[Left to right: Carroll Dashiell (bass), Ira Wiggins (sax), Lois Deloatch, James Webb (drums), Tyson Rogers (piano)]

Interview with Lois Deloatch


Q: Please tell me more about yourself. Who has influenced you musically and who was responsible for you starting to sing?

Lois Deloatch: I can't remember a time when music wasn't important to me. I was raised in a large family (I'm one of ten children) with diverse musical tastes, so I listened to gospel, country, soul, blues, jazz, heavy metal, rock & roll, everything! My mother and father encouraged me to join the church choir when I was about 8 years old. I began doing solo parts when I was about 9 or 10. In the early 70's, three siblings and some family friends formed a soul/rock & roll band called "The Destructions." At that time, I was too young to perform with the group, but I hung around their rehearsal and occasionally got to see them perform.

Q: You're also an Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the Duke University (Durham, NC) and you're doing several workshops. Please tell me more about it. Do you have a 50/50 split with your musical career? Would you give up the job at the university and the workshops if your musical career flourishes and demands it?

Lois Deloatch: I'm a "multi-tasker" by nature, and am very comfortable having dual careers. I've been incredibly fortune to work with people who appreciate my passion for music and allow me flexibility when necessary. I've been employed at Duke for fifteen years, so I have lots of leave time. I take time off work to travel for performances, workshops, rehearsals, etc.
Right now, I have a good balance between my music and my job at Duke. I'm most interested in creating new music, so I spend a lot of time writing/composing. I'm a homebody and a newlywed, so I haven't pursued long tours; however, I'd love to do some international performances.

Q: You've said about the songs on Closure that you've written them "to document and move beyond a very difficult period in my life". What was the reason for this difficult period?

Lois Deloatch: Between the years of 1996-2001, I experienced several major tragedies including the deaths of two brothers, a niece, and a very close friend. My mother's health was failing dramatically, so there was rarely a week when I didn't spend days or nights in a medical facility. Also, during this same time, my marriage of 19 years (more than half my life) ended. So yes, writing and recording the tunes on Closure allowed me to reflect upon and move beyond some very deep emotion.

Q: The music for Closure was recorded in just two afternoons. Please tell me more about the recording session. How did it feel to get these personal songs finally recorded?

Lois Deloatch: Since I was working with good friends, the recording session was fun, though intense. The guys all know me well, understood my motivation for doing the recording, and knew what the recording meant to me. As an independent artist, I'm always working on a very tight budget, so I try to make the most of every minute in the studio as well as make the best use of my friends' time. I wanted the mood of the recording to be honest to the tunes - not slick, watered down or overproduced.

Q: Your debut album consists of original compositions only and Closure is also mainly made up of your own songs. Personally I always encourage an artist to record own songs but unfortunately that's something that happens too seldom in vocal jazz. What do you think why most vocal jazz singers like to do standards over and over again?

Lois Deloatch: This is a terrific question. In many cases, I think artists simply want to work and be heard - they need to get bookings and/or sell records, and they feel that there's a stronger market/audience for classics and standards. To be honest, I've never expected widespread recognition. I'm more interested in creating new music and working with outstanding musicians/artists. On the other hand, not everyone is interested in writing and composing- some people are excellent performers and devote their time and attention to that - perhaps in the same way actors/thespians might.

Q: Closure has already been recorded in 2001. In what way has your music style developed since then? What does the Lois Deloath of 2005 sound like?

Lois Deloatch: I've been writing a lot of new material and very few contain lyrics - most are instrumentals. Vocally, I'm still developing my upper range because my voice is getting deeper as I get older. In my writing and my singing, I'm even more conscious of power of simplicity and space.

Q: Your website states that a new release is scheduled for this autumn. What can we expect from the new record?

Lois Deloatch: We'll just have to wait and see!

Q: Me and my readers are always eager for good music, can you recommend a few artists that have inspired you in recent times?

Lois Deloatch: Yes, there are so many terrific artists out there. I adore Branford Marsalis' music and since he lives in my town (Durham, NC), I run into him fairly regularly - he's a great guy. It's fascinating to me how he has developed such a unique style and career, particularly the way he reinterprets compositions by the greats like Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane and balances them with his original tunes. Some of the artists in heavy rotation in my cd player right now are: Terrence Blanchard, Joshua Redman, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Haden, McCoy Tyner, and of course, Coltrane, Miles, and Monk. I also listen often to the recordings of my friends who appear on Closure with me - Tyson Rogers, Gabe Evens, Scott Sawyer, Ron Brendle, and Ira Wiggins.

For more infos visit loisdeloatch.com, cdbaby.com and read my review of Closure.