Larra Skye
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Music
Press
"Je me rappelle encore du jour où, par hasard, j'ai entendu pour la première fois la voix de Larra; elle était en spectacle au Harbourfront et elle interprétait des versions rafraîchissantes de certains succès des Beatles. C'est cette même voix, pleine d'humanité et de nuances, que j'ai retrouvé sur Wishing tree. Sa composition française intituée "Mavillete" est charmante et rappelle le style de Rachel Paiement à l'époque du groupe Cano. Si vous n'aviez qu'une pièce à écouter, essayer "Explode", une chanson pop irrésistible qui a de la finesse mélodique et de l'ingéniosité dans l'orchestration." - Radio Canada
"Je me rappelle encore du jour où, par hasard, j'ai entendu pour la première fois la voix de Larra; elle était en spectacle au Harbourfront et elle interprétait des versions rafraîchissantes de certains succès des Beatles. C'est cette même voix, pleine d'humanité et de nuances, que j'ai retrouvé sur Wishing tree. Sa composition française intituée "Mavillete" est charmante et rappelle le style de Rachel Paiement à l'époque du groupe Cano. Si vous n'aviez qu'une pièce à écouter, essayer "Explode", une chanson pop irrésistible qui a de la finesse mélodique et de l'ingéniosité dans l'orchestration." - Radio Canada
This album is so smooth it embarrasses peanut butter. As much as Canada is known for comedy, the country has happily spawned strong, beautiful female songwriters like Chantal Kreviazuk, Sarah McLachlan and Feist; Larra Skye carries on that proud tradition. And she’s just as sweet as maple syrup. Every song on this warm album feels familiar, comforting, like déjà vu…you swear you’ve heard this song or that song in a movie before. Skye calls this album Wishing Tree, she should have been honest and called it My Slippers, it’s that pleasant. ~Sammy Younan - NewMusicTen
This album is so smooth it embarrasses peanut butter. As much as Canada is known for comedy, the country has happily spawned strong, beautiful female songwriters like Chantal Kreviazuk, Sarah McLachlan and Feist; Larra Skye carries on that proud tradition. And she’s just as sweet as maple syrup. Every song on this warm album feels familiar, comforting, like déjà vu…you swear you’ve heard this song or that song in a movie before. Skye calls this album Wishing Tree, she should have been honest and called it My Slippers, it’s that pleasant. ~Sammy Younan - NewMusicTen
".. confident and versatile. The album is a great jazz vocal performance." - The Vancouver View, August 2006 - Vancouver View
".. confident and versatile. The album is a great jazz vocal performance." - The Vancouver View, August 2006 - Vancouver View
"an inventive charmer of a jazz stylist. Not quite a chanteuse, not quite a torch singer, she creates a new category for herself with impressive songwriting and a voice that's like a whisper in your ear." - David Hayes, freelance journalist and writer of magazine features on Diana Krall and Michael Bublé - David Hayes
"an inventive charmer of a jazz stylist. Not quite a chanteuse, not quite a torch singer, she creates a new category for herself with impressive songwriting and a voice that's like a whisper in your ear." - David Hayes, freelance journalist and writer of magazine features on Diana Krall and Michael Bublé - David Hayes
"Sharp winds of a Canadian winter begin to blow... it's nasty out there but look at this... I've found a new bud, fresh, open and revealing just enough magic to indicate that a grand and colourful explosion is forthcoming... Larra's CD is her first statement and signature, and there's no question... it's her stuff and style" - Reiner Schwarz, JazzFM 91.1 FM - Jazz FM 91.1
"Sharp winds of a Canadian winter begin to blow... it's nasty out there but look at this... I've found a new bud, fresh, open and revealing just enough magic to indicate that a grand and colourful explosion is forthcoming... Larra's CD is her first statement and signature, and there's no question... it's her stuff and style" - Reiner Schwarz, JazzFM 91.1 FM - Jazz FM 91.1
"It swings from the first note. Beautifully performed, recorded and mixed. Consummate musical conversations throughout with sultry, smoky and evocative vocal delivery sealing the deal." - Chicago musician, Don Conoscenti, currently on tour with Rounder Records artist Ellis Paul - Don Conoscenti
"It swings from the first note. Beautifully performed, recorded and mixed. Consummate musical conversations throughout with sultry, smoky and evocative vocal delivery sealing the deal." - Chicago musician, Don Conoscenti, currently on tour with Rounder Records artist Ellis Paul - Don Conoscenti
"Check out Larra Skye at the Republic... Skye's just-released debut CD has already been picked up for national distribution by HMV and her sound is accessible, fun and easy." - Telegram, St. John's, NF
"Check out Larra Skye at the Republic... Skye's just-released debut CD has already been picked up for national distribution by HMV and her sound is accessible, fun and easy." - Telegram, St. John's, NF
“Larra Skye is a lovely, unique blend of a poetic folk-singer’s mind and a dynamic jazz-singer’s soul.” - CIUT 89.5 Toronto Radio
“Larra Skye is a lovely, unique blend of a poetic folk-singer’s mind and a dynamic jazz-singer’s soul.” - CIUT 89.5 Toronto Radio
“... bright, cool, mellow, smokey... exactly what I need for my show... a fine series of tunes with a gro-
ovin’ crew all around.” - WKNH, USA
“Music at its best!” - KRTU, Texas
“Oh brother, she is great!” - Radio Logan, Australia
“Every song here a keeper. Larra weaves her way through this CD with honest vocals and warm jazz
stylings. Thanks to her for this addition to the NGQ music family. Highly regarded by us.” - Dusty Durst,
NGQ Music Prod., USA
“Really good CD. You need to have this one in your collection. Buy it and like me, you will just love it.”
