here - Lenni Jabour

Lenni Jabour…une biograp hie.
“Jabour could soon be rubbing figurative shoulders with Lhasa and Feist as another homegrown chanteuse magnifique.”
Eye Weekly, November 2005.
The liner notes of Lenni Jabour & The Third Floor’s recent self-produced/self-released recording Les Dangereuses are as
follows:
There once was a young woman who lived on the third floor of a Victorian building downtown. It had been a very grand
and splendid building in its day, but after decades of neglect it had become a sad old tumble of a place. As a gesture
to escape the ennui of the lonely life she led, the young woman - surrounded by peeling wallpaper, crooked wood floors
and old stained glass - imagined that at night her shabby little third floor apartment magically transformed into a
wonderful cabaret – of which she was the glamorous star - and that her anonymous third floor neighbours were actually
friends who comprised her fabulous band. Their boisterousness and joyful playing belied her sadness, lifting her out
of reality and firmly ensconcing her in the glad safety of her imagination.
The real story is that Lenni has been a pianist since she was three years old, practicing tirelessly on the antique upright piano
that her gambling father won as collateral on an owed debt. Since 1994, Lenni has been singing and performing her original
songs in clubs from New York to Los Angeles to Montreal, as well as the highly publicized and successful Lilith Fair tour. She
has performed and toured as the support act for several high profile Canadian artists, fittingly billed with Rufus Wainwright. She
has been a guest player and singer for the recordings of artists such as Hawksley Workman and Jason Collett. A noted
arranger, she has orchestrated strings for several songwriters, recordings and soundtracks.
Her debut (Lenni Jabour, Liquid Records 1996) quickly charted on indie Top Ten lists across Canada. After touring and
receiving a considerable amount of encouraging press (Billboard named her one of the top ten Canadian independent artists)
Lenni took off for New York, where she continued to expand her repertoire of self-penned songs and develop her live show.
Upon returning to Canada, her music took a theatrical turn and she created a concept for a new band, The Third Floor.
Beginning as a small trio of piano, viola and cello, The Third Floor now includes double bass, drums, glockenspiel, accordion, a
tap dancer, an assortment of guest-starring “Third Floor neighbours” including Team Zissou and a hula-hoopist. Building a
devoted new audience through her theatrical and cabaret-esque performances in Toronto and in Los Angeles (where she has
also lived), Lenni began composing more saucy songs in French and English to be performed boisterously with various theatrical
accents and antics with The Third Floor. The band’s popularity – garnered astonishingly by word-of-mouth and underground
press – has resulted in consistently sold-out concert halls and they are a favorite at venues such as Toronto’s famous Drake
Hotel.
Lenni’s own record label Café Fleur has independently released and distributed her original recordings Ten Songs Live (2001),
At The Clarion Café (2002), the EP A Small Show of Hands (2003), as well as the recently-released full-length studio recording
Les Dangereuses, (October 2005) which has been gathering praise across the globe. Recorded in Lenni’s livingroom, Les
Dangereuses has been coined “morning-coffee/latenight-subway/afternoon-bath music”. Listeners are figuratively transported
from a Parisian cabaret circa 1940 to an empty midnight street in Chinatown circa late last night. The genre-defying sound of
Lenni’s songs and production leave a filmic, candid, street-smart and heartbreaking impression not easily forgotten. A current
darling of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), and a highly admirable online/live sales track record within only six
months, Les Dangereuses has been coined “the little album that could”.
The gambling debt was never paid, and Lenni’s beloved piano stands in her livingroom; it is her most treasured possession.
ww w.l en n ijab our.co m
416 830 671 1
sak e@l enn ija bo ur.c o m
There once was a young woman who lived alone on the third floor of a
Victorian building downtown. It had been a very grand and splendid building in its day, but after decades of neglect it had become a
sad old tumble of a place. As a gesture to escape the ennui of the
lonely life she led, the young woman - surrounded by peeling wallpaper,
crooked wood floors and old stained glass - imagined that every night her
shabby little third floor apartment magically transformed into a
wonderful and boisterous cabaret, of which she was the glamorous star...
lenni jabour & the third floor
www.lennijabour.com
TheStar.com - The Anti-Hit List for February 4
02/06/2006 12:45 PM
The Anti-Hit List for February 4
Feb. 4, 2006. 01:00 AM
JOHN SAKAMOTO
10. THE VINES, "DON'T LISTEN TO THE RADIO"
Though it's forced to rely on a closing bit of sustain to push it over the two-minute mark, this teaser for
the Aussie band's third album (out April 4) doesn't feel slight so much as saturated. The verses are poppy
in the way that the Ramones' "I Wanna be Sedated" is poppy, which is to say they adhere to the
conventions of the form but not the subject matter.
