Wendy McNeill
Jazz-Fest-Oldenburg 2024
Atmospheric soundscapes from Canada: Finally, the fantastic songs from Wendy McNeill's 2023 album "First there were feathers" are hitting the German concert stages.
When multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Wendy McNeill thinks back to her childhood in the Canadian province of Alberta, the musical memories of her parents' old folk and country records immediately come to mind. Joni Mitchell & Neil Young were often drowned out by Pink Floyd & Black Sabbath, the favorite rock music of her older siblings.
Dancing to ABBA in her Wonder-Woman costume in the mornings, playing air guitar, and dreaming of being a superhero or pop star, Wendy McNeill also fell in love with a duet album by Dolly Parton & Porter Wagner – sparking her lifelong interest in songs with dark stories laced with a hint of hope, not necessarily with happy endings. Throughout her long career, Wendy McNeill has evolved into one of the great musical storytelling artists of her home country. The endless expanse of the Canadian prairies is reflected in her songs: boundlessness meets longing, musically and lyrically.
Her current project "First there were feathers" is an artistic exploration of the world of birds and the question of how their fate is intertwined with ours. Drawing from science, literature, myth, and personal experiences, she crafts deep yet sometimes quirky stories at the center of jazzy folk-noir songs, which she translates into highly musical pieces with multifaceted vocals plus accordion, guitar, kalimba, & synthesizer.
Wendy McNeill has now recorded ten albums, artistically collaborated on indie films and dance and theater productions, toured in North America and Europe, Brazil, and Japan.
Whether solo, with a large symphony orchestra, or as tonight for the first time in Oldenburg (!) live with her band at Wilhelm 13 – on stage, this great artist with a penchant for outlaws is as authentic as she is entertaining.