Welcome to Indigenous in Music with Larry K, this week we from Anchorage Alaska, Chantil Dukart is in the house. Singer, songwriter and jazz pianist. Her new album is out, entitled “Lady and the Champ”, a nice new mix a jazz pop.
Enjoy music from Chantil Dukart, Stolen Identity, Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, Stoney Bear, Sober Junkie, Ghost Town Orchestra, Tom Bee, Dustin Harder, Los Amigos Invisibles, Martha Redbone, Indian City, Chantal Kreviazuk, Shylah Ray Sunshine, Aysanabee, Curt Young & Jame Medicine Crane, South Thunderbird, Janel Munoa, Dawn Karima, Night Shield, Gina Lorning, Groupo Fantasma, Johnny Ray Jones, Dan-Georges Mckenzie, Vern Cheechoo, John Paul Hodge and much more.
Look around our site to find out all about us and our programs and visit our SAY Magazine Library with all our featured guests.
OUR INTERVIEW IS 30 MINUTES INTO THE PROGRAM
CHANTIL DUKART IN OUR SAY MAGAZINE FEATURE
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CHANTIL DUKART – IMAGINATION
BIOGRAPHY
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Tsimshian and Sugpiaq (Alutiiq)
HOMETOWN: Anchorage, Alaska
EMAIL: [email protected]
Chantil dawayuu. L’axgiik d’ipdaagu. T’simshian aada Sugpiaqnuu. N’toixsn n’uusm.
Chantil is from the Eagle Clan and is a descendant of Cecil and Anna Barnes and the Tsimshian and Sugpiaq Indigenous people of Alaska. She is a jazz pianist, composer and singer-songwriter who weaves intricate webs of harmony and storytelling with compelling melodies that speak to the heart and mind. Her recent album “Lady and the Champ” released in September 2022 speaks to this dualistic dynamic of nature that binds the intellectual and emotional capacity of the human spirit.
Through the lens of her ancestral roots, personal experiences and contemporary influences, Chantil writes and produces a blend of pop and jazz music. She hopes to increase the visibility of female native artists in the jazz/pop world and inspire younger women by working hard to progress her career and future opportunities for all native female jazz artists.
Chantil is an accomplished jazz pianist/singer/composer that earned her 2014 Bachelor of Arts in Music at the prestigious Frost School of Music at University of Miami, Florida. She has performed all over the world from 5 star hotels in Miami to an Australian cruise and local venues in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Her versatility on and off stage make her a young professional that is both fun and easy to work with. In September 2022 she released a post-pandemic album entitled “Lady and the Champ” which has been highly received due to its polished blend of pop and jazz music. Her first album “In the Beginning” gained her unsolicited contact from 5 major record labels. Recent performance highlights include the “Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band” at the WSU Campus.
Chantil is also a 5+ year on-air host as a radio DJ at the premiere jazz radio station in Colorado Springs, Jazz 93.5. Becoming a prominent and known community member through her personality and knowledge of jazz on-air has been an excellent parallel motion that has propelled her musical career and ability to publicly host and speak at events as well.
Chantil has shared the stage with such world class musicians as Jill Scott, Junius Bervine (Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar), Michael Piolet (Hamilton), Dwayne Moore (Beck, Lauren Hill), Adam Deitch (Lettuce). Kris Myers (Umphrees Mcgee).
Other personal statements/quotes to perhaps include:
One of the challenges of American multiculturalism is that the melting pot risks losing identity and connections with ancestors. My personal experience speaks to this as I have always felt both deeply connected and cut off with my indigenous roots. Forced assimilation sent my grandparents to boarding schools that stripped away their cultural inheritance, which created the disconnect that trickles down to the descendants today.
Recently I went to Alaska to perform during the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention (that was founded by my grandfather Cecil) and performed an album release show for a largely native audience. People’s excitement about this “young Tsimshian artist” gave me a deep sense of belonging that was incredible powerful for me.
I want to inspire and connect with other indigenous creatives who don’t necessarily fit neatly into the stereotypical native artist paradigm. I started an Indigenous Jazz Musicians Facebook page to connect with other native jazz creators. I want to help bridge the gap between those more steeped in tradition and those who feel isolated by their Westernized upbringing. There is not enough representation of indigenous artists in the pop/jazz/mainstream music narrative. I strongly believe I can best serve my community by continuing to create pop/funk/jazz music that highlights visibility of native artists who don’t fall into the traditional native art aesthetic.
