Local jazz great Ori Dagan has a new record coming out. It’s called Click Right Here and it features all-original material. I spoke to him about it via e-mail and here’s what he had to say.

Back in 2012 on my second album I recorded a song called “Googleable,” which I wrote on a VIA train from Toronto to Montreal. The WIFI wasn’t working and I was on deadline for something, and I had nothing to do for a few hours so I started to write a song about the situation, and it became a love song to the search engine Google. I took it to my favourite piano player Mark Kieswetter who was the producer on that record, and his delicate edits on themelody and chord changes helped produce a sophisticated yet lounge-y little number which got some plays on CBC Radio. I kept it in my act over the years and in the back of my mind always thought, I should do a record of all original material about social media, technology and 21st century life . . . I mean why not??? Well, it took a pandemic to make it happen!

What drew you to jazz?

In classical music you must learn to play a piece “perfectly” without errors, and this resulted in me not enjoying the process, always counting my mistakes, and not motivated to practice.  I actually discovered jazz music pretty late – I was 18, and I became hooked like an addict on Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Nina Simone and many others. What draws me to jazz as opposed to the other forms is the fact that it is an improvised music where each moment is an opportunity for surprise, and more often than not, it’s the good kind.

Can you comment on the role of humour in your lyrics, like in your song "My Finger Slipped."

Funnily enough, although I've already had one review compare me to Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg, it never entered my mind that I would ever be compared to them, not only because it is a great honour but because I have not studied them too closely. My very favourite lyricists for humour are Cole Porter, Dorothy Fields and especially Lorenz Hart.

Is "Would you swing my way?” a covert gay message? How gay is your music?

It is definitely written from the perspective of a gay experience, but I wanted it to be relatable to any relationship.  I certainly thought about making the lyric more specific but something in me wanted to go for the universal. I feel overall as though my music could be gayer and perhaps will be on my next album . . . that being said, I am very honest about my sexual orientation on my social media and openly work with my husband Leonardo Dell’Anno who collaborates as my manager, producer of my music videos and also my stylist! 

Where do you get your fashion sense and who makes the clothes?

Since 2019 I have had an official fashion sponsor in A Fish Named Fred which is a brand based in The Netherlands. One time I saw their clothing at The Bay and at that time they had a Jazz-themed line which was bright and colourful, unlike anything I had seen here in Canada. They have kindly provided me with suits, shirts, vests and accessories even over the pandemic when I was able to wear these clothes on my live-stream concerts. Locally I have been fortunate to work with brilliant designer Shelli Oh, who loaned me several outfits.

Why are the horns so important to this project?

This was the first time I ever got to work with a 4-piece horn section; and my very favourite instrument is the saxophone. Truth be told, as a jazz singer my ultimate goal is to try to sound like one.