In December 2012, Renée Yoxon & Mark Ferguson released their first collaborative work, Here We Go Again. A collection of original jazz compositions that explore the timeless themes of love and loss, Yoxon & Ferguson’s songs evoke the old style of the Great American Songbook, infusing them with an updated harmonic sense and contemporary jazz practices. As Yoxon’s sophomore album, Here We Go Again marks a shift in artistic focus, one with emphasis on original lyrics and composition. Never straying far from her roots in traditional jazz, Yoxon’s new creations will resonate with fans of her first album, Let’s Call it a Day, a collection of jazz standards which received overwhelmingly positive reviews and national radio play.“After making that recording and more recent opportunities to work with people who were writing their own songs” says Yoxon, “I was really inspired to take the plunge and write my own material.” Ferguson brings his years of professional experience to the project. One of Ottawa’s busiest musicians with numerous composing, arranging and producing credits to his name, Ferguson gained fresh inspiration from his collaboration with Yoxon. As he explains, “Renée is an exceptionally talented singer as well as a creative songwriter and lyricist. It’s great to be able to write a piece of music and to have my musical thoughts expressed by what Renée writes lyrically.” Here We Go Again also features Ottawa’s Jeff Asselin on drums, René Gely on guitar, and Craig Pedersen on trumpet, as well as Montreal’s Joel Kerr on bass and Frank Lozano on tenor sax.