Vocalist Diana Panton has been recording since 2005, when she released ... Yesterday Perhaps. What I love about her voice is its transparency. Through her vocals, I can hear exactly what she is feeling. She takes the lyrics she sings seriously, largely because she chooses songs carefully, using her emotions and artistic taste as a guide.
Her new and 10th album is Blue, and she's joined by a masterful group: pianist-arranger Don Thompson, guitarist Reg Schwager and bassist Jim Vivian plus saxophonist Phil Dwyer and the poetic Penderecki Quartet, a world-renowned chamber ensemble.
I've known Diana for years and often communicate with her on Facebook or via email. She's precious, as you'll soon discover when you listen to her new album. The following interview was supposed to post when her album was released on October 28, but I held off until JazzWax's embedding functionality was restored. It's back now, so here's Diana, a two-time JUNO Award winner: JazzWax: Where did you grow up?
Diana Panton: I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. There are no musicians in my immediate family, but my dad loved listening to classical music. The stereo system was his domain, so I heard what he played, usually Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. When I was a teenager, I purchased my first cassette tapes to be played in my room and far from my dad's ears. My little tape player had a gearshift mechanism to activate play, stop, fast-forward or rewind. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jo Dickins]
JW: What sort of music was on those tapes?
DP: An eclectic mix of albums by Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones. I purchased them from a local second-hand shop and didn’t really have much of an idea of what I was buying. I especially dug Aretha as a singer and listened to her cassette a lot.
JW: Dad just listened to classical?
DP: That’s the thing. One evening, he pulled out some jazz albums hidden behind a sliding door in the living room. They were 10-inch LPs he had brought with him to Canada from Scotland. He was born and raised in Glasgow. Turns out dad had been quite the jazz lover in his younger days. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jo Dickins]
JW: What did he put on the stereo?
DP: Previously, he had never played these records for me. That night he put on an Ella Fitzgerald record and I was immediately hooked. The funny thing is once this door to the past was opened, all we listened to in the house from that point forward was jazz. After I devoured my dad's collection of Ella, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, I went scavenging at the local library, where I discovered Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Lester Young and John Coltrane, among others. While high school friends were listening to classic rock and Top-40 pop, I was absorbing all the jazz I could find.
JW: Were you outgoing or introverted as a child?
DP: I would say both. My parents told me I was highly articulate at a young age. They’d take me to gatherings and let me roam freely making conversation with adults, which they found quite a novelty. That was the outgoing me. I also loved to work for hours alone on huge collages that took up most of our dining-room table. Hours would go by and, sometimes, I’d fall asleep there face down on my latest masterpiece.
JW: And singing?
DP: Singing started quite early as well. Singing became a personal soundtrack to my daily activities. My mom said she could always tell when I wasn’t feeling well if I wasn't singing. By age 6, I’d make up songs walking home alone from school. These were usually spontaneous, melancholic creations about nature, with lines such as “Where will the animals live if humans build everywhere?” Sometimes I’d be teary-eyed by the time I arrived home. When Mom asked what was wrong, I'd tell her I was just singing. Singing has always been a catharsis for me. Growing up, it was something I did on my own as a personal expression, never to entertain.
JW: When did that change?
DP: When I was 13, on a dare, I auditioned and landed the part of Maria in a children's production of The Sound of Music. An opera singer who had attended the show sent me a dozen roses and a note insisting I stop this type of performance—singing in front of more than 700 people without a microphone—and find a vocal teacher.
JW: Did that sting?
DP: Not at all. It came from a good place, reinforced by the roses. So, I tried to find a vocal instructor without success. Most said I was too young, or they lived too far away. We didn't have a family car at the time.
JW: What did you do?
DP: A few years later, while on a high school music trip to Chicago with the school orchestra—I played violin—I was singing to myself down a quiet corridor when someone heard me. The woman flipped over my voice and asked where I was from. Would you believe she knew a singing teacher in my home town who lived a five-minute walk from my house?
JW: Problem solved?
