I love sharing my hobbies and passions with my children and jazz music is something I always get excited about so it’s a part of our lives. Several years ago I discovered Diana Panton, a Canadian jazz vocalist who came out with a kid-friendly jazz album called I Believe in Little Things and I loved it so much that I still listen to it because it’s so timeless. Diana won the JUNO award for that album (as well as many other awards for other albums) so I was really excited to find out that she has now come out with a second kid-friendly album: A Cheerful Little Earful. Jazz For Kids: Diana Panton’s Second Family Jazz Album is Here!
Similar to I Believe in Little Things, A Cheerful Little Earful has an almost-identical sound and seems like a sequel of sorts to the previous album, which is a good thing! There are many similarities; for example, lots of famous jazz tunes, made for young ears. There are several Jazz standards and songs from the Great American Songbook such as Happy Talk from South Pacific, Pocketful of Miracles, A You’re Adorable and Sing A Rainbow.
Another similarity between the albums is the song All in the Golden Afternoon – taken from the movie Alice in Wonderland and sung in both English and French, just like Diana has done in the previous album with A World of my Own.
Although several years have passed since I Believe in Little Things, Diana’s voice is still as sweet as ever and perfectly cheerful to match the title of her new album. It’s hard not to smile at the sweet melodies. This time, to add a personal dimension, she included Music and Me, made famous by a young Michael Jackson. While MJ’s version is optimistic and hopeful, Diana’s version is somewhat bittersweet and yet gorgeous and really throws light upon her life-long connection to music.
My kids loved listening to the songs as much as I did and the album is especially great in the car as most of the songs are pretty upbeat and make for a fun, relaxing, car ride. Jazz For Kids: Diana Panton’s Second Family Jazz Album is Here!
To purchase the album click here.
I was not compensated for this post. I received a sample.
Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman is a freelance writer and has written for several blogs, including The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for nineteen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids, ages 12, 10 and 7.
