We arrived in new york after a loooonnnnnggggg journey... (long story, but lots of delays!!) at about 11.30 at night .. We got to our sublet on the upper west side around 1 am or so.... Zac crashed and I stayed up with too jetlagged little babies til about 7am!! We had spent the last week in Brisbane packing up our house to get ready to move, so exhaustion was incredible!!

Got up around 3pm and checked out the local area....our good friend Laura came over to our place and looked after our darling boys while Zac and I went to the see the Hank Jones quartet play at Birdland - with George Mraz on double bass, Russell Malone on guitar and Lewis Nash on drums. I was keen to see Lewis play live as he was going to be playing on my album the following week. The concert was amazing - Hank played 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' solo first - and it was so beautiful and inventive and fresh - wonderful! Gives you hope to see someone constantly creating new ideas at age 90!! And Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Barry Harris were all there...it was a star studded room for sure. Got to hang briefly with Chick - really nice guy! They were in town for the New York dates of their Return To Forever Tour.

The next week we settled in to the upper west side - a lovely area...great parks for kids setc. We saw some really great music....i went back to see Hank Jones play on the Saturday night....this times with Joe Lovano and his lovely wife Judi Silvano. I saw both sets and Joe sat in on both sets and it was really beautiful.

We took the kids to Damrosch Park at the Lincoln Centre to see Nina Simone's daughter sing with a big band (with Bob Belden arrangements and he also played soprano) and violinist Regina Carter's quartet.

I also went to a Joel Dorn tribute concert. Joel Dorn was an amazing prolific producer who made a lot of amazing records and tragically passed away suddenly late last year. His son Adam put on this concert and it features some really amazing players - Roberta Flack (she was BEAUTIFUL), Dr John, Janet Siedel, Jane Monheit, Hugh Masakella..it was a nice concert..as the sun went down in midtown Manhattan.

I also went to the famous village Vanguard (one of the only venues in it's original position) and saw the Rebecca Martin Quintet - with Brian Blade on drums (he plays with Wayne Shorter and is so lovely to watch play), Larry Granadier on double bass and Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitars. It was lovely - kinda folky stuff but with gentle jazz sensibilities. Zac also saw Greg Osby play there - which he also really enjoyed.

So the first week and a half we really settled into the city and tried to see as much music as possible - you are just soooo spoiled for choice here. I wanted to let the vibe of New York seep into me before my recording session.

We got together on Tuesday August 19 for our rehearsals at a rehearsal studio on W 55th St... I was pretty nervous and excited all at once. the energy around people like Ron Carter is so big and powerful and I have heard him play on so many landmark albums - so it was so amazing to have the opportunity to play music with him and incredible musicians like John Scofield, Joe Lovano and Lewis Nash. Everyone seemed pretty relaxed and cool though - things went really well. We moved through the 15 tunes swiftly. It was a lot of music but we went from about 10am-4.30pm or so and got through it all. It felt very open and free.
And.....next door was David Byrne rehearsing with his enormous band - I LOVE THIS CITY!

When I left a felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders..I didn't realize how much pressure I had felt leading up to that moment I guess!

The next day we met at legacy recording studios at W 48th st - a huge space with booths off the main room. A beautiful recording room and great space. Joe Faber is our engineer - a really nice, relaxed and consummate engineer.
We set up with Joe and John in the main room - with John's amp off in a booth to the side, me in the booth next to John's amp and then Sam and Ron in a larger booth together with baffle walls between them and then lewis in another separate booth. We were all set up so we could see each other clearly - but it was a nice big space so it gave things a nice openness which I think you can hear on the record also. I guess ultimately I would have preferred to have been a bit more intimate but in a way it was nice as everyone had their own little space.
Then the magic began!! We moved through really quickly - every tune bar two are the first take...so everything felt really free and spontaneous..we were discovering the music as we went collaboratively.... so in the first day we did the 8 tracks with John on guitar between 2 and 8 pm or so. It was so so amazing to hear this band!! I just had a smile on my face the whole day. The interplay is so beautiful and free - I just loved it. Watching Joe and John interplay was so special to see and hear. And Lewis and Ron are like wizards - the way they hook up is so deep and free. And Sam just fit right in - what a trio!!
I'm so glad I bought Sam with me - he is playing is so pretty. And like me he loves jazz and pop equally and with him - it is about the song, it is about the band and not as much about himself - which is a rare special thing.
What was so special was how open everyone was....completely in the moment and with you every step of the way...very very special.

So we then came back for the second day and moved again through 7 more tunes so quickly. I was thinking about cutting Michelle...but then we had gone through things so quickly I though we should lay it down - and I am so glad we did - it is a different flavour and a great change for the record. And a great chart by Sam also.