DP: Not quite. That teacher's roster was full, but since I lived so close, she called when there were cancellations. I also took care of her elderly mother to help finance my lessons. So that’s how I began taking classical singing in my late teens. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jose Crespo]
JW: And jazz?
DP: Around the same time, I tried out for a local community jazz group and was one of two vocalists selected. I continued to sing Count Basie and Quincy Jones charts with the community big band for about a decade. At college, I studied French literature. Although I consider myself largely a self-taught jazz singer, I attended jazz workshops, such as one at the Banff Centre for the Arts with jazz singer Sheila Jordan, who became a mentor. We’re still in touch. The first time she heard me sing, she said I reminded her of a young June Christy. She encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Sheila continues to tour into her 90s and is still a big inspiration.
JW: What was your first paying job as a singer?
DP: It was a duo with a guitarist at a local pub. I can’t say it was my favorite performing experience. The club owner seemed quite impressed by the audience turnout, but there were lots of distractions and surface noise. I've done only a handful of club dates since and prefer quieter venues. JW: How did you meet Don Thompson (above), the exquisite jazz pianist, vibraphonist, bassist, composer and arranger?
DP: We first met when my youth big band opened a show in which he performed as a member of the headlining group. He found me backstage after and suggested I attend the Banff workshop where he was an instructor. While at Banff, I performed at the famed Blue Room with Don. Following our set, Don invited me to call him when I was ready to record. I couldn't believe it. I didn't follow up on his invitation until a decade later.
JW: What happened?
DP: I called him out of the blue but wasn't sure if he’d remember me. Fortunately, he did. He asked me to put together a list of songs I wanted to record. I came up with 20. We met for a rehearsal to work out the keys. Next came the studio date, where I met guitarist Reg Schwager for the first time. We got right to it. The album, …Yesterday Perhaps (2005), was recorded in two days. Most of the songs were done in two takes with no rehearsal as a trio. It felt as if we had been playing together for years. Our new one, Blue, is my 10th album recording together with Don and Reg.
JW: How did you manage during the pandemic?
DP: I like to connect in person with audiences, but it's not what pulls me toward music. I don't consider myself a natural entertainer, so I didn't really miss performing during the pandemic. Music began for me as a very solitary act when I was a child, singing by myself, not for others. Performance is something I have warmed up to as an extension of being a musician.
JW: Sounds like you’re most at home in the studio.
DP: I am. It’s my happy place. In the studio, there are limited distractions, and I can fully immerse myself in a song and the story expressed in the lyrics. During the pandemic, I was committed to working within the various Covid protocols to ensure Blue would get done. Closures delayed the process by a year, but I'm very proud we were able to make an album like this despite the pandemic’s constraints. [Photo above of Diana Panton courtesy of YouTube]
JW: Blue is a different sort of album for you. I sense a resigned sadness in your voice. What inspired the song choices and the feel?
DP: Actually, my first album included heartache songs, such as I Get Along Without You Very Well and I'm a Fool to Want You. I considered recording the Blue album back then, but at the time, I wasn't sure an entire album of sad songs was the right introduction to my music. With Blue, I felt the song choices would benefit from life experiences and a more mature voice. Most of the songs on Blue wouldn’t have been on my radar years ago. I also don't think I could have interpreted them with as much depth back then. Over the past few years, each member of our trio has experienced a profound loss. These emotions are woven into the fabric of the new album. [Photo above of Jim Vivian]
JW: There’s also a color theme with your albums, yes?
DP: Absolutely. Blue tells the story of love affair’s end. This conceptual affair began with Pink (2009), which is about first-time love. It was followed by Red (2013), which is about passionate love, and finally Blue. These releases span a decade and were deliberately spread out to provide authenticity to the timeline. I hope Blue’s music can serve as a balm for those who have experienced loss.
JW: What do you love about working with Don?
