Elizabeth Shepherd - Three Things

Styles: Vocal, Bop
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:03
Size: 85,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:16) 1. Time
(3:50) 2. Call Up My Scene
(3:06) 3. Thank You
(4:12) 4. Three Things Remain
(3:30) 5. Guests
(5:02) 6. Right Now
(4:02) 7. Vernon Morning Star
(3:10) 8. Move On
(1:33) 9. Wild Geese
(4:16) 10. All You Need

Definitely, the novelties that are appearing have sincerely summer flavors. And it's not the singer Elizabeth Shepherd who will contradict your columnist. Like jazz with its satellites, let's say that Three Things is a sumptuous record with urban and poetic atmospheres that will reach a vast audience, like those who frequent Osheaga and Sonic Islands while we're at it.

Cradled by a bewitching voice, sometimes synthesized with "pretty electronic loops" that don't spoil the sauce, Three Things is part of a current that combines both current R&B and light techno. Even if we prefer the pure blue note, why not?. These new well-calibrated trends are completely up to date, creating perfect atmospheres when the sun has come. In twelve tracks, everything can be consumed easily and we strongly recommend: Time, All You Need, Wild Geese and of course the flagship track: Three Things.

Elizabeth has cooked up a different album for us that is also her most innovative and accomplished work to date, with enigmatic sound samples and sounds all tied together in a musical groove that sounds more like Kendrick Lamar than Diana Krall. For the better part of two decades, she distinguished herself and stood out as a songwriter. The rhythmic complexity remains, but Three Things reveals that Elizabeth's relationship with music has changed, in part due to the isolation caused by the pandemic. By Christopher Rodriguez https://sortiesjazznights-com.translate.goog/three-things-delizabeth-shepherd/

Musicians: Elizabeth Shepherd – vocals, keyboards, samples, synthesizers; Michael Occhipinti – guitar, banjo; Mark Rainey – vocals; Erik Hove – alto saxophone; Chris Gestrin – organ, synthesizers; Jasper Hoiby – bass, looper, synthesizers; Rémi-Jean LeBlanc – bass; Samuel Joly – percussion, tambourine, synthesizers; Mark Nelson – drums; Colin Kingsmore – drums

Three Things

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Elizabeth Shepherd - Montréal

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:51
Size: 106,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:57)  1. Tio`tia:Ke
(4:31)  2. Reine Du Monde
(5:32)  3. Suits and Ties
(4:54)  4. The Terminal
(2:19)  5. C'est Le Temps
(5:52)  6. Ainsi
(4:32)  7. Our Lady
(3:31)  8. Jedlika
(2:58)  9. La Boxe
(4:21) 10. The Good Lord's Work
(3:20) 11. Beau Voyage

MONTRÉAL is a play on words: in French, "mon" means "my"; it's about "my Montreal"a look into the city I love, the neighbourhoods I've discovered, and some of the untold stories I've had the privilege to hear. After all, it's not the buildings, history books or street names that make the place, but the people and their stories. Over five years, I interviewed people at random, who had one thing in common: being Montrealers. I asked them to tell me something about their Montreal, and collected all kinds of tales - humorous, moving, tragic, sometimes outright bizarre. I sifted through the interviews and narrowed them down to 11, which became these songs. Each one tells someone's story, and refers to a specific location in Montreal. I then placed each song location on a map, and traced the itinerary in an order that placed them within walking distance of each other. So in the 50 minutes it takes to listen to the songs, listeners could also physically move through each of the places the songs are about. But what about those who can't be in Montreal to "walk the album"? I teamed up with Montreal videographer Stefan Verna to shoot a short film for each song. I also wrote a book that touches on the people and places behind the stories, and the changing nature of this city. I had no idea of what I was getting into, setting out to speak to strangers. I now understand a little better just how many narratives have been omitted from the official history, and how so many groups of people have worked hard to carve out a space for their community, and forge a home within this city. But ultimately, it is individuals, each with their own story, who make up this richly complex and beautiful island we call home. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/elizabethshepherd

Montréal

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Elizabeth Shepherd Trio - Start To Move

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:05
Size: 117.0 MB
Styles: Contemporary jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[4:52] 1. Start To Move
[3:43] 2. George's Dilemma
[6:29] 3. Roots
[2:57] 4. Four
[4:01] 5. Circles
[3:23] 6. Reversed
[6:35] 7. Melon
[5:42] 8. Ton Visage
[7:26] 9. Along The Way
[4:42] 10. Just Getting By
[1:09] 11. Price Is Right

Imagine a cold winter night in Toronto, walking past a small jazz club, when you catch through the folds of your scarf the warm deep grooves of a jazz trio playing to an intimate crowd. Welcome to the scene a fresh new sound from Elizabeth Shepherd Trio.

