Toronto-based jazz vocalist June Garber looks back on life with her fourth album Off the Carousel, her first record in five years.
The new recording features interpretations of eight songs, “some known and others not so familiar,” handpicked from among the soulful jazz singer’s all-time favourite compositions.
“More than any other album I have ever done, this one encapsulates a mood, a whole experience,” Garber explains. “I wanted the album to reflect my life’s journey, on roads both rough and smooth.”
Garber began her singing career soon after arriving in Canada from South Africa in 1975. After starting out as a backup singer for a Toronto-based band, she former her own eight-piece group that toured Canada and the U.S. and enjoyed long engagements in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Toronto. After going on an extending hiatus in the late ’80s, Garber returned to music in 2003 and soon became a beloved vocalist in Toronto’s jazz scene. She released albums in 2005, 2008 and 2016.
Off the Carousel includes standards such as Just for a Thrill, The Shadow of Your Smile and Rules of the Road. The album is also accompanied by the eye-catching music video for Windmills of Your Mind.
