The Jazz Evangelist: Barbra Lica brings back the jazz smile

You know that feeling when you unexpectedly discover that there's a new puppy at a friend's house you're visiting? That's how I felt not too long ago when I tore open a small brown envelope at the office to discover an album called That's What I Do, from Toronto singer Barbra Lica. I got puppy excited.

Lica is a sweet, smilin' surprise in jazz. In fact, she's the brightest new light on the Canadian scene. That's why I recently named her one of "Canada's Top 5 Female Jazz Singers." So what does Lica have that many other singers don't? Her voice has a smile.

Jazz is too often a "serious business." But Lica lightens it up with her smile. That's rare in jazz, but you have to ask, why? Jazz used to be party music you got drunk on (or maybe to). People used to dance to jazz; it was fun stuff. So why is a smile in jazz so rare? Because the genre's competitive. The stars of jazz today are too often celebrated for their technical skills instead of their ability to relate to an audience. That's narrowed the audience for jazz from the width of the Mississippi to a single string, a thousand miles long.

Lica's smile is heard in her voice, seen on her YouTube videos and, when I spoke with her recently on the phone, you could hear it beaming out of the handset like a flashlight.

Lica's also full of surprises. In fact, surprising people is one of her great joys in life. Taking the time to dream up and deliver a surprise lunch with a special guest (another student) for her former piano teacher is the kind of thing that gets Lica excited. She loves her mom. She loves Edna's Pickles. Her greatest thrill of all is to surprise someone with something so special that they "cry smile." Imagine that? Even the tears in Lica's life have smiles.

Lica has a bright, smiling future ahead of her. She's rare like a canary in the winter, so next time you're looking for a song with a smile, think Barbra Lica. Your smile won't be far behind.