- Gi Dussault, Upper Room Radio, USA
“If you want to hear beautiful vocals, delivered by a rising star on the jazz scene, then pickup a copy
of ‘The World Disappears’. Larra Skye explores the heartbreak, joy, disappointment, and uncertainty of
love, in songs such as “Love Is,” “Open Up Your Eyes,” and “Make Believe.” The phrase torch song was
invented for people like Larra Skye when she sings the original song “Pretty Little Baby.”
- Jazz Review, September 2007
REVIEW OF TORONTO DOWNTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL SHOW BY WWW.SCENEANDHEARD.CA
Larra Skye Quintet at The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar, Saturday June 23rd
The capacity crowd at the Rex seemed to grow as the sounds of the Larra Skye Quintet’s smooth jazz drifted out
onto Queen Street on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
There was little doubt why she has been hailed as the next big thing. She has a rich, expressive voice and brought
an incredible amount of emotion to each song, particularly a spot-on cover of Bill Wither’s ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’.
Skye has an easygoing stage presence that doubtlessly helped to endear her to the audience. She wove stories
about writing songs in her parents’ Newmarket bookstore and writing lyrics when she was in love then recording
the song after she had fallen out of love into her first set.
She never once resorted to Dion/Carey-style vocal histrionics. It seemed odd to hear such a big voice coming
from such a slender woman.
Unfortunately, S&H.ca had to duck out before she played her second set. If the crowd that remained was any
indication, they weren’t going anywhere.
REVIEW OF VANCOUVER SHOW # 2 FROM JAZZ REVIEW WEBSITE
Larra Skye : Romantic, Sultry, Emotive
The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Toronto jazz singer Larra Skye one of the few independent artists to strike a national distribution deal (HMV),
performed two outstanding sets at The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club in Vancouver Canada on July 28. Dressed
in a short black sequin dress, the tall slender Skye, with her shoulder length brown hair occasionally sweeping
across her face, opened with “The Only One I’ll Miss,” before breaking into the fabulous “Turn Up The Stars.”
Skye is at ease on the stage, performing within several different sub genres of jazz, including modern tunes re-
flecting traditional jazz standards, or a song such as “Comes Love,” which began with a 6/8 Afro Cuban beat and
progressed into more of a swing. She got down and funky with “All Or Nothing At All,” a sassy song in which the
singer teases her lover.
The singer’s cover of Bill Withers’ classic hit song, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” is possibly the best vocal performance of
the tune in the thirty-six years since Withers took it to number three on the US pop charts and number six on the
R&B rankings. Skye possesses emotive vocals that suggest she is pulling from her own personal experiences. She
sings with authenticity and unlike some artists who are more sedentary, Skye’s body language suggests that her
very being moves within the soundscape of each song.
The deeper into the evening we went both the singer and her ensemble just seemed to be hitting their stride with
songs like the ballad “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” There was a hint of nostalgia in the air and one almost ex-
pected Humphrey Bogart to utter, ‘Of all the gin joints in town, she had to walk into mine.’
During her second set Skye once again demonstrated she has many sides to her vocal personality with her ro-
mantic and impeccable phrasing on “There Will Never Be Another You,” as well as her tender performance on the
original composition “Everything.” Skye turned up the heat with a sultry performance of “Pretty Little Baby,” with
a hint of, ‘Come hither young man,’ in her voice.
