Photo Courtesy brittpaperscissors
Tara Kannangara will perform at Medicine Hat JazzFest on June 27 at 10:30 p.m. in the Esplanade Studio Theatre. The up-and-coming musician told the News genre-bending is a term often applied to her music and sound.
cbrown@medicinehatnews.com@MHNBrown
Achievement unlocked.
For a few years now Medicine Hat JazzFest organizers have been trying to book Tara Kannangara. She’s heard good things from her peers who’ve played here and has had her eye on Medicine Hat.
“I have a lot of friends that have played there and they love the festival,” Kannangara told the News last week.
The big-time festival with the small town feel has made an impression on many in the jazz community, Kannangara said.
“It feels really inclusive and I think the artists feel taken care of. That’s the main thing that I’ve heard is that everyone is so kind and warm.”
Kannangara will experience it herself on June 27 in the Esplanade Studio Theatre. The show starts at 10:30 p.m. The up-and-coming artist said hearing she’s been courted by local organizers makes her feel appreciated.
“If people want to see you play and are actively trying to see you play music, that is a beautiful thing. So any time a I hear it from anyone, even if it’s just my mom, I’m always thrilled, I always feel very grateful.”
Kannangara said genre-bending is a term often applied to her style. Her music is a combination of a variety of styles including jazz, pop, electronic-synth and, curiously, musical theatre. It’s something she says she used to be embarrassed about but now wears well. She said what she likes about musical theatre is the inclination to give as much as possible in the moment, saying the performers are “doing their darnedest to give with emotion and joy.”
It’s an attitude she and the rest of her band bring to the stage.
“I think we try really hard to give as much as possible to the moment. I want people to be able to witness us exploring and listening to each other,” she said. “I think all of us try to explore in real time. We really try to find some new material out of old material.”
The Medicine Hat show is part of an album release tour for Kannangara’s latest effort “It’s Not Mine Anymore.” She said the album is all about an imagined lifetime.
“I thought it would be an interesting idea to try to write songs as my younger self. Even just moments as a baby, trying to recapture what it would feel like to be alive in the world and not be influenced by anything and just feel like a blank canvas. And also the idea of imaging what it will feel like when I’m older and I’ve experienced a lot and I’m no longer a blank canvas.”
They all album is available on streaming platforms, Kannagara said, and download cards and pins will be available at the show.
Tickets are available online at tixx.ca, by calling 403-502-8777, and in person at the Esplanade box office or the Medicine Hat Mall customer service desk. Full festival passes are also available.