As for the choruses, well, they still sound like Nirvana but, really, we're okay with that.
(http://dreamintheinsane.com)
9. THE WONDER STUFF, "TRICKS OF THE TRADE"
Yeah, we didn't think they were still around either, but judging by this opening blast from the follow-up
to the roundly reviled Escape From Rubbish Island, Miles Hunt & Co. are drawing no small amount of
perverse pleasure from sticking around as long as they have. Though the melody veers perilously close to
U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name," there's a defiance that'll keep you glued to your speakers till
the last note. (From Suspended by Stars, http://www.thewonderstuff.com/sounds.asp)
8. PRINCE VS. JONI MITCHELL, "SUE ME IF MY BIG YELLOW TAXI GOES TOO FAST"
This week's entry in the "how could those two songs possibly go together" sweepstakes comes from DJ
Paysano, who has executed a simultaneous medley of the former's "1999" and the latter's "Big Yellow
Taxi." While Prince has famously professed a profound admiration for Mitchell's oeuvre, the musical
connection always seemed like an abstraction. Until now. (http://www.gybo-v3.co.uk/viewtopic.php?
t=14401)
7. THE RACONTEURS, "STEADY, AS SHE GOES"
On which White Stripes frontman Jack White, singer-songwriter Brendan Benson, and two-thirds of
garage-pop outfit The Greenhornes use the riff from Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"
as a jumping-off point into a thoroughly ingratiating hybrid of New Wave and grunge. The result sounds
nothing like an ephemeral side project, and every bit like the work of an ongoing concern. Now streaming
online, along with the almost as worthy "Store Bought Bones." (http://www.theraconteurs.com)
6. LENNI JABOUR AND THE THIRD FLOOR, "A LITTLE SAD"
Though released last fall, this sublimely retro pop song deserves a less marginal fate than to languish in
the memory of a few hardcore fans before dissipating into the ether. If we're capable of taking to heart,
say, Feist's makeover of the Bee Gees "Inside and Out," there should be a little room in there for a
bittersweet homage to Burt Bacharach. (From Les Dangereuses, info: http://www.lennijabour.com)
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/La…rintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1138920611583&call_pageid=971358637177
Page 1 of 3
Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor :: 2006 :: The Live Music Report
http://www.thelivemusicreport.com/clubs/drakeHotel/lenniJabour/len...
Ads by Goooooogle
Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor
February 14, 2006 • Drake Hotel Underground •
Toronto
Drake Hotel Nyc
From $59 Premier New
York Hotels Book Now
or Call 24/7 to Save
Money
www.WooGo.com
Lenni Jabour
Lenni Jabour
Best Price CDN$
25.06
or Buy New
An Original Worth Celebrating
Report by Andy Frank | Photo by José Romelo Lagman
Prior to reviewing a gig, I enjoy mingling a little with the audience, who typically
present themselves prepared to enjoy the distinct brand of pleasure the artist
offers. Like Maple Leaf fans wearing their favourite player’s jersey at the ACC,
I’m always eager to see what the attraction’s fanatics wear, what they’re
talking about, and if the show delivers to their heightened expectations.
On Valentine’s Day at the Drake Underground’s 10:00 PM presentation of Miss
Lenni Jabour and The Third Floor, the largely feminine thirty-something
audience is not only dressed to kill, many of them could blend seamlessly into
a smoky, early 20th century Champs Elysée speakeasy. Conversations are
animated, polite laughter can be heard throughout the small room, and there is
even a smattering of delightful Queen Street Franglais being playfully
exchanged at the bar, where sweet mixed drinks are dwarfing draft beer sales.