There are times when something new comes along at once familiar and yet completely original. The album ‘Start to Move’ from the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio is just that. But what’s more she has added her own unique blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues, and samba to the fundamentals of Jazz – improvising a deep driving bass from Scott Kemp, the swinging beat of the drum from Colin Kingsmore, and Elizabeth’s playful piano and captivating voice to tie it all together. Recorded over the winter of 2005/2006, you can feel yourself with them, locked away in a small studio, protected from the cold winter night, pushing through track after track for that deep warm sound.

Elizabeth’s lyrics sing to us her struggle to find a place in a dynamic yet crowded jazz scene, as well as drawing on stories of love and life. From the jazz funk of ‘Reversed’ to the samba beats of ‘Melon’, the hip hop influenced ‘George’s Dilemma’ and the swinging modal of ‘Roots’, the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio has given us music that seems effortless in its perfection, displaying her talents and the remarkable chemistry she shares with her band to never compromise her style for those seeking tradition.

Start To Move 

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Elizabeth Shepherd - The Signal

Size: 121,3 MB
Time: 52:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Willow (Feat. Lionel Loueke) (4:41)
02. What's Happening (3:30)
03. B.T Cotton (6:21)
04. The Signal (6:46)
05. Lion's Den (5:07)
06. This (Feat. Lionel Loueke) (6:46)
07. On Our Way (4:20)
08. I Gave (3:59)
09. Another Day (5:40)
10. Baby Steps (4:49)

Montreal-based singer Elizabeth Shepherd gently stirs jazz with an underground pop aesthetic in Signal. Similar to the fresh styles of contemporaries such as Esperanza Spalding and Gretchen Parlato, Shepherd's appeal is heard in her multifaceted gifts as a songwriter, musician, and composer; attributes which garnered her a Juno Award nomination for Best Vocal Jazz Album for her 2012 release Rewind (Linus Entertainment).

Signal takes a soulful groove-centric stance with tight rhythmic hooks and beats that would fit comfortably in a club-like setting as some tracks segue into one another like a DJ set mix. The music is on point with strong performances from Shepherd's band and the noticeable inclusion of guitarist Lionel Loueke who brings his signature West African styling on select tracks starting with the hypnotic opener "Willow."

First the music grabs you, Shepherd's keyboard skills providing groovy Fender Rhodes accents or trippy MOOG synth tones in "Lion's Den" a tune which develops into a serious groove with a Miles Davis Tutu-esque trumpet solo. Second, there are no syrupy love ballads or party-like-there's-no-tomorrow songs. Instead, these lyrics poetically address a range of social issues such as the exploitation of farmers ("B.T.Cotton"), gun violence/racial profiling ("Another Day") and a tribute to the perseverance of Mother Teresa ("I Gave").

Shepherd's inventive way with composition, words, and ideas is equally balanced throughout the album, heard in the way a funky acoustic bass vamp sways with a melodic vocal arrangement, sampled voices of historic figures in songs, or the tropical sound of steel pans. The title song based on a sampled loop creates Déjà vu lyric sequence between Shepherd and vocalist Alex Samaras as the two rich voices intricately intertwine and articulate an unconventional love story.

Shepherd'sSignal seductively draws you into its world and delivers music for both the mind and body. ~Mark F. Turner

Personnel: Elizabeth Shepherd: vocals, Fender Rhodes, kalimba, sampling, piano, modified piano, MOOG; tuned bottles; Scott Kemp: bass, vocals (3, 6, 7, 8 ); Colin Kingsmore: drums (2-5, 9); Larnell Lewis: drums, vocals (6, 7, 9); Lionel Loueke: guitar, vocals (1, 6, 9); Ross MacIntyre: bass (1, 4, 5, 9, 10); John Maclean: clapping, flute, ngoni (1, 8, 10); Mark Mosca: steel pans (3); Alex Samaras: vocals (4 ); Scott Kemp: bass (2 ,3, 6-8); Yvette Tollar: vocals (9); Roman Tome: acoustic roar machine (5), drums (1, 10); Kevin Turcotte: trumpet (5, 10); Joshua Van Tassel: drums (8).

