Ottawa Winter Jazz fest: Felicity Williams puts Al Purdy poetry to music

When Purdy died in 2000, Williams had penned a handful of songs based on his work and was dismayed that he’d never get to hear them. She wrote to his wife instead, enclosing a recording, and received a handwritten letter of thanks that said Purdy would have liked the music.

It’s a project that has not come together quickly, despite several high-profile performances linking her name with the poet. In 2008, Williams performed at the unveiling of the Purdy statue in Toronto, and in 2015, she appeared with her ensemble in the documentary, Al Purdy Was Here. Williams’ Purdy-inspired song, Country North of Belleville, was also included on the 2018 album, The Al Purdy Songbook.

“It was so special,” Williams says of the sojourn. “ often made comments that he was a terrible carpenter so the house is imperfect but the acoustics are really great. We were playing inside the A of the A-frame and we’re mostly acoustic instruments so the sound was really warm.Article content One big challenge in setting Purdy’s work to music is the fact that his poems don’t rhyme. Williams draws on her training and experience in jazz, classical music and contemporary improvisation to make it work.

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Felicity Williams puts Al Purdy poetry to music; brings it to Ottawa Winter Jazz fest“My mom gave me a book called Naked with Summer in Your Mouth,” Williams recalled in a recent interview. “He was older at the time and a lot of the poems are looking back on his life, and looking ahead to the unknown country of death. I got captivated by those and I started writing.”
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