BY ROGER LEVESQUE, EDMONTON JOURNAL
JULY 30, 2009

Jay Anthony Willis has had a few different careers, but about five years ago he decided to follow his dream of making music. Now that his debut recording is out, it's evident that singing and playing songs comes naturally.

"I think it's in my blood," says Willis, "because I've always loved performing and expressing myself. It's a wonderful cure for pretentiousness or ego, and I'm kind of a rootsy guy." He plays what he calls "folk and blues with a Latin-jazz feel," which may sound odd until you hear his new, self-titled debut recording.

Willis, an Edmonton native, recalls singing regularly with his father and brothers as he was growing up. He's been playing guitar since he was eight and writing songs since his mid-teens, drawing inspiration from the likes of Taj Mahal, Mahalia Jackson and Otis Redding.

He was performing as a self-proclaimed "lounge lizard" early on before he took jobs driving a bus, teaching English, doing lab work, serving as a crisis counsellor and working at all sorts of labour sites. Add acting and getting an arts degree at college, and then he was a naval officer.

Career paths crossed and Willis had a public radio hit in 1999.One of his proudest moments came when Tommy Banks and the Cosmopolitan Music Society performed his tune Proud Canadian Soldier to commemorate Canada's Year of the Veteran at a Winspear Centre concert, winning a standing ovation.

That was before he retired from the navy and moved back to Edmonton in 2003. This time he's serious about music, or as serious as his "dislocated sense of humour" will allow. He says he loves to make people laugh, but his album also shows an obvious gift for melodic hooks, good storytelling and spirited delivery.

"I guess I write songs to be a chronicler of the times, but I feel as if I do it because I have to. When I'm in my groove, I'm having a great time, not even thinking of what I'm playing or even being conscious of myself. There's nothing better."

Past experiences travelling and living all over Canada have left him with a wonderful resource of song material. Some previous targets have included the public service, bankers and other subjects that allow him to "step outside my own comfort zone." Love songs, road songs and an upbeat attitude fill out the album.

Willis says one of the best parts of the recording experience came in working with the pros he hired mostly from the local jazz and blues scene, players like trumpeter Bob Tildesley, bassists Lynn Wells and Don Marcotte, percussionist Dwayne Hrynkiw and guitarist Gord Matthews, among others.

Tonight, Willis enjoys the experience of being the final act booked to play Hulbert's before it closes and changes owners. His set with percussionist Brad Heartstaff and keyboardist Browne Anderson will be preceded by a guest appearance from jazz singer Sheryl Hart at 8 p. m. Tickets are $10 at the door.