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Fawn Fritzen
Raised on folk, classical, and musical theatre, Fawn was a latecomer to jazz, but the bug bit her hard, and she quickly garnered accolades. Tim Tamashiro (former host of CBC Radio's national jazz program Tonic) named Fawn “one of Canada’s top swingers”. In 2014, Fawn won the Julian Award of Excellence for Emerging Jazz Artists.
The end of her marriage in 2015 spurred a period of deep reflection that changed the direction of her music. She grappled with the forces that had shaped her life decisions: perfectionism, Catholicism, and anxiety, among others. #MeToo further strengthened her sense of responsibility to give voice to real human stories. Music plays a crucial role in shaping society, and she felt compelled to write music about issues that matter.
In March 2019, Fawn debuted How to Say Sorry and Other Lessons, a show of eight personal stories and eight new songs. The music is co-written with pianist and composer David Restivo, fusing singer songwriter truth bombs with the rich complexity of jazz. The show explores themes of failure, feminism, conflict, consent, and connection. The March performance was recorded live with the support of Jazz Yukon, and the album will be release on Chronograph Records in August 2020.
Fawn has two daughters and is a staunch advocate for epilepsy awareness. Her eldest daughter suffered from severe seizures from toddlerhood, and was on the highly restrictive (and effective) Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy for five years. Fawn is passionate about supporting families who are dealing with seizures, and about increasing awareness of this surprisingly prevalent condition.
She is also a passionate educator, delivering workshops on learning styles, growth mindset, creativity, and neurodiversity.
Awards
2014 Julian Award of Excellence for Emerging Jazz Artists
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The David Restivo Trio: Arancina
by Dan McClenaghan
The David Restivo Trio's Arancina is all about home," whether it is pianist Restivo's ancestral home in Sicily, projected with a beautifully-painted homage on his four-part Sicilian Suite," or his brief home in Nova Scotia with Raven's Wing," inspired by the dark birds soaring over the Northumberland Strait which separates Nova Scotia from Prince Edward Island. Then there is Restivo's coming home to his bebop roots with It's You Or No One," the Jules Styne-Sammy Can song from the 1948 ...
read more"I was particularly impressed with Fritzen's original songs, which had intelligent lyrics and felt like worthy successors to Great American Songbook classics." — Alayne McGregor, OttawaJazzScene.ca
"Virtuosic soul-bearing." — Doug Jamieson, composer & author
Photos
Music
Raven's Wing
From: ArancinaBy Fawn Fritzen