DP: People talk of kindred spirits, and I believe this term applies musically to Don and me. Since the very first time we performed together, there seemed to be an unsaid understanding of where we wanted to go, emotionally, with a piece. Whenever I come up with a zany idea, such as a jazz album for kids—I Believe in Little Things (2015)—or an album of sad ballads, like Blue, Don never questions my muse. If I come up with an obscure song, he welcomes it with an open mind. JW: What about Don's arrangements and piano accompaniment?
DP: They are like bespoke clothes, tailored to the exact requirements of my voice. But there is very little discussion that takes place in advance. His arrangements come mostly from perception, trust and feel and, of course, his exceptional musical gifts, which guide the group. As for his accompaniment, Don listens with big ears and a big heart. Everything he plays is in service to the song, and he considers every single chord in this way. I'm very blessed to have him in my musical life. Music-making with Don is pure joy.
JW: Did you both choose the album’s songs?
DP: Sourcing the songs is largely my domain. This is one of my favorite parts of the recording process. To me, it's like a treasure hunt, unearthing forgotten gems and envisioning worn standards in a new way. I usually bring a long list of songs to Don. Blue was no exception. Then we run through them fairly quickly. Many of the songs on Blue were new to Don, such as To Say Goodbye and It's Always 4 a.m. He laughs when I come up with songs he's not heard before after a lifetime in music. He also usually suggests a few songs that he thinks might fit the theme, such as Losing My Mind and The Meaning of the Blues for Blue. Once the final songs have been chosen, Don sets about creating the arrangements. Occasionally, I may make a suggestion, such as the sparse piano at the opening of To Say Goodbye. In response to my request, Don opened with a few bars of Bach's Goldberg Variation No. 25. And of course, it worked perfectly.
JW: What are the criteria for songs to make the final cut?
DP: They must feel right for both of us. That usually means they have high-quality lyrics and sound harmonic structure. We also have to connect with them emotionally. Very often, the final selections are songs we both happen to love and respect, such as You Are There and Just Sometimes.
JW: Yesterday seems like it would be a weary outlier for Blue. Yet Don’s arrangement and piano and your vocal make it something else.
DP: There’s one particular line in the song that has always resonated with me: “There's a shadow hanging over me." I think we've all felt that at some point in our lives, but few songs say it so succinctly. The line’s feeling caused me to add the song to my list of maybes for Blue. After Don and I ran it down in a preliminary rehearsal, it felt right to both of us and was included.
JW: Just Sometimes and You Are There were nifty choices.
DP: These are two amazing songs with heavy emotional messages. The pain of a lost relationship or a lost life can be unbearable and difficult to put into words, but these two songs succeed in this regard. The stories they tell will choke you up. Singer Norma Winstone (Just Sometimes, lyrics) is a very gifted lyricist, and the same can be said for Dave Frishberg (You Are There lyrics). I've had the opportunity to watch both of them perform, and they are master storytellers. It’s unfortunate that Dave, Johnny Mandel (You Are There music) and Armando Manzanero Canché (Just Sometimes/Pero Te Extrano, music and original language lyrics) passed away before Blue was completed. I hope they would have enjoyed our renditions. JW: Will you be touring the album?
DP: Not so much touring as performing some specialized concerts, including one on May 5 at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener, Ontario, featuring the Penderecki Quartet.
JW: Tell me about the Penderecki Quartet.
DP: Before we recorded Blue, Don was working on a different project with the renowned chamber ensemble. The quartet has a wide-ranging repertoire, from Haydn to Frank Zappa. Don and I began chatting about how great it would be to collaborate with them on Blue. We were both elated when they accepted our invitation. The quartet added their string parts after Don, Reg, Jim and I recorded. Then Phil Dwyer added some spectacular saxophone solos in a studio out West. Finally, engineer Chad Irschick expertly wove everything together.
JW: Excited about the upcoming Registry performance? And what's next?
DP: It will be great to have all the musicians together in one room for the first time to play this music. As for what’s next, there is always a new album in the works—three in fact, at the moment. So many albums, so little time.
JazzWax clips: Here's This Will Make You Laugh...
Here's It's Always 4 a.m... .
And here's You Are There...