As my eyes glanced over the original oil paintings of greats such as Miles Davis and Billie Holiday adorning the
walls, I could not help but wonder if in an intimate jazz club in Vancouver one was catching a glimpse of another
rising star. - Various Reviews
“... bright, cool, mellow, smokey... exactly what I need for my show... a fine series of tunes with a gro-
ovin’ crew all around.” - WKNH, USA
“Music at its best!” - KRTU, Texas
“Oh brother, she is great!” - Radio Logan, Australia
“Every song here a keeper. Larra weaves her way through this CD with honest vocals and warm jazz
stylings. Thanks to her for this addition to the NGQ music family. Highly regarded by us.” - Dusty Durst,
NGQ Music Prod., USA
“Really good CD. You need to have this one in your collection. Buy it and like me, you will just love it.”
- Gi Dussault, Upper Room Radio, USA
“If you want to hear beautiful vocals, delivered by a rising star on the jazz scene, then pickup a copy
of ‘The World Disappears’. Larra Skye explores the heartbreak, joy, disappointment, and uncertainty of
love, in songs such as “Love Is,” “Open Up Your Eyes,” and “Make Believe.” The phrase torch song was
invented for people like Larra Skye when she sings the original song “Pretty Little Baby.”
- Jazz Review, September 2007
REVIEW OF TORONTO DOWNTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL SHOW BY WWW.SCENEANDHEARD.CA
Larra Skye Quintet at The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar, Saturday June 23rd
The capacity crowd at the Rex seemed to grow as the sounds of the Larra Skye Quintet’s smooth jazz drifted out
onto Queen Street on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
There was little doubt why she has been hailed as the next big thing. She has a rich, expressive voice and brought
an incredible amount of emotion to each song, particularly a spot-on cover of Bill Wither’s ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’.
Skye has an easygoing stage presence that doubtlessly helped to endear her to the audience. She wove stories
about writing songs in her parents’ Newmarket bookstore and writing lyrics when she was in love then recording
the song after she had fallen out of love into her first set.
She never once resorted to Dion/Carey-style vocal histrionics. It seemed odd to hear such a big voice coming
from such a slender woman.
Unfortunately, S&H.ca had to duck out before she played her second set. If the crowd that remained was any
indication, they weren’t going anywhere.
REVIEW OF VANCOUVER SHOW # 2 FROM JAZZ REVIEW WEBSITE
Larra Skye : Romantic, Sultry, Emotive
The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Toronto jazz singer Larra Skye one of the few independent artists to strike a national distribution deal (HMV),
performed two outstanding sets at The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club in Vancouver Canada on July 28. Dressed
in a short black sequin dress, the tall slender Skye, with her shoulder length brown hair occasionally sweeping
across her face, opened with “The Only One I’ll Miss,” before breaking into the fabulous “Turn Up The Stars.”
Skye is at ease on the stage, performing within several different sub genres of jazz, including modern tunes re-
flecting traditional jazz standards, or a song such as “Comes Love,” which began with a 6/8 Afro Cuban beat and
progressed into more of a swing. She got down and funky with “All Or Nothing At All,” a sassy song in which the
singer teases her lover.
The singer’s cover of Bill Withers’ classic hit song, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” is possibly the best vocal performance of
the tune in the thirty-six years since Withers took it to number three on the US pop charts and number six on the
R&B rankings. Skye possesses emotive vocals that suggest she is pulling from her own personal experiences. She
sings with authenticity and unlike some artists who are more sedentary, Skye’s body language suggests that her
very being moves within the soundscape of each song.
The deeper into the evening we went both the singer and her ensemble just seemed to be hitting their stride with
songs like the ballad “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” There was a hint of nostalgia in the air and one almost ex-
pected Humphrey Bogart to utter, ‘Of all the gin joints in town, she had to walk into mine.’
During her second set Skye once again demonstrated she has many sides to her vocal personality with her ro-
mantic and impeccable phrasing on “There Will Never Be Another You,” as well as her tender performance on the
original composition “Everything.” Skye turned up the heat with a sultry performance of “Pretty Little Baby,” with
a hint of, ‘Come hither young man,’ in her voice.
