Myra Melford Interviewed and Profiled

Source: Ottawa Citizen.

Since the early 1990s, Melford, now 59, has recorded prolifically and collaborated with equally open-minded musicians such as drummer Matt Wilson, trumpeter Cuong Vu and clarinetist Marty Ehrlich. She’s won awards, including a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship.

As part of the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, Melford plays the NAC Back Stage on June 23 with her latest project, a quintet that she calls Snowy Egret after from the bird that once captivated her in a powerful dream.

The band plays Melford’s original music — of course. In it, there can be hints of blues or skittery, edgy melodies, lyrical moments or passages of fierce aggression. The music can be wide open and spacious or brashly rhythmic in a way that can be both complex and earthy. The influence of different world musics can be heard.