Bonus: Here's an animated video of Nobody's Heart from Blue that Diana sent along, with animation by Leading Pictures Inc. and illustrations by Mariel Ashlinn Kelly...
Her new and 10th album is Blue, and she's joined by a masterful group: pianist-arranger Don Thompson, guitarist Reg Schwager and bassist Jim Vivian plus saxophonist Phil Dwyer and the poetic Penderecki Quartet, a world-renowned chamber ensemble.
I've known Diana for years and often communicate with her on Facebook or via email. She's precious, as you'll soon discover when you listen to her new album. The following interview was supposed to post when her album was released on October 28, but I held off until JazzWax's embedding functionality was restored. It's back now, so here's Diana, a two-time JUNO Award winner: JazzWax: Where did you grow up?
Diana Panton: I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. There are no musicians in my immediate family, but my dad loved listening to classical music. The stereo system was his domain, so I heard what he played, usually Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. When I was a teenager, I purchased my first cassette tapes to be played in my room and far from my dad's ears. My little tape player had a gearshift mechanism to activate play, stop, fast-forward or rewind. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jo Dickins]
JW: What sort of music was on those tapes?
DP: An eclectic mix of albums by Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones. I purchased them from a local second-hand shop and didn’t really have much of an idea of what I was buying. I especially dug Aretha as a singer and listened to her cassette a lot.
JW: Dad just listened to classical?
DP: That’s the thing. One evening, he pulled out some jazz albums hidden behind a sliding door in the living room. They were 10-inch LPs he had brought with him to Canada from Scotland. He was born and raised in Glasgow. Turns out dad had been quite the jazz lover in his younger days. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jo Dickins]
JW: What did he put on the stereo?
DP: Previously, he had never played these records for me. That night he put on an Ella Fitzgerald record and I was immediately hooked. The funny thing is once this door to the past was opened, all we listened to in the house from that point forward was jazz. After I devoured my dad's collection of Ella, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, I went scavenging at the local library, where I discovered Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Lester Young and John Coltrane, among others. While high school friends were listening to classic rock and Top-40 pop, I was absorbing all the jazz I could find.
JW: Were you outgoing or introverted as a child?
DP: I would say both. My parents told me I was highly articulate at a young age. They’d take me to gatherings and let me roam freely making conversation with adults, which they found quite a novelty. That was the outgoing me. I also loved to work for hours alone on huge collages that took up most of our dining-room table. Hours would go by and, sometimes, I’d fall asleep there face down on my latest masterpiece.
JW: And singing?
DP: Singing started quite early as well. Singing became a personal soundtrack to my daily activities. My mom said she could always tell when I wasn’t feeling well if I wasn't singing. By age 6, I’d make up songs walking home alone from school. These were usually spontaneous, melancholic creations about nature, with lines such as “Where will the animals live if humans build everywhere?” Sometimes I’d be teary-eyed by the time I arrived home. When Mom asked what was wrong, I'd tell her I was just singing. Singing has always been a catharsis for me. Growing up, it was something I did on my own as a personal expression, never to entertain.
JW: When did that change?
DP: When I was 13, on a dare, I auditioned and landed the part of Maria in a children's production of The Sound of Music. An opera singer who had attended the show sent me a dozen roses and a note insisting I stop this type of performance—singing in front of more than 700 people without a microphone—and find a vocal teacher.
JW: Did that sting?
DP: Not at all. It came from a good place, reinforced by the roses. So, I tried to find a vocal instructor without success. Most said I was too young, or they lived too far away. We didn't have a family car at the time.
JW: What did you do?
DP: A few years later, while on a high school music trip to Chicago with the school orchestra—I played violin—I was singing to myself down a quiet corridor when someone heard me. The woman flipped over my voice and asked where I was from. Would you believe she knew a singing teacher in my home town who lived a five-minute walk from my house?
JW: Problem solved?
DP: Not quite. That teacher's roster was full, but since I lived so close, she called when there were cancellations. I also took care of her elderly mother to help finance my lessons. So that’s how I began taking classical singing in my late teens. [Photo above of Diana Panton by Jose Crespo]
JW: And jazz?