As my eyes glanced over the original oil paintings of greats such as Miles Davis and Billie Holiday adorning the
walls, I could not help but wonder if in an intimate jazz club in Vancouver one was catching a glimpse of another
rising star. - Various Reviews
Discography
- Wishing Tree (full-length album April 2, 2013)
- Change My Future by EZLV ft. Larra Skye (Suricate Records, 2012. Vinyl and digital EP)
- Suitably Ragged by Limehouse (vocals & piano, 2012)
- Don't Tell Me by Jamie Walsh (2007, music video single, vocals)
- The World Disappears (full-length album, 2006)
- Airplay on CBC, national campus stations, and international radio (US, Australia, Spain, France, Italy)
Photos
Bio
“Full of character and nuance... charming... "Explode" [is] an irresistible pop song with a beautiful melody and brilliant orchestration.”
-- Eric Robitaille, CBC Radio-Canada
When Larra Skye began working on Explode, one of eleven songs on her latest CD, Wishing Tree, she sat alone with an acoustic guitar in what a line of lyric refers to as “a small apartment on the second floor” of a house in Toronto. When her producers, Karen Kosowski and Marc Rogers, heard it, they thought it sounded too melancholy, the mood not quite suiting the lyrics. And so, like many songs on the album, they began playing around with some ideas for it. “We’d get to work,” says Skye, “usually recording my parts first so we could then experiment with different sounds.”
A few days later, Skye showed up at the studio to discover Kosowski and Rogers had added piano and horns and simultaneously slowed the tempo yet somehow made the song sound bouncier, more in synch with the words. In the end, it became a kind of Beatle-ish number with a whimsical horn section toward the end.
“Karen, Marc and I had a creative collaboration that made everything come together better than I could have imagined,” says Skye. “This CD most closely captures what I’ve always wanted to do musically.”
It’s a direction toward which Skye has been slowly evolving. As a child, she would see her brother playing guitar in a band and listen to her older sister, Rosanne Baker Thornley’s, album, Courage, released by Sony Music in 1993. Skye began making up songs before she could play an instrument, writing lyrics in a spiral notebook. At 11, she found instruction books in her parent’s bookstore and taught herself classical guitar as well as how to read music. Like Joni Mitchell, she would make up chords that sounded interesting or different. At night, she would sit in the bookstore in darkness – she didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone thinking the store was still open – recording her songs onto the telephone’s answering machine.
Music had become her life and she was determined to pursue it in every way possible. She played slide trombone in the town’s marching band and joined a professional children’s choir that performed in England and Wales as well as around Canada. She sang in school plays and began performing in local coffee houses. With some classmates she formed a folk-rock band called Mars Violet that gave her experience as a bandleader as well as an outlet for her original songs in both English and French.
In 2004, Skye spent a year woodshedding her music in Hamilton, emerging back in Toronto in 2005 with her first solo album, The World Disappears. Featuring top players such as trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, saxophonist Bob Brough, bassist Jim Vivian and drummer Kevin Brow, The World Disappears became the number one bestselling independent jazz album of the year for HMV Canada and received airplay on the CBC as well as jazz and campus radio stations across the country.
By then barely into her 20s, Skye was still evolving. She spent the next few years touring and hiring herself out as a back-up singer. She collaborated with Americana artist Paul Woolner (singing as well playing mandolin and piano) and played trombone with reggae-rock band Rebel Emergency when it opened for reggae legends Toots and the Maytals in 2011. She also studied classical voice at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music.
Ready to record her second solo album, Skye knew what she had to do. “I wanted to get back to playing my guitar with a band,” she says. “A girl and her guitar; those are my roots and it’s at the core of most of Wishing Tree.”
Working with producers Kosowski and Rogers, Skye has created a synthesis of pop, rock and folk anchored by her strong songwriting and winsome voice, which can range from a lush alto to a crystalline soprano. She wrote many of the songs at her parent’s bookstore, now located in rural Williamsford, Ontario, on an out-of-tune Mason & Risch upright piano.
There are collaborations with other writers. Mavillette was co-written in French with Franco-Ontarian musician (and former CANO guitarist) Marcel Aymar. Grain of Sand, a dreamy ballad co-written with singer-songwriter Emma-Lee, features a powerful chorus in which Skye’s voice dips into its rich lower register as she sings, “Don’t pinch me/I know I’m dreaming/You can’t drag me back without kicking and screaming…”
Although united by Skye’s artistic vision, there’s a diversity to the tracks, ranging from the tongue-in-cheek, country-flavoured Pull Me In and the bouncy ukulele ditty, Window Seat, to the compressed vocals and psychedelic organ solo on I Want My Money Back.
The title song, which has a Paris café-style ambience – it sounds as though it could have been part of the soundtrack to the Oscar-nominated romantic comedy, Amélie – evokes the image of a tree that, according to spiritual custom, will fulfill wishes when believers leave coins, cloth or other off
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