Once an orthodontist, now a stage-hopping jazz artist with local notoriety, Gail Pettis has made quite the occupational jump. The Island resident, with a natural — albeit long unrealized — talent for singing, has just released her second album, “Here in the Moment” (OA2 Records) after her first CD, “May I Come In?” was welcomed with warm response in 2007. Most of her songs are well-loved classics: “The Very Thought of You,” “Night and Day,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” given new life through Pettis’ sensuous voice, which lingers long after the songs end. A relative newcomer to Seattle’s jazz scene, Pettis sat down with the Reporter to discuss her first tentative steps into music and the rewarding success that followed.
Q: What compelled you to take the leap from orthodontics to music? I know you got there via swing dancing. Tell me a little more about this.
A: I’ve just always enjoyed music so much, and the music that we danced to is some of the same music that we sing. When I had my knee injury and couldn’t dance anymore, I still wanted some type of connection to the music.
It’s not this situation where I harbored a deep desire to be a jazz musician from the cradle. It’s really interesting because I hear about people who, all their lives, have something artistic they want to pursue while they’re doing something more traditional. But for me, the desire to sing came [much later].
Q: Did you take music classes? What was the first step toward your break into jazz?
A: I signed up for a jazz performance workshop [in 1996] at Music Works Northwest, lead by a local saxophonist — Darren Motamedy — with a great band who teaches in the public school system. I just fell in love with the idea of making music on the fly.
In dancing, there was a lot of choreography on the fly; especially in the style of swing I was doing. You can interrupt the pattern of dancing at any time when you hear something in the music that you want to respond to. So it really is kind of a unique experience every time you dance because the music tells you what to do.
In the jazz workshop, there was a lot of emphasis on improvisation and communicating with the other players in the band. That just really appealed to me.
Q: Were you a starlet in the class? How did you go from a workshop to stage performances?
A: I was not a starlet (laughs). Actually it was kind of a funny experience because the class was really designed for instrumentalists. There were a lot of kids who were on top of music theory, and I do a lot by ear, since I don’t have an education in classical music theory.
Darren eventually invited me to come out and sit in with his band. He has a really good band. All of the musicians followed his cue in terms of being encouraged to pursue music. We’d just come and bring a chart and be able to sing with his full band. I’ve performed now a couple of times with his band.
Q: What is it like being on stage?
A: One question that I get asked a lot is, ‘Do you get nervous up there?’ The music is so much the focus that it just kind of takes precedence over anything else that I might be feeling. Sometimes I’ve come in and had a hard day, but I get to [the venue] and the music gets going, and I just skip out of there because I feel so much better. Even though it’s not something that I’ve had as a long-held aspiration, it just feels like I’m coming home.
Q: How was the process of making your first album in 2007, “May I Come In?”
A: I enjoyed the process. I just picked songs that I really liked. Over the course of time, I had worked predominantly with two groups of musicians, so when the time came to record I found that certain songs I liked performing with one trio and others with the second trio.
Basically, it was my favorite songs at the time with the people that I was performing live with quite a bit.
There’s a great independent jazz label [Origin/OA2 Records] that’s out of Seattle, founded by John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen. I produced the album, in terms of financing it and making the musical decisions, presented it to them and was fortunate enough to sign with that label.
Q: What was your response to being named 2007 Northwest Vocalist of the Year by Earshot Jazz Society?
A: Any time my music is received well, there is a validation there. Especially for me, not having received a formal background in jazz, it’s nice to have validation that the things you feel and hear and do are appreciated by your peers and other listeners.
The other thing I feel is really personal. I feel like I put a lot into my songs emotionally, and so when they resonate with other people, it almost feels like they are giving me a nod, personally.
Q: Most of your songs are covers, yet they carry your own personality. What do you do, when singing, to add originality to these songs?
A: I guess there’s really two answers. Sometimes, when I think of a song that I’ve heard before, say if it’s commonly sung as an up-tempo type of thing, I maybe would envision it more as a slower Bassa. I don’t know where that comes from. I guess the emotion, too; when you just consider what the song is saying, you can usually always relate to it.
Q: How would you compare your new album, “Here in the Moment,” to “May I Come In?”
A: I think that “Here in the Moment” has a greater number of up-tempo tunes with more energy, where “May I Come In?” was more relaxed.
I’ve been fortunate to work with fantastically talented players, a few of which are arrangers, so certain ideas that they came up with are worked into the last disc. In the years that have passed since “May I Come In?” my singing has evolved, and the CD probably reflects that.
Q: What do you think of Seattle’s jazz scene? Do we have a rich jazz culture or is it just budding?
A: Oh, I would say it’s beyond budding. The level of musicianship here rivals anywhere in the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel and perform with musicians from other places, and I don’t think there’s any place better.
The other thing about the Seattle scene is that it’s very welcoming and supportive. I enjoy working with many artists. I kind of have a core group who I perform with quite a bit. But I also love performing with people who I haven’t played with before. What jazz means to me is that you can come together and play the same songs, but it might be completely different because of what others bring to the music.
Q: Lastly, are you planning any shows on Mercer Island?
A: I would love to perform on the Island. In fact, if you were to ask the question, ‘What’s next for Gail Pettis?,’ that would be one of the things I want to do.
The Gail Pettis Quartet will be performing at The Sorrento Hotel in downtown Seattle this Saturday, April 10, and at Bake’s Place Providence Point in Issaquah on Saturday, April 17.
“Here in the Moment” and “May I Come In?” can be purchased through amazon.com, iTunes and at Gail Pettis’ Web site: http://www.gailpettis.com. The CDs are also available at local retail stores.
