Connie Lansberg has a way with words. That makes sense when you learn she is a published author as well as an accomplished songwriter. The same applies to Connie's endeavors as a jazz singer. She is elegant and persuasive - primarily, I suggest because she understands the value of words. Whether she is singing familiar standards or gems from the repertoire that deserves to be better-known, she wants to choose songs that not only appeal to her audience, but also to her. If she is to tell a story, it should be a story of which she has some experience or understanding. Or if she chooses to present an original song, of course, it will carry some personal meaning for her but will need to hold the audience's attention, as well as the standards, do. Connie makes a point of crediting Mark Fitzgibbon for adding a raft of effective suggestions to the arrangements and voicings. Connie is a firm believer in leaving space within which the musicians can contribute their own ideas, whether she is on stage or in the recording studio. The result is a beautiful and truly fresh sound that takes jazz in a new and exciting direction for audiences.
Adrian Jackson OAM, Former Director of the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, critic for The Age, Rhythms, The Bulletin, Limelight, Australasian Jazz, The Wire, and Down Beat.
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