Putting music together can be like herding cats – and putting 14 or more songs together has been a challenge – almost before we’ve begun.

First there was the Herculean task of finding times when four – and then five – busy people could get together for a rehearsal and a three-session recording schedule.

We got one session down – more or less – (ok, only three songs out of six on my list (!) which I admit sounds kind of, well, insufficient), but I take comfort that one of them was the first one (well, yes, of course – but that’s hard as we all adjust to the room:  my story – sticking to) and the other two the most vocally challenging for this recording - or at least I think so now. As I move down my list at future sessions I may beg leave to disagree with myself…

Then there was the inevitable postponement, and ultimate cancellation, first of one recording session then of the second, as a virus – as tenacious as any I’d dealt with – ever – settled in for the duration. It survived my subsequent bout with a bronchial infection on top of it all and emerged – unscathed – for another three weeks of respiratory misery, leaving me a lot closer to baritone than soprano and then, more or less, mute.

Then it was Christmas.

Well, now it’s winter in mid-town Toronto (and Agincourt – where the lovely old church is), or as wintry as it seems likely to get in this oddly snowless year, and we were back to the First Task again! Only four weeks, three schedule-changes, and one hacked e-mail account later, and we’re all crossing our fingers for health, dry weather (rain, even snow, makes noise!) and for a soprano who can keep her wits together to get seven songs down in the first session and five in the second, that latter set with none other than Moshe Hammer. Dream gig. Or it should be!

Working in the meantime on (re-)learning the repertoire – I don’t seem to retain everything these days – except viruses. And working on or at least contemplating the possible album order, design, artwork etc. It’s all up in the air really – even the title – although I have a decided preference. Norman is not entirely persuaded – even though it’s one of his beautiful titles I want to use.

Think about us on Saturday 6th March at Knox United and I’ll keep you posted.

- Catherine

Chief Cat-Herder and Musician-Tamer