DP: Around the same time, I tried out for a local community jazz group and was one of two vocalists selected. I continued to sing Count Basie and Quincy Jones charts with the community big band for about a decade. At college, I studied French literature. Although I consider myself largely a self-taught jazz singer, I attended jazz workshops, such as one at the Banff Centre for the Arts with jazz singer Sheila Jordan, who became a mentor. We’re still in touch. The first time she heard me sing, she said I reminded her of a young June Christy. She encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Sheila continues to tour into her 90s and is still a big inspiration.
JW: What was your first paying job as a singer?
DP: It was a duo with a guitarist at a local pub. I can’t say it was my favorite performing experience. The club owner seemed quite impressed by the audience turnout, but there were lots of distractions and surface noise. I've done only a handful of club dates since and prefer quieter venues. JW: How did you meet Don Thompson (above), the exquisite jazz pianist, vibraphonist, bassist, composer and arranger?
DP: We first met when my youth big band opened a show in which he performed as a member of the headlining group. He found me backstage after and suggested I attend the Banff workshop where he was an instructor. While at Banff, I performed at the famed Blue Room with Don. Following our set, Don invited me to call him when I was ready to record. I couldn't believe it. I didn't follow up on his invitation until a decade later.
JW: What happened?
DP: I called him out of the blue but wasn't sure if he’d remember me. Fortunately, he did. He asked me to put together a list of songs I wanted to record. I came up with 20. We met for a rehearsal to work out the keys. Next came the studio date, where I met guitarist Reg Schwager for the first time. We got right to it. The album, …Yesterday Perhaps (2005), was recorded in two days. Most of the songs were done in two takes with no rehearsal as a trio. It felt as if we had been playing together for years. Our new one, Blue, is my 10th album recording together with Don and Reg.
JW: How did you manage during the pandemic?
DP: I like to connect in person with audiences, but it's not what pulls me toward music. I don't consider myself a natural entertainer, so I didn't really miss performing during the pandemic. Music began for me as a very solitary act when I was a child, singing by myself, not for others. Performance is something I have warmed up to as an extension of being a musician.
JW: Sounds like you’re most at home in the studio.
DP: I am. It’s my happy place. In the studio, there are limited distractions, and I can fully immerse myself in a song and the story expressed in the lyrics. During the pandemic, I was committed to working within the various Covid protocols to ensure Blue would get done. Closures delayed the process by a year, but I'm very proud we were able to make an album like this despite the pandemic’s constraints. [Photo above of Diana Panton courtesy of YouTube]
JW: Blue is a different sort of album for you. I sense a resigned sadness in your voice. What inspired the song choices and the feel?
DP: Actually, my first album included heartache songs, such as I Get Along Without You Very Well and I'm a Fool to Want You. I considered recording the Blue album back then, but at the time, I wasn't sure an entire album of sad songs was the right introduction to my music. With Blue, I felt the song choices would benefit from life experiences and a more mature voice. Most of the songs on Blue wouldn’t have been on my radar years ago. I also don't think I could have interpreted them with as much depth back then. Over the past few years, each member of our trio has experienced a profound loss. These emotions are woven into the fabric of the new album. [Photo above of Jim Vivian]
JW: There’s also a color theme with your albums, yes?
DP: Absolutely. Blue tells the story of love affair’s end. This conceptual affair began with Pink (2009), which is about first-time love. It was followed by Red (2013), which is about passionate love, and finally Blue. These releases span a decade and were deliberately spread out to provide authenticity to the timeline. I hope Blue’s music can serve as a balm for those who have experienced loss.
JW: What do you love about working with Don?
DP: People talk of kindred spirits, and I believe this term applies musically to Don and me. Since the very first time we performed together, there seemed to be an unsaid understanding of where we wanted to go, emotionally, with a piece. Whenever I come up with a zany idea, such as a jazz album for kids—I Believe in Little Things (2015)—or an album of sad ballads, like Blue, Don never questions my muse. If I come up with an obscure song, he welcomes it with an open mind. JW: What about Don's arrangements and piano accompaniment?