The Signal

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Peter Appleyard - Sophisticated Ladies

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:12
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:35)  1. Peter Appleyard Feat. Emilie-Claire Barlow - After You've Gone
(3:33)  2. Peter Appleyard Feat. Elizabeth Shepherd - It's Only A Paper Moon
(4:09)  3. Peter Appleyard Feat. Jill Barber - Love For Sale
(6:32)  4. Peter Appleyard Feat. Jackie Richardson - Georgia On My Mind
(5:23)  5. Peter Appleyard Feat. Sophie Milman - If You Could See Me Now
(5:02)  6. Peter Appleyard Feat. Molly Johnson - Sophisticated Lady
(4:03)  7. Peter Appleyard Feat. Carol Welsman - Night And Day
(4:12)  8. Peter Appleyard Feat. Barbra Lica - Satin Doll
(5:30)  9. Peter Appleyard Feat. Carol McCartney - Mood Indigo
(4:10) 10. Peter Appleyard Feat. Diana Panton - Smile

Peter Appleyard seems to have a way with the ladies. The octogenarian vibraphonist brings his virile mallet work to bear while escorting a dozen lovely songbirds through some smartly arranged standards on this, his second release the span of a few months. Appleyard started off the year by looking toward the past, issuing a previously unreleased all-star jam session from 1974, but his gaze is firmly on the present throughout Sophisticated Ladies. He hobnobs with some of the finest vocalists operating north of the 49th parallel today and a sense of mutual respect for the music and one another comes through in the music. 

While astute jazz vocal fans are probably aware that bassist Charlie Haden beat Appleyard to the conceptual punch, releasing his own Sophisticated Ladies (Emarcy, 2011) a year ahead of Appleyard, the basic format and album title are the only thing that these two releases share. Haden's album mixed instrumental pieces and vocal numbers, favoring slow material containing string sweetening and came off as a mostly-manicured set of music with mellow appeal. Appleyard, on the other hand, shares the stage with a singer on every song, covering a wider range of emotions. The playlist has no surprises, but Rick Wilkins' arrangements have their fair share. Tempo changes, funk-to-swing shifts ("Love For Sale"), double-time adjustments, Brazilian-tinged turns and intimate introductions ("Smile") keep things interesting. Each singer brings something different to the table and Appleyard responds in kind by shaping his solos around the specific songs and singers. 

Emilie-Claire Barlow shows great range on the slow-to-fast "After You've Gone," Elizabeth Shepherd engages Appleyard in a scat-vibraphone solo trading session, Jackie Richardson's deeply resonant voice takes center stage on a soulful "Georgia On My Mind," Diana Panton turns the lights down low for "Smile" and Sophie Milman takes her time fleshing out the emotional ideals of "If You Could See Me Now." Molly Johnson, who interprets the title track with her smoky and dusky pipes, proves to be the only singer who seems ill-suited to her number. The female musicians on this album will probably get the lion's share of attention, but Appleyard has top billing for a reason. His vibraphone soloing enlivens and enhances the music. Guitarist Reg Schwager's comping is a key ingredient in the mix, as pianist John Sherwood takes the right tack on every tune, drummer Terry Clarke expertly navigates the through each number and bassist Neil Swainson keeps everything in check.  Appleyard may be 84 now, but his playing doesn't betray that fact. He's clearly young at heart and Sophisticated Ladies is the evidence that proves this case. ~ Dan Bilawsky   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=42527#.UwelFoVZhls

Personnel: Peter Appleyard: vibraphone; John Sherwood: piano; Reg Schwager: guitar; Neil Swainson: bass; Terry Clarke: drums; Emilie-Claire Barlow: vocals (1); Elizabeth Shepherd: vocals (2); Jill Barber: vocals (3); Jackie Richardson: vocals (4); Sophie Milman: vocals (5); Molly Johnson: vocals (6); Carol Welsman: vocals (7), piano (7); Barbara Lica: vocals (8); Carol McCartney: vocals (9); Diana Panton: vocals (10).

