1. It’s been four years since your last album; what have you been up to?

After the release of Lento (2013), I toured a lot, for two years, and then I decided to have a kind of break. At the beginning I thought I would take a year, but it turned into a two year sabbatical. At the end of last year, I thought I should record a new album.

2. The new album is called She Moves On; are you moving on to something new?

Not at all! When I choose the album title, it’s usually the title of one of the songs. It’s not always me that chooses; sometimes it’s the musicians, or my friends. Voyage was my idea, as it was my first trip to Sweden. Lento was also the title of one of the songs. Traveller (the opening song) didn’t work, as I’d already done Voyage, and Teach The Gifted Children didn’t work! Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair…no! Finally we decided on She Moves On!

3. The new album has a more American feel than Lento; American musicians, mostly American songs. Was that a choice on your part?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to work with American musicians, even after moving to Paris to study jazz. Many people asked why I went to Paris to study jazz, not the States. I said, ‘why not?’ I wanted to study jazz, but I also loved French chanson. Because I lived in Paris, I was lucky to meet so many great European musicians, and I didn’t get the chance to meet so many American musicians. But when I took a break, I decided I wanted to try a different sound. I wanted to discuss with them their relationship with music, you know? I discovered (pianist) Jamie Saft, and just called him. I asked him if he was interested in working with me, and a few days later, bought a ticket to fly over there. We recorded the album, and it was very fast. (5.19)

4. Jamie Saft was an interesting choice, in that he is probably know more for his avant-garde work, than as an accompanist. 

I’ve known his work with (saxophonist and composer) John Zorn , but discovered his own compositions by accident, onYouTube. The tunes he wrote were so simple and melodic, that I was quite surprised. He can be quite crazy when he plays, with so many notes, but his compositions are more like folk songs. I was curious, so that’s why I asked him if he had experience working with singers. I stayed next to his house, in upstate New York, and only discovered later that he only listens to singers! He has all the albums by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Frank Sinatra. He listens to singers all day! I couldn’t believe it! In his studio, there were photos of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley! 

5. Too Late, which was composed with his wife Vanessa, has a gorgeous melody…

Yes, they wrote that tune together. When we first started work, Jamie said that he’d like to write a song for me. He explained that his wife was a singer, and wrote lyrics. She used to be an elementary school teacher. Time flew by, we recorded for two days, and on the first day of the recording – nothing. I thought maybe we would record a tune on the net album. On the second day, Vanessa showed up; we’d almost done for the day. She came along, and said, “I’ve finished.” I thought the album was done, but Jamie suggested we listen to it. I asked for the chart, but there was no chart. “So how can I listen to the melody?” She had recorded it on her iPhone, and we listened to it. It was beautiful, but I said, “Let’s do it next time”. Jamie suggested I listen to it a bit more, and after twenty minutes, said, “Hey guys, let’s record it!” I didn’t even have time to learn the melody. I  thought we’d do four or five takes, but we only did one! That’s how they are!

6. You came to jazz fairly late; who were your influences as a singer?

When I arrived in Paris, the first year of my study was horrible. We listened to American jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday, but I don’t have a deep voice; I’m a soprano, and struggled to imitate them. It didn’t sound good at all, so fake. I wanted to give up, and told my teachers I was going back home. They laughed, and told me that I could use my own voice. At that time, I didn’t know enough abot jazz. They gave me some jazz albums by European singers. The first one was Norma Winstone’s album on ECM, Somewhere Called Home (1986), with John Taylor and Tony Coe. It was unbelievable. I asked if we could call this jazz. Of course, they said. So I decided to stay because of European jazz singers, and the most important were Norma Winstone - how she writes lyrics, how she sings, how she phrases – it’s so poetic. It’s quite intellectual, the way she interacts with the musicians. So I bought all of her albums.

7. You’ve covered some unusual songs over the years, including lesser known songs by the likes of Paul Simon and Lou Reed. Was that deliberate, or did they just speak to you?

They spoke to me. For three weeks, Jamie and I listened to thousands of songs – sometimes just for fun, sometimes to specific songs he suggested. He told me to listen The Dawntreader, from Joni Mitchell’s very first album, which I didn’t know. I hesitated, because there were a lot of lyrics, but it was so beautiful, so visual. A friend of mine suggested the Paul Simon song, which I was not familiar with. The Lou Reed song was the same.

8. You worked with a very different style of guitarist, Marc Ribot, on this album. What did he bring to the table?

I’ve been a big fan of Marc Ribot since I discovered Tom Waits. I first heard Tom Waits at the house of a friend of mine who lives in Paris, and I thought there must be a problem with his audio system! I suggested he change the CD, because I thought there was something wrong. He asked me if I’d heard Tom Waits, and lent me some of his CDs. I was shocked! I was particularly impressed by the guitar sound, which sounded both vintage and different. I fell in love with his sound, and asked Jamie if I could invite him to appear. Jamie explained that he was one of the busiest guitarists the planet, but a miracle happened, and he was in New York, and agreed to come. We had no time to rehearse, so he asked me what I wanted – what impressions, what emotions I wanted. “How can you ask me that?” I said. You know everything, I just want to hear your sound. It was amazing, as if we’d known each other for a long time. I was lucky!

9. Tell us something about you that might surprise people…

I’m such a normal person, nothing will surprise people! I never thought of myself as an artist…

10. Does that mean you still get that excitement, working with new artists?

Of course. Actually, you’re right. I’m touched by everything. Every day, it’s like I’m a kid, having a new experience. It’s like a movie – like Groundhog Day – but the opposite, it’s completely new every day. I never get bored!