Ima

She's one of Canada's leading modern jazz vocalists and a member of Canada's first family of jazz and world music, and now, Yvette Tollar returns to the spotlight with Ima, her JUNO nominated sophomore release. (Best Vocal Jazz Album 2009) Inspired in part by a lengthy period of personal hardship for Tollar, which spanned several of the years following the release of her 2001 debut, Cactus Flowers, Ima is a true family affair - a collection of Tollar's all-time favourite original compositions, many of them ballads, many composed by either Tollar herself or by members of her esteemed musical family. All are performed in her trade-mark world-tinged modern jazz style and showcase her richly expressive vocals. Two of the album's stand-outs come from brother Ernie Tollar, who is known for his work with Tasa, Holly Cole and Maza Meze. He composed the music for the reflective 'Glittering Precipice,' which features spoken-word poetry written by Yvette, and 'Sick Rose,' which sees William Blake's 'The Sick Rose' set to music. The opening track, 'Contradiction,' is a collaboration between sister-in-law Maryem Tollar, known as the Arabic vocalist in Jesse Cook's band and as the singer of the Little Mosque on the Prairie theme, and uncle Ehab Lotayef, the Montreal poet and activist who made headlines in 2005 when he went to Iraq on behalf of the Canadian Islamic Congress to try and free the Canadian hostages. For Yvette's part, she composed two of the cuts: 'I Forgive You' which pays homage to Coletrane's classic quartet of the early 60's and Ima, the captivatingly plaintive title track composed to accompany Hungarian poet, Jozsef Tollar's poem. In addition, several musical friends make impressive contributions to the album. Kevin Breit of Norah Jones and Cassandra Wilson fame wrote two of the tracks, including the beautiful country-tinged 'Hang On.' National Jazz Award-winner David Restivo provides yet another highlight in the form of 'Prayer for Humankindness,' featuring lyrics by Juno-winning drummer Jim Hillman. Legendary songwriter and vocalist, Joni Mitchell's, Edith and The Kingpin is yet another strong track delivered by Tollar with maturity and a deep reverence for the lyric. Restivo also plays piano on several of the cuts; Breit plays guitar and mandolin; Tollar's husband Rich Brown of Steve Coleman, Dapp Theory and rinsethealgorithm plays bass; brother Ernie plays flute, sax and clarinet; and sister Allison Long provides some backing vocals. Other guests include word/jazz percussionists Mark Duggan and Debashis Sinha, Tasa tabla player Ravi Naimpally, hot up-and-coming award winning pianist Robi Botos and Maza Meze vocalist Sophia Grigoriadis. Throughout the album, Tollar's distinctive voice ties the diverse compositions into a cohesive package, shifting effortlessly from melancholic to joyful, haunting to reflective, bold and soulful to sophisticated. Robert Price once wrote of her that she makes 'jazz sound easy,' while others have praised her flawless technique and soulful, spirited, unforced delivery. Tollar's musical chops have been honed over a lifetime immersed in the jazz and world scenes. Born and raised in Toronto by parents who supported their children's musical experimentation (her dad encouraged Yvette to get her welder's license just in case, but she didn't), she spent her teen years taking lessons at the Royal Conservatory and hanging out with her older brother Ernie and his roommate Holly Cole - whose record collection sh