Canadian vocalist Susie Arioli and guitarist Jordan Officer's career took off when they played at the Montreal International Jazz Festival ten years ago, in front of 10-15 thousand people. The venue was huge, yet Arioli's intimate sound filled up the space with its gentleness. The concert was a huge success, and the next day they were asked to open for Ray Charles, in an even bigger venue. Once again, the atmosphere was that of a velvet room.

In addition to being accompanied by a guitar and a double bass, Susie Arioli also plays the snare drum. "Drums are a big, altering sound, and as a singer you don't have any control over them. In addition, the snare drum gives me something to do when I'm not singing," she explains.

"For me it's very important to feel comfortable, so I choose songs that fit me. I have to like the story, but also the overall feeling and mood has to suit me. There are so many beautiful songs, but some I just sound stilted doing." Also important to Susie Arioli is the healing quality of music, and jazz in particular. "People don't have to be jazz aficionados to appreciate the kind of healing and the kind of feelings that jazz expresses." Also, it's important to explore a genre before making a decision about it. "There are many sides to music and if you just see one color of jazz, you may not like it, but there might be other styles that speak to you. The same goes for hip hop. Some hip hop is misogynistic and I don't like it at all, but other hip hop is deliberately not misogynistic and I love, for example, the French take on it!"

How to get younger audiences to like jazz seems to be a big question. "Billy Holiday was basically a pop singer, in that she took older songs and re-did them, making them become popular again. I feel that I am no different," says Arioli. In Judy Carmichael's mind, jazz is very natural for young people: "It's radical, it changes every time we do it. Rock is corporate, but jazz is about doing your own thing: it's meant for people to put their own personality in it, which is what many young people are looking for."

This was the last show recorded in Ascona—for this year at least. Judy Carmichael's insights, preparedness, and intimate feel have been greatly appreciated.

NOTE: All shows will be available in a few months as free iTune downloads, and will also be posted on www.jazzinspired.com, as well as on the JazzAscona site.