Sophisticated Ladies

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Elizabeth Shepherd - Rewind

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 50:34
Size: 115.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:44] 1. Love For Sale
[3:51] 2. Poinciana
[3:13] 3. Pourquoi Tu Vis
[4:21] 4. Lonely House
[3:48] 5. Les Amoureux Des Bancs Publics
[5:27] 6. Feeling Good
[6:28] 7. Midnight Sun
[2:46] 8. Sack Of Woe
[5:16] 9. Buzzard Song
[4:42] 10. When You Are Near
[3:02] 11. Born To Be Blue
[2:50] 12. Prelude To A Kiss

Vocalist/pianist Elizabeth Shepherd arrived on the international scene in 2006 when her debut album Start To Move was voted one of the top jazz albums of the year by the listeners of the influential Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio Worldwide. Since then, the Toronto-based soul-jazz innovator has released two widely acclaimed records and toured extensively in North America, Europe and Japan. She has sold out legendary clubs from Tokyo to Detroit, played festivals like Montreal and North Sea Jazz Festivals, shared the stage with Victor Wooten, Branford Marsalis and Christian McBride, and opened for Jamie Cullum at The Hollywood Bowl.

Elizabeth is the only jazz vocalist to ever have been long listed for the Polaris Prize – Canada’s most prestigious music prize. The two-time JUNO nominee (Canada’s Grammy equivalent) has received widespread praise for her original compositions, but on her fourth album Rewind Elizabeth showcases her skills as an arranger and interpreter, breathing new life – and soul – into songs both familiar and forgotten.

Rewind

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Elizabeth Shepherd - Heavy Falls The Night

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:53
Size: 93,6 MB
Art: Front

(2:50)  1. What Else
(4:02)  2. The Taking
(4:19)  3. Heavy Falls The Night
(3:04)  4. Numbers
(3:15)  5. Seven Bucks
(3:28)  6. One More Day
(4:03)  7. A Song For Dinah Washington
(3:23)  8. High
(3:27)  9. It's Coming
(2:42) 10. On The Insufficiency Of Words
(6:14) 11. Danny's Song

There is something so totally alluring about Elizabeth Shepherd's album Heavy Falls the Night that it bears very close listening. Every word and each note resonates with a certain swagger and at times, a soulful intensity that makes it impossible to give it a casual listen. Whether it is the manner in which Shepherd holds onto a spry note just out of her vocal range as if her life depended on it, or the unusual harmonies she overlays onto her "lead" voice, the effect is the same: it is mesmerizing. But she never allows this vocalizing to become de rigueur or predictable. Often tempering her flat delivery with soaring, bell-like tones of the Rhodes or the grinding triads and multi-colored arpeggios on the Wurlitzer, Shepherd draws the listener right in to her world. Joni Mitchell has that effect too, but Mitchell is confessional almost vulnerable as she bares her soul. Shepherd eschews that Plath-like school, preferring to make oblique attacks on the senses, delivering a surprise as she takes hard knocks on her jaw.

Shepherd is also a wonderfully melodic storyteller and combines dense lyricism with clear annunciation almost as if she were reciting lyrics that are slanted into the music, as if the two were separate parts that just happened to jive by magic. The title song and "On the Insufficiency of Words" both illustrate the unique quality of her music. It is this subtle almost unobtrusive charm that makes her style attractive in a wan way. Her phrasing is also quite unique. The ebb and flow of her breath brings words, phrases and whole lines to the senses in wave after rising wave of intensity or calmness in a rhythm that conjures imagery of the pastoral. She is certainly in no rush to clutter feelings and emotions with the urban density from which many of these might spring. Still, the alternative is presented with near perfect counterpoint and timing.

This is because unlike many vocalists, Shepherd is a rhythmic singer who feels the rhythm of the earth in her whole being and makes music to its pulse. Perhaps this is why her emotions are so authentic and almost palpable when she sings. And this is also why she can pull off a wonderful tribute to another great vocalist in "A Song for Dinah Washington."

The beauty of the music also has much to do with the striking work of bassists Scott Kemp and Ross MacIntyre, drummer Colin Kingsmore, the unobtrusive percussion colorist, Roman Tome, vibes player Michael Davidson and guitarists Brian MacMillan and Paul MacDougall. Together these musicians assist Shepherd in making the dense imagery of Heavy Falls the Night a captivating album that sticks in the memory with the thick echoes that follow in the wake of the last notes of "Danny's Song." ~ Raul D’Gama Rose  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=36113#.UkC0ERAkI5c

Personnel: Elizabeth Shepherd: piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Glockenspiel, prepared piano, Vocals, background vocals; Scott Kemp: bass (2, 6, 8, 9, 12); Colin Kingsmore: drums, circular saw, cajon; Ross MacIntyre: bass: 1, 3-5, 7, 10, 11); Roman Tome: percussion (1, 2, 4-6, 9, 10); Michael Davidson: vibraphone (9); Brian McMillan (guitar (10); Paul MacDougall: guitar (11).

Heavy Falls The Night

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