being left behind and that was making me unhappy.
It seemed to me that the legal profession wanted a bigger slice of me than I was prepared to give and so I made a conscious decision to make a change and claw back my musical career.
Alsion's new album 1AM is out now
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