Quick Facts
Biography
Diana Ariadne Panton is a Canadian jazz vocalist. She won the 2015 Juno award for Vocal Jazz Album for Red. She received three nominations previously in the same Juno category for her albums If The Moon Turns Green... in 2009, To Brazil With Love in 2012 and Christmas Kiss in 2013. I Believe In Little Things won the 2017 Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year. Her first album, ...Yesterday Perhaps, and her third album, Pink, were awarded Silver Disc Awards by Japan's Jazz Critique Magazine upon their release in that territory.
Panton started her music career as a member of the Hamilton All Star Jazz Bands until 2002. After hearing her perform with this band, veteran multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson invited her to attend the Banff Centre, where he was a faculty member. This led to Thompson's collaboration on Panton's albums, a decade later. Panton holds a Master's degree in French literature from McMaster University. She studied art at the Parsons School in Paris. She teaches French, art and drama at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario.
Discography
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2005 | ...Yesterday Perhaps |
| 2007 | If The Moon Turns Green... |
| 2009 | Pink |
| 2011 | To Brazil With Love |
| 2012 | Christmas Kiss |
| 2013 | Hidden Gems And Other Keepsakes |
| 2013 | Red |
| 2014 | My Heart Sings (Live in Taipei, Asia only release) |
| 2015 | I Believe In Little Things |
On all eight albums, Panton is accompanied by Don Thompson on piano and bass and Reg Schwager on guitar. Thompson also plays vibraphone on Pink, To Brazil With Love, Christmas Kiss and I Believe In Little Things. On Pink and Christmas Kiss, she is also accompanied by Guido Basso on flugelhorn, trumpet and cornet. On To Brazil With Love, she is also accompanied by Maninho Costa on vocals, drums and percussion, Bill McBirnie on flute, Kiki Misumi on cello and Silas Silva on drums and percussion. Phil Dwyer plays saxophone on Red. Coenraad Bloemendal plays cello on I Believe In Little Things. Harrison Kennedy sings on "Christmas Kiss" and on "Red". "Red" also features string arrangements written by Don Thompson.
The version of Pink released in Japan includes one bonus track not found on the Canadian version of this album.
My Heart Sings is a live recording of a concert in Taipei on August 20, 2013.
In addition to the above albums issued under her name, Panton sings on the 2012 Peter Appleyard album, Sophisticated Ladies.