The legacy of Pixie Williams, the evocative voice behind the number one 1949 hit Blue Smoke, continues with the reimagined album The New Blue, releasing Friday 9 April. Containing 11 tracks of reworked gems, recorded by a collection of contemporary Kiwi vocalists, the album celebrates the enduring yet brief singing career of New Zealand’s first number one pop song vocalist and wāhine Māori artist.
While Dean Martin famously covered, and had a hit, with Blue Smoke in 1951, a new generation of artists demonstrate that over 70 years later, the compositions remain as timeless as ever. The album includes the distinctive vocal talents of soul diva and te reo Māori champion Whirimako Black (MNZM), acclaimed musician, producer and songwriter Anna Coddington and modern soul singer Louis Baker. New artists sing alongside the more established, with only the song to answer to – reflecting the priorities of the day when Pixie recorded Blue Smoke in 1949, fresh from hockey practice as a 20 year old.
The project has been a labour of love for Williams’ daughter Amelia Costello, who in 2011 released the album Pixie Williams: For The Record. This compilation of works set to digitally preserve the scarce collection of Williams’ 78rpm shellac single releases, the only format to remain from her original recordings. Costello explains how The New Blue began;
“I've always wanted to refresh the music with contemporary artists. I had started work on this when the technology made it possible to remaster the originals, which was first logical thing to do to save the music. The remastered album was so well received, it reinforced the interest in a reimagined album.”
Enter Mike Gibson, sound engineer to a wealth of local artists over the last three decades. Gibson restored and remastered the original shellac recordings for the 2011 release, and now returns as the executive producer and engineer for this new album. Gibson has constructed a unique production team with Riki Gooch (eru dangerspiel, Trinity Roots) and vocalist Lisa Tomlins (Fat Freddy’s Drop, L.A.B, Hollie Smith), who bring a refreshingly natural and effortless beauty to the production. “The key was stepping out of this modern world and allowing the space for each song to guide us,” says Gibson.
Alongside a healthy collection of composer Ruru Karatiana’s works, the album features a tune by another great songwriter of the time, Sam Freedman; responsible for writing the iconic Haere Mai. First recorded in 1949, and now reimagined and recorded in te reo Māori, Freedman’s Māoriland is a fitting bridge between eras, when recording in te reo would not have been a consideration.
The New Blue – Pixie Williams Reimagined
Saddle Hill ft The Victory Dolls
Let’s Talk It Over ft Anna Coddington
Ain’t It A Shame ft Whirimako Black
Bellbird Serenade ft Rachel Fraser
Blue Smoke ft Pixie Williams, Lisa Tomlins and Kirsten Te Rito
Sweetheart in Calico ft George Rutherford
Sailing Along on a Moonbeam ft Amba Holly
Señorita ft Lisa Tomlins
Māoriland ft Kirsten Te Rito
It’s Just Because ft Deanne Krieg
Windy City ft Louis Baker
Audiences will have the chance to hear The New Blue in a live setting with Kirsten Te Rito, Rachel Fraser and Lisa Tomlins bringing these songs, supported by full backing band, to Dunedin as part of the Dunedin Arts Festival on 13 April. The show then travels to Wanaka for the Festival of Colour arts festival on 14 April.
The New Blue album and live shows compliment the 2020 documentary, Pixie – The Voice of Blue Smoke, which shines a new light on the story behind the iconic song. Director Daniel Mulholland states; "It's been a once in a lifetime opportunity to document this colourful time in Aotearoa's music history. To now hear the songs of yesteryear performed by today's artists is truly a blessing. The album and documentary will sit side by side as tribute to our pioneers and a showcase of the musical talent we currently have around us. Mauri ora!"
“Making this record has been a wonderful journey of revisiting the musical landscape of Pixie Williams and Ruru Karaitiana” states Gooch, “It has been musically fulfilling.”
The New Blue releases on Friday 9 April through Blue Smoke Records and is distributed through Rhythmethod. Pixie – The Voice of Blue Smoke is available to view here, and is also available on Māori TV On Demand.
For further information on Pixie Williams – www.bluesmokerecords.com