The Third Floor takes the stage first, beginning with stoic hippy Rosalita,
suit-wearing stand-up bassist Drew, drummer Mark, lovely violinist Karen, and
Lenni’s trusted sidekick, cellist Alex. Moments later, Miss (her term) Jabour
emerges through the crowd, dressed entirely as a small, thin New York City
mobster from a by-gone era complete with aviator sunglasses. With a great
Brooklyn accent, a short-haired Lenni amuses the audience with her faux-male
shtick and ironically, sings “La Fille Avec Les Cheveux Longs” at the stand
up-mike while she strips.
1 of 3
Find Canadian
Musicians
Browse Thousands of
Listings! Free Profile,
Mp3s, Pics, More
BandMix.CA
Drake Swissotel NY
Save up to 70% on
New York Hotel Call
1-800-276-7415 Or
Book Online
www.Hotels-And-Discounts.com
Musician Gigs
Become Tomorrow's
Music Superstar Open
Call - Register Today
Online!
www.TalentRock.com
2/16/06 11:53 AM
Lenni Jabour and the Third Floor :: 2006 :: The Live Music Report
http://www.thelivemusicreport.com/clubs/drakeHotel/lenniJabour/len...
Garment piece by garment piece,
the mobster is laid to rest by the
side of the keyboard where Lenni
will sit for the balance of the show
(laundry by her side). She reveals
hot fishnet stockings, a sequined
black leotard, slips on an
audacious pair of red heels,
applies bright red lipstick to her
expressive mouth and to the
delight of the crowd, flings off the
shades to expose her stunning
eyes.
Lenni Jabour
This is the first of several
entertaining stunts the troupe
stages throughout the short set,
including a one-minute boogie by
a trio of sexy young dancers in
baby blue hot pants topped with
red toques, an odd skit featuring
a vain male character returning a
borrowed wrench as a Valentine’s
gift, and a fabulous hula-hoop
performance by the otherwise
redundant flower-child Rosalita —
a feat performed to a terrific
version of the Jackson 5’s ABC.
Lenni Jabour has been around
long enough to know how to use
these energizers in just the right
doses.
The real attraction (I hope) for
most of the gathered admirers is
Lenni Jabour’s delicious array of
ballads, cabaret numbers,
perfectly articulated original
French songs and expert
keyboard work. This is one
talented broad whose music is not
designed to wow us with great
vocal range, but does demand
excellent voice control, from
whispers to howls, ballad to
burlesque, French to English to
Latin.
Lenni Jabour’s most lethal weapon, however, is a smiling charm that could
seduce George Walker Bush into dancing a waltz with Osama Bin Laden. Her
keyboard antics are from the Victor Borge school, and her abundant humour is
in the details (such as her repeated use of a flask for drinking water, complete
with all the gestures associated with the implied imbibement). Lenni Jabour is
an entertainer culled from another era, or, as one of her fans whispered to me
during the show, another country, maybe even another planet. It does seem to
require an open mind and fine appreciation for cross-cultural and cross-genre
(gender?) music to enjoy it as much as this giddy Valentine’s Day crowd did,
and I have to agree with them: Lenni Jabour is indeed an original worth
celebrating.
2 of 3
2/16/06 11:53 AM
Ottawa XPress - Music - Lenni Jabour
http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/music/music.aspx?iIDArticle=9207
Music Front
Lenni Jabour
Islands
Pilate
3 a.m. - Atherton and Sire
Listings
Artists
May 18th, 2006
Lenni Jabour
Venues
Spins
Write a comment on this article !
Dangerous liaisons
Dorian Hatchet
Goo Goo Dolls
Orillia Opry
Priya Thomas
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Richard Butler
Subb
The Loved Ones
The Slackers
Thievery Corporation
Tiga
Steve Baylin
Lenni Jabour fits the entire Third Floor into her old Toronto apartment
It starts on a wistful, whimsical note: tinkling timpani, cascading vibes
and a muted, accordion-like synth tickle that teases the senses in a
gentle, rhythmic tilt-a-whirl of carnivalesque discontent.
