Katie Noonan grew up in a classical music household. So it was only in her teens, when she moved out of home, that she discovered the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Like so many others, she liked what she heard. The former George lead singer and now solo artist's next album, due in mid-November, is titled Blackbird, the music of Lennon McCartney, and pays a jazz-infused homage to the two Beatles.
Wollongong audiences will be the first in NSW to hear Noonan fresh from recording the album in New York when she performs some of the songs in the Viva La Gong Big Top tomorrow night as part of Viva Voices (tickets $35/$25).
"The Lennon-McCartney songs are just such amazing songs ... that stand the test of time," Noonan told the Mercury.
"They have beautiful melody, great lyrics, interesting forms - something that I felt would really work within the jazz context."
A sextet will back Noonan for the Viva gig and she will also sing with internationally renowned quartet The Idea of North.
Noonan recorded the new album with jazz legends Ron Carter (Miles Davis' bass guitarist) and Grammy Award winning jazz musicians Joe Lovano and John Scofield.
"The Blackbird is definitely one of my favourite songs, but ... I love them all for such different reasons," Noonan said.
"Probably one of my favourites is Across the Universe, because the sentiment in that is really beautiful."
Noonan will make her Viva La Gong debut tonight, when she joins Tim Freedman and the Phil Slater Quartet for Sculthorpe Remixed (tickets $10) at 9.15pm. For more program details visit www.vivalagongfestival.org.
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