I'm not the first to notice Darlene Koldenhoven's extraodinary talent.
As
a singer with a huge range, both stylistically and literally (5 octaves),
she
has worked with artists such as Pink Floyd, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand,
Kenny Loggins, Peter Cetera, Crystal Gale, Ringo Star and Ray Charles.
She's received three Grammy nominations and a 1986 Grammy Award
(Best Jazz Vocal Performance by Group) for the "2+2" album Freefall.
As her extensive bio states: "Her voice has been featured on hundreds
of
radio and TV commercials, television shows like "Touched by an Angel,"
"Walker Texas Ranger," "Star Trek" and in the motion picture
scores of
"Shrek", and "Jurassic Park II" , "Galaxy Quest," "Apollo XIII," "Dances
with Wolves," and "Mission Impossible," to name a few."
Darlene acted and sang in Whoopi Goldberg's Sister Act and Sister
Act II - Back in the Habit. As a vocalist for Yanni's 1993
world tour,
she sang on Yanni, Live at The Acropolis (seen by 1.5
billion people!)
and on the single "Aria".
Darlene has three releases out under her own name. Her Christmas
album, Heavenly Peace, is one of my favourites and has
some amazing
performances, arrangements and compositions.
You can learn more about Darlene, by visiting her
website.
Jamie:
To me, your music has an incredible attention to detail -- the
parts just seem right. How do you know when you have a "perfect"
take?
Darlene: First of all for me
as a vocalist, the emotion is the essence of
the sound. There's a certain brilliance to the feeling of the "perfect"
take.
Perhaps an endorphin actually fires in the brain. This is in addition
to the
pitch being accurate with all the frequencies and overtones and
resonance
lined up. The words are understandable and heartfelt and in the
case of a
vocalist, the listener should be able to connect with the feeling
just through
the timbre and emotion within the voice. It has to sound effortless;
it is
delivered effortlessly, and the timing is right in the "pocket."
When it's right,
you know deep in your heart and body that it was the "perfect" take.
Then
you listen back to it and if you get that same inner feeling of
alignment, it's
"perfect." However, in my philosophy, nothing on this planet is
perfect
anyway. Perfection lies with God.
Jamie: When
I'm listening back to one of my own takes, I get almost
the same feeling as when I was performing it. If it was, as you
say, in the
"pocket", it just seems right. I will use the studio to help in
creating the
sound that I'm after, but for the most part, the performance is
critical. I
haven't had too much luck creating an emotional track just from
editing.
How do you use the studio? Is it as a tool in and of itself or is
it primarily
for documenting your performances?
Darlene: I'd
agree that the performance is the essence of the emotion
that connects the listener with you the performer. Editing for some
can
be very creative if that is the style you are going for. However,
for me, the
emotion has to come from the performance first and the studio is
the
innocent bystander.
Jamie: You
have a huge stylistic range. I checked out your vocal sampler
on your web site and it's really impressive. Do you approach making
music
differently on outside projects than on your own music?
Darlene: Yes,
I certainly do. On an outside project, I have to be totally
willing to produce the sound for whatever the client would like.
Sometimes
they don't know exactly what they want so it's up to me to dig deep
in
myself and figure out what is the best thing. I have to do whatever
it
takes to get it just the way the client wants it, even if I happen
to
disagree musically. I happen to enjoy this challenge.
Jamie: And
sometimes it can be a huge challenge! I find that I learn
more from different perspectives than ones that I'm comfortable
with.
Working on other projects (and teaching) has helped me out immensely
-- it allows me to view music from a new angle.
I've also learned a lot from listening to a WIDE variety of music.
I love the
guitar and great players, but I've never listened exclusively to
guitar-based
music. Listening to a percussionist or bassist can give me new ideas
that
help to push my music and to grow as an artist. What kind of music
do
you listen to? Are there any particular records that have affected
you?
Darlene: I
listen to everything I can get my ears on. Mostly classical of all
periods, jazz, jazz fusion, pop, world, new age, rock in that order.
I've been
into classical and world music all my life, adding jazz and rock
in my
twenties. Brahms "Serenade #1" is a big favorite.
Jamie: One
of the great things about being an artist in this era is the fact
that there is SO much music that can you can listen to. Besides
all of the
records that are available, we can now listen via the web to an
absolutely
astounding amount music.
But the challenge, for me, is to sort through all of the various
genres and
create my own aesthetic. I've played a lot of different styles,
but I've never
wanted my records to just be about what I've come into contact with.
Internalizing what I listen to and letting it affect me in a natural
way is
pretty much what I'm interested. One of the things that I enjoy
about your
music is the combination of different sounds and styles. Is this
something
that comes easily to you?
Darlene: Thanks.
I'm glad you enjoy the different sound and styles.
Variety does come easy to me. As a matter of fact, I have to be
very
careful that the wealth of inspiration can be honed into enough
of a corral
that the listener can still identify with the style of music. This
just makes
good marketing sense AND an awareness that the listener is buying
your
music to create some kind of "mood" or expression that lasts a certain
amount of time. Although I think we (especially commercial radio)
don't
give our listeners enough credit. I believe that people do enjoy
and want
variety. Music is a matter of taste and taste according to the environment
and mood in which one is listening.
Jamie: That's
a great point! One thing that I've been thinking about lately
is the importance of longer forms and how they affect the listener.
I try to
make each of my pieces stand on their own, but my albums in their
entirety best reflect where I'm coming from. I really want the listener
to
sit back and listen to the record from start to finish. When you're
working
on a record are you thinking about the entire album? Do you have
a sense
of the overall feel of the album before you start recording?
