Calgary’s Music With Mandy Releases “Vacation in the Stars”: Jazz-Infused Family Entertainment for All Ages
Mandy Morris, renowned as Music With Mandy, leads a jazz-infused family entertainment quartet based in Calgary. Their mission? To captivate children and young families with the irresistible charm of children’s music, featuring playful, witty lyrics, all underscored by a delightful jazz twist that’s sure to entertain both the young and the young at heart.
Music With Mandy’s latest album From My Head To My Toes: Songbook with CD, was met with critical and consumer acclaim when released in 2021. Their latest single, released this August 12th is titled “Vacation in the Stars”. For the uninitiated, Mandy’s innocent-sounding voice evokes Sesame Street meets Diana Kroll. Having the ability to connect children and families through music is a gift for the audience as much as it is for the performer. The result is pure magic for all, thanks to the crack band of Matt Morris (piano), Kodi Hutchinson (Bass), and Jim Johnston (drums).
Music with Mandy has been nominated for two YYC Music Awards and a WCMA. She has toured throughout Western Canada with performances at Fernie Culture Days, Hay Day Festival, JazzYYC, Calgary Pride, and the National Music Centre, just to name a few.
When Music With Mandy are not performing, or recording new music, Mandy Morris works as an educator at Stanley Jones School in Calgary.
Mandy’s undeniable passion for music is clearly evident as she is also the founder and artistic director at Create Kids Arts Society, an annual children’s art festival called Create. The focus of the festival incorporates messages of self-love and inclusion, a theme that also runs through her music and performances.
Mandy is passionate about nurturing an inclusive arts community in Calgary, Alberta, where she currently calls home.
Watch the video for “Vacation in the Stars” below and learn more about Music With Mandy via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Mandy Morris and I’m a jazz vocalist, children’s entertainer, and educator based out of Calgary. I am an artist, musician, and dog mom who loves to spend time outside.
Tell us about the process of writing and recording “Vacation in the Stars.”
Vacation in the Stars was written in April of 2020, shortly after I had to halt production of my previous album, From My Head to My Toes. I was disappointed and unsure about what the future would hold so I offered a few students the opportunity to write songs with me. It was the best choice that I could have made! Carolyn Smart, who was 10 years old at the time, suggested the concept of space for the song because she was learning about Julie Payette. The song became a combination of silly imagery informed by the research that Carolyn was doing. We were very particular about the melody because we wanted it to convey the weightlessness that one experiences in space and the relaxation experienced on vacation. When I brought it to the band, we decided to perform it as a Bossa Nova to encapsulate the feeling of being on the beach.
Anja Roth, who was 12 years old at the time of recording, sang back up on this track. Anja has been on every Music with Mandy album that I have recorded. We met when she took a summer music camp that I was teaching at Chinook School of Music when she was five. Since then, she has grown immensely. She is a songwriter in her own right as well as a talented vocalist and pianist. For this track, I accidentally sent her a reference track that had the wrong lyrics and melody. So she learned her part in approximately 20 minutes at the studio before recording. Anja is an incredible musician and I count myself lucky every time that I get to work with her.
The music video for Vacation in the Stars was created in collaboration with students in the Bachelor of Music program, at my alma mater, Grant MacEwan University. Chancé Snethun, Paris Kennedy, Connor Archibald, Angelo Bamba, Iya Casuga, and Justin Dery concepts, organized the shoot and edited the video. We decided to hire Freya Wollis to co-star with me in the video. I met her on the day of the shoot and we had an instant connection. She was full of spunk, creativity, and energy. So I decided to let her make creative decisions for the performance. She chose the moves we did on the rings of Saturn during the piano solo and worked with her family and the team to design the pictures that adorned our cardboard boxes. I am a firm believer that the best content for kids involves kids and I think this song and video is a testament to that.
What’s it like being a musician in Calgary?
Incredible. The artists here do their best to support each other and celebrate our community’s success. I am lucky to call Calgary home.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
The first Canadian artist to blow me away was Terry Clark. She was the first artist that I saw live in concert and it was an incredible experience. I had always know that I wanted to perform but seeing her light up the stage solidified my dream to become a musician. Most recently, I have been enamoured with Caity Gyorgy. Her music has a sense of playfulness that I adore and her live performance is a beautiful mix of story and song. Not to mention that she has incredible chops!
You’ve been making music for a while now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
No matter the size of your audience, everyone who takes time out of their day to engage with your music hears something that resonates in their soul. Allow that to wash away any self-doubt you have and give space for your authentic self to shine through. Use that to inspire future songs and projects. Oh, and never stop practicing.