DP: They are like bespoke clothes, tailored to the exact requirements of my voice. But there is very little discussion that takes place in advance. His arrangements come mostly from perception, trust and feel and, of course, his exceptional musical gifts, which guide the group. As for his accompaniment, Don listens with big ears and a big heart. Everything he plays is in service to the song, and he considers every single chord in this way. I'm very blessed to have him in my musical life. Music-making with Don is pure joy.
JW: Did you both choose the album’s songs?
DP: Sourcing the songs is largely my domain. This is one of my favorite parts of the recording process. To me, it's like a treasure hunt, unearthing forgotten gems and envisioning worn standards in a new way. I usually bring a long list of songs to Don. Blue was no exception. Then we run through them fairly quickly. Many of the songs on Blue were new to Don, such as To Say Goodbye and It's Always 4 a.m. He laughs when I come up with songs he's not heard before after a lifetime in music. He also usually suggests a few songs that he thinks might fit the theme, such as Losing My Mind and The Meaning of the Blues for Blue. Once the final songs have been chosen, Don sets about creating the arrangements. Occasionally, I may make a suggestion, such as the sparse piano at the opening of To Say Goodbye. In response to my request, Don opened with a few bars of Bach's Goldberg Variation No. 25. And of course, it worked perfectly.
JW: What are the criteria for songs to make the final cut?
DP: They must feel right for both of us. That usually means they have high-quality lyrics and sound harmonic structure. We also have to connect with them emotionally. Very often, the final selections are songs we both happen to love and respect, such as You Are There and Just Sometimes.
JW: Yesterday seems like it would be a weary outlier for Blue. Yet Don’s arrangement and piano and your vocal make it something else.
DP: There’s one particular line in the song that has always resonated with me: “There's a shadow hanging over me." I think we've all felt that at some point in our lives, but few songs say it so succinctly. The line’s feeling caused me to add the song to my list of maybes for Blue. After Don and I ran it down in a preliminary rehearsal, it felt right to both of us and was included.
JW: Just Sometimes and You Are There were nifty choices.
DP: These are two amazing songs with heavy emotional messages. The pain of a lost relationship or a lost life can be unbearable and difficult to put into words, but these two songs succeed in this regard. The stories they tell will choke you up. Singer Norma Winstone (Just Sometimes, lyrics) is a very gifted lyricist, and the same can be said for Dave Frishberg (You Are There lyrics). I've had the opportunity to watch both of them perform, and they are master storytellers. It’s unfortunate that Dave, Johnny Mandel (You Are There music) and Armando Manzanero Canché (Just Sometimes/Pero Te Extrano, music and original language lyrics) passed away before Blue was completed. I hope they would have enjoyed our renditions. JW: Will you be touring the album?
DP: Not so much touring as performing some specialized concerts, including one on May 5 at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener, Ontario, featuring the Penderecki Quartet.
JW: Tell me about the Penderecki Quartet.
DP: Before we recorded Blue, Don was working on a different project with the renowned chamber ensemble. The quartet has a wide-ranging repertoire, from Haydn to Frank Zappa. Don and I began chatting about how great it would be to collaborate with them on Blue. We were both elated when they accepted our invitation. The quartet added their string parts after Don, Reg, Jim and I recorded. Then Phil Dwyer added some spectacular saxophone solos in a studio out West. Finally, engineer Chad Irschick expertly wove everything together.
JW: Excited about the upcoming Registry performance? And what's next?
DP: It will be great to have all the musicians together in one room for the first time to play this music. As for what’s next, there is always a new album in the works—three in fact, at the moment. So many albums, so little time.
JazzWax clips: Here's This Will Make You Laugh...
Here's It's Always 4 a.m... .
And here's You Are There...
Bonus: Here's an animated video of Nobody's Heart from Blue that Diana sent along, with animation by Leading Pictures Inc. and illustrations by Mariel Ashlinn Kelly...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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