Enter whisper-cool Lenni Jabour, the sad, smitten and starry eyed
chanteuse who nervously bites her lip and quietly gives in to the
object of her obsession on "Les Fleurs mecontentes": "Je ne serai pas
contente jusqu'à ce que je te vois encore," she pines, with more than a
subtle trace of sly sarcasm rising in her voice.
"Il y a les chansons tristes seulement."
May 11th, 2006
Xavier Rudd [ 4 ]
Tulip Fest or Sausage Fest?
[7]
The Doers
Jets Overhead
[1]
May 4th, 2006
The Absent Sound
Mobile [ 1 ]
My Dad Vs. Yours
Raising the Fawn
April 27th, 2006
The Lovely Feathers, The
Hussies, Bluesfest lineup and
more [ 2 ]
Jedi Mind Tricks
Penny Lang
The Strokes
[1]
[1]
Other weeks...
And so begins the striking Les Dangereuses, Jabour's fourth collection
with her band The Third Floor. But despite the initial melancholy
salvo, she is more than content these days, creatively at least.
Jabour: caught in romantic traffic
Recorded entirely in the living room of her "old Toronto apartment,"
the 13-track set (with songs in both French and English) has become
the little record that could since its release last November - an impulsive, bittersweet pop-cabaret passion play
whose creative heart and soul is equal parts Edith Piaf, Van Dyke Parks and Tom Waits.
"It's a very introspective record," says Jabour over the phone from Kingston, in the midst of a brief solo tour.
"It was really interesting to work on it at home. It was really great to let the songs take their shape naturally, with
no studio clock ticking away. And there were things on the record that I hadn't really planned, real moments of
surprise."
One such moment, says Jabour, took place during sessions for the song "Jean-Michel."
"I was recording and there were these little birds chirping near
my window on the third floor," she recalls. "Instead of being
annoyed and freaking out about needing silence, I decided to
give them their own track. And it's one of my favourite parts of
the record. So you can never really plan for anything like that."
Indeed, Jabour has come to treasure that kind of "out of the
blue" freedom, and in a roundabout way she has New York to
thank for it. Back in 1999, Jabour, already a respected
pianist/arranger with several records under her belt, made a
move to the Big Apple to do some songwriting with a major
production and management company. The relationship,
however instructive, proved to be anything but artistically
satisfying.
"Everything was high profile and very serious," says Jabour.
"To write songs for other people, and to have them say yes or
no, it wasn't really what I wanted and why I've pursued music
all my life. I needed to let that go."
A Ryerson theatre school grad, Jabour says she felt it was high
time to embrace her roots and "reclaim her voice." After a
couple years in a Brill Building-like rut, she packed her bags,
returned to Toronto in 2003 (after a brief stay in L.A.), and began writing more "dramatic songs" in line with her
training.
Naturally, the new, more dynamic material suited her band, the rapidly expanding live symphony of sight and
sound that is The Third Floor. The piano, double bass, glockenspiel, accordion, string sections, drums, cello, actors,
tap dancer, hula hoop ace - they all play off each other in what has become an increasingly impulsive multimedia
stage production.
"I think naturally I'm a bit of a clown," says a chuckling Jabour. "The show is a lot of work to put together, but I
love every moment. After my hiatus in New York, I learned that I just needed to have fun."
LENNI JABOUR
W/ SAILBOATS ARE WHITE
MONDAY MAY 22, FREE
ZAPHOD'S
1 of 2
5/19/06 4:02 PM
April 29, 2006
Lenni Jabour
Written by Andrew Baulcomb
Lenni Jabour may be a relatively unfamiliar name to some, but don’t be surprised to find her turning heads in the coming months. Fresh off the release of her latest outing Les Dangereuses, and with a decade of professional experience already under her belt, Jabour may soon emerge as yet another gem in our already sparkling national
scene.
First appearing as�
le gigs on both sides of
the border. However, it was long-time collaborators and fellow Torontonians The Third Floor that really influenced Jabour’s direction as a performer.
“[The Third Floor] are tremendously special,” noted Jabour in a recent interview, discussing the nature of the diverse collective. “Among this incredibly disciplined and
talented group of musicians, there is thi�
certain of that.”
