Since Australian rock darlings George released their last record in 2004, their amazing vocalist, Katie Noonan has been keeping herself very busy with a diverse range of projects. RedHotPie caught up with Katie recently to have a chat about her latest release, Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon & McCartney.

Katie is working her way though a line of writers, sent forth by various publications to get the latest from one of Australia’s premiere vocal talents. The siren is visibly swept up in the process but remains composed and accommodating. She’s mid way through her current press junket promoting her latest record, Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon & McCartney, a selection of Beatles tracks penned by the revered writing duo.

From the get-go Noonan’s demeanour is controlled yet free flowing and it’s clear that things on the whole are pretty good. “Life’s fantastic” says Noonan through a generous smile. “Happily married, two really great children; we’ve just moved to a wonderful mountain community just outside of Brissy, we’ve made a big lifestyle change, you see we’re becoming sustainable living hippies… It’s called Mt Glorious it’s a tiny little community at the summit of a big rainforest about 45 minutes out of Brisbane, and we’ve got about two and a half acres of amazing rainforest. No television, solar powered, rain water so yeah, I’m looking forward to embracing all the changes and challenges that that life brings, you know, chickens, composts and worm farms”.

The sea-change isn’t that amazing when you consider Noonan has always carried herself with a hippie infused cosmopolitan bent – sheik but practical, couture yet grounded. It’s an air that has endeared her to fans throughout the years, but now with two small children to add to the equation, the move makes sense.

“I’ve been wanting to get out of the city for years, it’s just so noisy” sighs Noonan. “Just so much white noise, but mainly now, it’s because of my kids; I want them to grow up with greenery and fresh air and a sense of community, I really think social isolation is a modern illness”.

Noonan’s success has allowed choice, a luxury that isn’t afforded most modern musicians, a fact the singer is well aware of. Since George’s last show, Noonan has engaged several projects including her group collaboration Elixir, she’s toured and recorded with her mother, Maggie Noonan, she’s put out a solo record and then a dance remix of said record. Now, it’s Blackbird: The Music Of Lennon & McCartney, an album of Beatles classics arranged and performed by Noonan and some of the planets most capable jazz musicians.

“So my first memory (of The Beatles) was at the conservatorium of music when I was ten” recalls Noonan. “We sang If I Fell in the choir and I just loved it, I thought it was an incredible song, and I didn’t know what I thought was incredible about it. And then, well I kinda grew up on classical music and pop, I mean The Beatles didn’t come until way later, probably my first year out of school. George had just started and we had Abbey Road on vinyl and that record absolutely changed my life… I just loved how they keep moving through musical styles and kept you guessing about what’s coming next. That was a huge inspiration for me as a musician and a huge inspiration for George because we always wanted to not fit into a category”.

Noonan’s love for the Liverpool lads is apparent and very real; most interestingly it is adorned by a wider love of not only these musicians, but the time in which they created this magical music. Noonan’s fascination with the 1960’s is strong and deep. As she reels off names such as The Doors, Janis Joplin, Hunter Thompson and the like, she beams like a child recounting Christmas.

“It was just a freaky time for creating new stuff” she says. “I wanted to tap into that era, get inspired by it and just really strip it back, because The Beatles were the kings of simplicity, and less is more, and creating songs that could touch people. I mean the music, you could sing along to it, but just under the surface things were incredibly complicated and strange and weird and wonderful, and that’s the greatest trick, making music that crosses over without being inaccessible or highbrow like jazz often is… my only fear was that people would think I was doing one of these concept records that’s just about rehashing the originals… my approach to this was more like the Johnny Cash approach to U2 or Trent Reznor, the stuff he did a few years ago with Rick Rubin, that was more my vibe and I just felt there was a real synergy politically, artistically and musically between jazz and The Beatles”.

Noonan knew that to do such revered material justice, the musicians she would need would be of the highest calibre Luckily, fate assembled for Noonan an amazing cast of all star session legends, guys like Ron Carter (Miles Davis’ long-time double-bass player), drummer Lewis Nash, saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist John Scofield and Melbourne-based keyboard player Sam Keevers.

When quizzed on the difficulty of getting such a group together Noonan claims little credit. “Well I met Joe Lovano through all these happy accidents chuckles Noonan. “We had a lot of common ground musically, I thought he’d be perfect for this project so I told him about the record I wanted to make, this intimate free thing I was going for and he totally got it. He suggested this band and I was like “holy shit, that’s pretty much the greatest band in the world” and freakishly, they were all into it, they all loved the idea and they were all available which was just another sign for me that this was all supposed to be”.