It was so special and I felt blessed to be a part of these few days. I feel we made beautiful music together and the vibe was really focused but overall relaxed.

We did have 3 days booked - but we decided to go straight into mixing as we didn't need to do any more tracking - we were done!

So we moved 10 blocks uptown to the other legacy studios - on W48th st, off broadway and started mixing.

We moved through 5 tunes on the first day. Joe Faber set up a wonderful space for the tunes - warm, organic and free.

The 2nd day we moved through another 5 tunes....we got more and more into the detail as we went through...it's amazing how mixing it took longer than making it!! But there are a lot of internal musical conversations happening so it is great to have everything have their own space.

The 3rd day we moved through the final 5 tunes and came to the end of the record later that evening. We went back to the first mix and then made a few final tweaks and we were done!!

The relief and joy I felt walking out of there was beautiful and palpable.
Joe is just the sweetest - as a player and a person... his vibe and mine connected beautifully and we had a magical week.

I headed into mastering on the Tuesday and some niggling fears about the vocal sound were realized. So unfortuntately I decided I had to abort mission and redo vocals.....wow what a hard decision to make on my own!!

Joe Ferla being the complete gentleman he is offered to go straight back in the studio and get it right. Although I was very disappointed .. in the end I started to see it as a blessing as I got my favourite mike (a vintage AKG C12) and I set up alone in the big room with all the wood and space...which really added to my sound.

Basically I really meditated on the space we created when we were tracking and i really felt like the band were there. My wonderful husband Zac was there too to help support me - he is so beautiful and I needed someone else there who knew my sound also!

So.....there we have it...a roundabout way but meant to be - I am really happy with this record and can't wait to tour it with my killer Aussie band and also my American band next year. Ron has never played Australia so really want to try and make that happen!

So then I settled into hanging with my family as much as poss before I had to leave them for Europe. My mother in law Jacqui and I saw gypsy on Broadway - AMAZING! If you are there please see it - Patti Lupone is sensational. I loved every minute.

I also took Dexter to see The Little Mermaid - he loved it! We also did the Statue of Liberty boat cruise again - she really is beautiful.
Zac and I finished our time in New York with a dinner date at Dizzy's jazz club watching Roy Haynes and the fountain of youth..WOW....83 and rocking it on the drums.. we then went to Zinc and saw some great Brazilian music and raved with the locals....last time I was at that club I was breastfeeding a tiny Dexter - times have changed!!

After a month in this town I still love it..it is crazy though..it really does never stop so it's kind of exhausting! But inspiration is high, incredible music and art and great people.

So...I then flew to Vienna via London and then drove a few hours to the city of Maribor Slovenia where I had three concerts with Richard Tognetti and the Salzberh Camerata. What a gorgeous town - a beautiful village style small city surrounded by hills and wineries.

All the venues for the festivals were incredible theatres, castles etc...amazing. Beautiful rooms like that sound so good and made me sing better!
The first concert I performed some John Taverner material..then I did a concert with mainly my own music (from Skin and Elixir and some george stuff) with a local Slovenian guitarist Igor and a quartet from the Camerata.

Finally I did the programme luminous with Richard Tognetti and the Camerata. This is a beautiful concert set to the incredible imagery of Bill Henson. It was like a dream..i loved it! The Vasks violin concerto was my favourite - incredible work and Richard played it beautifully.

So after a week in Slovenia making friends with the lovely people of the camerata and the lovely festival organizers (Tadeja, Brigita and Vladimir) I drove back to Vienna and spent a day traveling around. What a city!! So beautiful..i just followed my nose and at almost every corner my jaw dropped at the beauty of this place... so many beautiful churches, buildings, museums...Europe is so beautiful and inspiring also. And Vienna is the home of so much incredible music of the centuries..i loved wandering around soaking it in.

That night I went to the Vienna Opera House and watched the Barber of Seville from a box seat - I had to stand to see anything but it was still exciting! To think of the music that has been played on that stage - wonderful!
The Opera House has to be seen to be believed - so opulent and decadently decorated.

I then went back to my hotel (The Ring - great hotel if you in Vienna!..i decided a hotel named after a Wagner opera would get my vote!)...and packed and got ready for my 5am pick up! (yuck!)

So here I am in the air writing on the way to London. I am taking some meetings today and then hanging with my bro tonight (he has moved to London!). We are going to go and see the legendary Lee Konitz play at the 606 Club.

Tomorrow night I start the long flight home and I see my darling boys Friday morning - I can't wait to see them!!! I miss them like crazy.. I have been walking around with that constant feeling I have lost/forgotten something, and I just realize I need to get home and be mumma!

We are about to embark on a new chapter in our life living the non city life up at mt glorious..can't wait! Looking forward to sharing this new record with you very soon!

Love kt xo