It was The Third Floor that Jabour once�
connections between Jabour and her �
“It was so �
. At one point my hard drive
crashed and I had to re-record a significant chunk of Les Dangereuses. Despite my chagrin, I was thinking ‘Well, thank God I can just re-do this without going to huge
expense and inconveniencing someone else.’”
Avoiding the eccentricities of the studio, Les Dangereuses was recorded in Jabour’s living room to capture a distinctly organic sound and feel. “I think it is much more
interesting to have a record that isn’t full of canned, compressed studio performances,” said Jabour, discussing some of the album’s more spontaneous moments. “There
is a track of birds chirping at the end of my song ‘Jean Michel,’ and instead of seeing it as an annoyance while I was recording, I decided to give the birds their own
track. Something about them was very whimsical and consistent. Another fun thing during the recording of Les Dangereuses was that I was fostering two little kittens,
and they were bouncing around all over the place. They particularly loved the glockenspiel.”
While Jabour has been making waves as both a solo artist and with The Third Floor, she certainly isn’t one to shy away from other collaborations, most recently lending
her talents to albums by Jason Collett and Hawksley Workman.
“Jason and Hawksley are very good frie�
ute to their work in a way that would �
heart of it lies within camaraderie and art.”
-
Discussing the current love of Canadian mu�
Canadian making an international impact on any scene. I am really happy that there is a global surge of love for Canadian artists; there is so much talent and so many
beautiful ideas here.” Despite the immense popularity of fellow female artists such as Feist, Emily Haines, and Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne, Jabour insists that
arbitrary gender lines have little grounds in discussing music, Canadian or otherwise.
“All the women you list above are distinct, interesting, feminine, tough, and smart, and I totally adore it. But I don’t like to differentiate the impact of men and women. I
make a personal effort to look beyond indus�
Jabour also routinely looks beyond bound�
Drake Hotel in Toronto, learning a great deal about herself in the process.
“When the Drake’s creative director asked me to consider doing a series of solo piano shows in the hotel’s lounge area, my immediate response was ‘No thank you, no
way!’ I had become very used to performing with my big band [featuring eight people] with all of our antics and outfits to keep me safe. So I decided the best remedy
was to immediately change my m�
lounge would sing along.”
From Lilith Fair to the Drake Hotel, Le�
Saturday April 29th, with Harmony Trowbridge opening up the show. Les Dangereuses is available now on Jabour’s own imprint, Café Fleur Productions.
Collected Sounds Women In Music - CD Review "Les Dangerueses"...
http://www.collectedsounds.com/cdreviews/lesdangerueses.html
Amy's
Corner
Spotlights
CD
Reviews
Interact
CS
Presents
Concerts
Links
Contact
Classified
Ads
Interviews
Merchandise
FAQ
Rap Music
Fleurs Suisse?
Yahoo! Music Unlimited Canada has 1MM+
songs. Get a free trial now.
Commandez sur notre site. Livraison en Suisse
& Liecht. Service Rapide!
CD
Information
CD Name:
Les Dangerueses
"Les Dangerueses"
by Lenni Jabour and the Third
Floor
Artist:
Lenni Jabour and the
Third Floor
1 of 2
Year/Label:
2005 / Café Fleur
Productions
a Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell
Ordering Information:
Order from Lenni
Jabour Official Site
OR At Amazon
Track Listing
1. Les Fleurs
Mecontentes
2. A Little sad
3. Rosa dances in her
kitchen
4. Wolfgang
5. La Fille Avec les
Cheveux Longes
6. Forever as though
it's not here
7. Side Streets and
parked Cars
"Les Fleurs Mecontentes" is a dreamy meander of a song, Jabour's
sweet vocal and the sing along chorus making it hard to resist.
Lenni Jabour is a chanteuse based in Canada and her new album gives
a fresh spin on the cabaret formula.
"A Little Sad" is smoky and heartbroken, but catchy and fun with it.
The charming "La Fille avec les Cheveux Longes" shows Jabour's
talent well. Her use of a glockenspiel adds a nicely anachronistic touch.
The electronic " Side Streets and Parked Cars" broadens the palette
and adds a sense of modernity to the sound. This album is a lovely
thing.
Posted on March 6, 2006
Comments:
3/7/06 9:22 AM