Calgary vocalist Aimee-Jo Benoit is recognized for her unwavering commitment to featuring the works of Canadian songwriters in her repertoire while paying homage to the long standing Jazz tradition of creating a new canon. Over the past decade,she has become well-known as both a locally successful jazz vocalist as well as a talented and sought after back-up singer for various successful folk-pop endeavours including Woodpigeon, Aaron Booth, Spreepark, The Summerlad, and Hermitess. In addition to being a performer, Aimee-Jo has earned a Master of Arts degree in the academic study of religion, with a particular emphasis on examining the correlation between improvisation in religious contexts and its application to the study of religion in academic research. Committed to her local jazz community she volunteers as Secretary of the Board for Buckingjam Music Foundation, as well as maintaining a blog under MOTHER/MUSIC/HOOD (URL below). Through this platform, she shares her personal experiences of motherhood, striving to construct a supportive community for fellow creatives navigating the complexities of balancing artistic pursuits with motherhood. Aimee-Jo lives in Calgary with her three children, aged six, ten and fourteen.
UK Jazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling motherhood and career?
Aimee-Jo Benoit: It’s the best advice I’ve received, but it has taken me years to understand. “It’s important that your daughters see you happy.” It’s a complicated thing, especially because “happiness” is such a loaded term. What I’ve realised over the past few months of pushing this album is what they will interpret as happiness is in fact the celebration of the fortitude it takes to be a working mom, and especially an artist.
UKJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?
AJB: You can be a good mother and be a working musician. Before I had children, I had picked up along the way that I wouldn’t be able to do both, and my anxiety about leaving my daughter(s) often led me to say no to amazing opportunities instead of leading with, “what if it all works out?” It does mean you’ll have to make some different choices, and I don’t always make homemade cookies anymore, but my girls are seeing me pursue things even though it’s hard or I don’t have an obstacle-free path. The obstacle is the path.
UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other mothers in jazz:
AJB: Mommas. Band together, share child-care, post on your socials about other moms making music, find people who are going through the same things. There is power in numbers.
UKJN: Travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice. This can be gear or gadget-related, or pertain to approach/what to do/what not to do:
AJB: I’ve had to travel a lot with littles, but never on tour. I wish I could have let myself have this experience but alas I did not. My advice for touring moms with little ones is to teach them to sleep with noise in the background. We took our babies to lots of folk festivals and noisy restaurants to keep our lives going and not be a slave to the nap time blues.
UKJN: What is one way that figures or structures in the jazz industry could better support parents who are working jazz musicians?
AJB: Funding that is directed towards mothers would be amazing. I’ve been lucky enough to get a couple grants to make my two albums via a municipal granting body, but the amount of competition for federal funding, and the expectations placed on the grantees is out of scope with the difficulty of planning, recording, producing and marketing an album as a parent. I would also love to see the more traditional magazines/websites feature women more prominently alongside their male counterparts when it comes to highlighting releases of the month and deep dives into more contemporary musicians. Other things like affordable venue rentals, kid friendly venues, living wages, more women in the jazz schools, and a wider scope of radio jazz programming that isn’t just about traditional jazz vocals.
UKJN: What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?
AJB: What surprised me the most about becoming a parent? It’s how it has defined my music career in such a way that I never thought it would. I thought I wanted it before I had my first pregnancy, but with each child we brought into the world, the pathway I was trying to carve out became more and more clear. Because I also enjoy writing (I’m an academic at heart), my blog (MOTHER/MUSIC/HOOD) has been a really surprising way for me to connect with my audience and other music moms.
UKJN: What boundaries have you set for yourself as a mother in jazz (could be related to travel/touring, riders, personal parameters, child care decisions, etc.)?
AJB: Because I have a part-time day job, I’ve decided that I no longer need to take gigs that don’t promote my mental fitness and well-being, or are simply not enough pay. If I have to hire a sitter to take the gig, it definitely means I’m more scrupulous about what it pays. If it’s on a Sunday night, I need to have an earlier start so that the rest of the week isn’t a total mess. The money:fun ratio has to be pretty well equal, and if that’s not there, I don’t take them. Does this mean I’m not a working musician? No, moreso it means I’m keeping my eyes on the prize. I’ve also decided on a base price to get me out the door, which is a huge step for me as a chronic people pleaser.
In March 2024, Aimee-Jo released Horns of Hope (Chronograph Records/Fontana North) featuring Juno Award-winning drummer Dan Gaucher (Fond of Tigers), Juno Nominated Mark Limacher (You’re Alike You Two) and world class musicians and humans Carsten Rubeling, Mark DeJong, Andre Wickenheiser, and Jon Wielebnowski.
(*) Mothers in Jazz was started by vocalist Nicky Schrire. The initiative aims to create an online resource for working jazz musicians with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Mothers In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a mother and a performing jazz musician.
