Jill Cohn "Paying Her Dues"

interview by Michael Lubrano

The first time I heard Jill Cohn play I was walking down Broadway, in Seattles's artistic Capitol Hill District, when I was drawn to the soulful electric sounds pouring out of a local coffee house. I watched through the crowd, that had formed on the sidewalk, and stopped to listen. There she stood eyes shut behind her piano, jet black curls framing her face, as she sang sweetly into the microphone while riding a musical wave provided by the electric undercurrent of her band. The street echoed with applause as more and more Gen-xers, and couples out for the evening decide to step inside for the show, standing room only. I thought who does she sound like? She sounds like a lot of people,some will make comparisons to Tori Amos. I say more of a Sarah McLachlan because this girls got some heavy duty lyrical content along with the vocal and musical chops to back it up.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jill Cohn between her busy touring schedules, perpetually touring on a three to six week turnaround, she is one of the hardest working artists on the west coast.Already with two self produced albums to her credit, "13September6" and "The Laughing Universe", she is already making plans for albums three and four. I asked her about her musical direction and she seems content for now to proceed in more of an acoustical/ folk direction, playing with acoustic band members Dennis Stukauski and Tim Miller, but spoke of plans for experimenting with new sounds for upcoming albums. Fortunate for the bevy of female artists out there because if this girl ever decided to go rock /alternative there would be no stopping her. I get the feeling that she realizes this but isn't concerned with that right now. Her priority, as she says, is "making her music the way she feels it right now, her way.

"At thirty three she finds herself still paying her dues as a musician and artist. After six long years of admitted self destructive behavior, Jill Cohn has found the strength and grace to "pull herself up from the depths of despair". Translating her experiences into music that is at the same time compelling and intimate, yet thought provoking and spiritually inspiring and full of social conscience. For Jill walking the tightrope of transition" is something she performs " on a daily basis, living a simpler life, being happy with less and even living out of her bus on the road. She admits that while she loves playing with both her bands it has been difficult to balance the finance and logistics of touring with a band. So she goes it alone for now, touring solo and financing her career on "credit cards and faith".

While early influences include Joni Mitchell, Carol King, Kate Bush and Coltrane, her first album "13September6" is very eclectic. The use of dissonant chords on cuts like "Girl Named Kate" give the song a very dark moody melancholy. While Chris Hawkins fuzzy mellow guitar leads lend an alternative flavor to the upbeat "The Time Is Now". The album is spiced and flavored throughout with contributions from premier L.A. percussionist Casio Duarte.

In asking about songwriting habits she remarked that "songs are like love affairs and children, you never know when they're gonna happen".The spontaneous spirit of these words are evident in the second album ." The Laughing Universe", a live 8-track recording produced by engineer David Eaton, was recorded during a December benefit for "First Place", a homeless children's program in Seattle. The cuts from the album are all Jill and what she can do with her piano. I attended the show, staged in a chapel in downtown Seattle. Appropriately billed as "Acoustic Eden" the name captures the emotional and passionate spirit of Jill Cohn's exchange with her small but loyal following. Both albums are worthy and Jill Cohn seems poised to take her rightful place among the legion of contemporary female singer/ songwriters. She is singing about things in a way few musicians are today.

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