Darlene: That's
exactly what I did with Heavenly Peace. Although each
song stands on its own, the whole album tells the story lyrically
and
musically and emotionally. It's in chronological order and I arranged
or wrote each piece to reflect the mood and environment of the time,
emotion and flow of the story.
Jamie: As
an instrumentalist I primarily relate to the sound of a piece
of music. I think one of the beauties of instrumental music is that
it's so
open ended -- the listener can bring themselves to the music. But
there
are times I wish I could be more specific. Lyrics can have so much
power
and can tell a story in a different way than instrumental music.
How
important are the lyrics of a given piece to you?
Darlene: I'm
a musician at heart so to me the music comes first. I get
my emotional connection from the music. In fact when I sing in many
other languages, I only have a general idea what the lyric is about
but
don't know what I'm singing about word for word. It has never hampered
my delivery of the lyric because I base my emotional context off
of what's
going on in the track. I also sing vocalise (no lyric) and use my
voice as
instrument as in the "Emmanuel" track on my Heavenly Peace CD. I've
seen people start to tear up at the first listening and there are
no words
yet the way I sang it coupled with the shape of Michel Colombier's
soaring
melody are all the lyrics anyone needs on that song. Several fans
have
contacted me asking if the song has anything to do with the departing
of a loved one. Specifically, it does, and there are no lyrics to
tell
anyone that.
However, when there is a lyric, I absolutely have to LOVE the lyric
and
be able to really get behind it in order to make that ever important
emotional connection. Shaping the words of the lyric and how I move
from note to note, not just the notes or the words is where one
makes
that emotional connection. As lyrics register in a different part
of the
brain, the lyric/music connection has to be magnetic in order to
balance itself in my book.
That said, I'm sure my lyricist (when I'm not writing my own) would
have
a field day with my answer. It's an age old discussion.
Jamie: Or
age old battle! So many elements of music must work
together to create something that will have an emotional impact
on a
listener. I see an entire production as single thing. From the composition
to the mastering, it's all part of the same process. And I approach
live
music in the same way -- I try to give the audience the best possible
performance and sound. Unfortunately, live music has so many unique
challenges. How do you create your music in a live setting? Any
tips
for vocalists having to deal with guitarists who play too loud?
Darlene: Tips
for vocalist having to deal with guitarists who play too
loudly? There's the old joke, "Put a piece of music in front of
him!" Other
than that, politely asking to turn down just a bit or make sure
the sound
person has the vocal mic up loud enough and if that's a problem,
just
don't sing and point to the guitarist and say "Solo Guitar" and
back away.
Creating music in a live setting has so many variables though. I
try to
keep on top of it as much as possible with ear monitors, great Neumann
KMS 140 vocal mics, plenty of time for sound check and always
reminding everyone that the sound changes when the house if full.
I
sound check my vocal a bit softer and further away from my lips
than
the actual live performance so that I have room to go in case the
guitar
player IS too loud.
Jamie: Very
tricky! Vocalists have to be particularly careful with their
instrument -- it's a lot easier to replace a broken string than
a broken
vocal cord. I've become more concerned in the last few years with
posture
and the amount of tension that I'm holding when I'm playing. I find
I perform
better and get a better tone when I'm not killing the guitar. Or
being killed
by it! I had a few problems with sore hands after gigs and started
to realize
that a problem could develop if I didn't nip it in the bud. Between
warming
up slowly and lightening up my technique I've had a lot fewer problems.
Do you have any specific warm up techniques? Do you do anything
to
"protect" your voice?
Darlene: Interesting
you asked that question as I just completed the
chapter in my book on vocal health. I run a half hour of vocal exercises
daily. It's a must to keep the muscles flexible. I usually do them
in the
morning or whenever I can and throughout the day. Then I will sing
the
songs I'm working on. I'm also working on making a warm up CD for
others to use my techniques. There's a lot to protecting the voice
but
basically as the voice is in the body, the body is the instrument
and
one has to protect the whole body, especially the immune system.
Daily walks about a half hour, daily vocal exercises, 5 small balanced
meals throughout the day, only water and herbal tea and diluted
non-
acidic fruit juices to drink. Taking care of ourselves is usually
the most
difficult part isn't it? We are all so busy taking care of everything
else
in life that we neglect the most important part.
Jamie: That's
so true... if you're a performer the buck literally stops at
the hands or in your case, the voice. Whenever I forget that, bad
things
happen... I have to admit it would be tough drinking only herbal
tea and
diluted non-acidic juices. I'm guessing if I was a vocalist, scotch
would
be out of the question...
Could you tell me more about your vocal book and CD? Any release
date set?
Darlene: I'm
working on collecting and writing the music for the CD.
When I sang "The Prayer" on The Young and the Restless last fall,
I became deluged with email from fans who wanted to buy my version
of the song. So I'm hoping to get a new non-seasonal CD done and
out
sometime later on this year. If all goes well, I'm hoping to finish
my book
and vocal exercise CD as well. Keep your fingers crossed.
Jamie: Sounds
like you're going to be busy! Are you planning any live
dates to support your new record?
Darlene: Hopefully,
but that's another project. One thing at a time.
Jamie: And
there always seems to be one more thing to do.... Thanks
for taking the time to do this conversation and good luck with your
new projects!
Darlene: Thanks
Jamie. I appreciate the opportunity. Take care.
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