Elizabeth Shepherd (musician)

Elizabeth Shepherd is a Montreal-based singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Along with artists such as Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding and Jose James, she is often credited with invigorating and reinventing the jazz song and bringing jazz influenced music to a younger audience.[1][2][3] Real Detroit Weekly has called her "a jazz virtuoso blessed with a pop sensibility",[4] while Mojo Magazine has described her "an intellectual Esperanza Spalding".[2]

Early life

Raised by ministers of the Salvation Army, Shepherd had early exposure to choirs and brass bands. Trained extensively in conservatories, Shepherd completed a degree in jazz piano from McGill University. She initially entered the music program to pursue a career in music therapy, turning later to songwriting and performing. She moved to Toronto in 2004 and worked as a server at a piano bar. She became the restaurant’s key entertainer and formed a trio with Scott Kemp on bass and Colin Kingsmore on drums.[5]

Career

Shepherd arrived on the international jazz scene when her debut album, Start to Move, was voted among the Top 3 jazz albums of 2006 by the listeners of The Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio 1. This collection of mostly original material was nominated for a Juno award (Canada's Grammy equivalent) in 2007.

Elizabeth Shepherd
Born Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Jazz, soul, pop
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, producer
Instruments Piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Moog
Years active 2006–present
Labels Linus Entertainment, Do Right
Associated acts Lionel Loueke, Michael Occhipinti
Website elizabethshepherd.com

Although Start to Move would be found in the jazz section at your local music shop, Elizabeth’s blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues and samba reaches far beyond just the jazz massive. Besides is a collection of dancefloor remixes, b-sides, exclusives and unreleased gems designed to appeal to all music lovers.

Shepherd's second studio album, Parkdale, released in May 2008, deals sympathetically with its Toronto neighbourhood namesake, which is known for its grit. The album, produced by London-based producer/DJ Nostalgia 77, was also nominated for a Juno award in 2009.

Shepherd's 2010 release, Heavy Falls the Night, featured only one cover song: a reworking of the 1970s soft-rock radio staple "Danny's Song". Shepherd produced the album herself, with the exception of the first single "Seven Bucks", which was co-produced by Japanese DJ Mitsu the Beats and climbed up to #37 on the "Tokio Hot 100" chart. The record was praised by jazz and pop critics alike, and was long listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize, Canada's most prestigious popular music prize.[6]

2012 brought Shepherd several changes, not the least of which was news that she and her husband were expecting their first child. As she wrote in the liner notes of her most recent record Rewind, "the fears and anticipation surrounding imminent motherhood were largely the impetus to make this record. I knew I needed to keep myself busy during pregnancy, and I knew I had to make something that would connect me to an aspect of myself that wasn't changing as every other piece of my being was."[7] The album, all cover tunes ranging from composers such as Cole Porter and Gershwin Bros. to Kurt Weill and Jose Luis Perales, is dedicated to her daughter Sanna, and is nominated for the 2012 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.

Her 2014 release, The Signal, has been hailed by many critics as a masterpiece.[8][9][10] It consists of ten original and bold compositions whose topics range from motherhood to Monsanto, witchcraft to war, and features Lionel Loueke on guitar.[2] It was long-listed for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize and was nominated for the 2014 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.

Shepherd has sold out jazz clubs across the world, from Tokyo's Cotton Club to London's Jazz Café[5] and Detroit's Cliff Bell's. She has also appeared at festivals on both sides of the Atlantic, including Montreal Jazz Festival, ELB Jazz and the North Sea Jazz Festival. In 2009, she was personally invited by British souljazz star Jamie Cullum to open for him at a sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl. At The Hollywood Bowl, Shepherd caught the ear of legendary bassist Christian McBride who described Shepherd as "a very good vocalist".[11]

Shepherd has appeared on numerous public radio networks around the world like NPR (USA), P2 (Sweden), IMER (Mexico), ARD (Germany) and performed live on top-rated shows like The Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio 1 (UK), J-Wave's Modaista (Japan), and Q with Jian Ghomeshi on CBC Radio (Canada).

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Jazz, All About. "Elizabeth Shepherd: Signal". www.allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Waring, Charles (January 2015). "Superior sixth album from soul-jazz auteur". MOJO Magazine.
  3. ↑ Kelman, John. "2012 Umea Jazz Festival: Umea, Sweden, October 24-28, 2012". www.allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  4. ↑ Zlatopolsky, Ashley. "Sweet Disclosure | Ear Candy". Real Detroit Weekly. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  5. 1 2 Perlich, Tim (2009-02-11). "Hard-swinging jazz singer/pianist hits jarring dance groove". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
  6. ↑ Archived January 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ Robbins, Li. "Elizabeth Shepherd on Rewind, jazz and motherhood". CBC Music. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  8. ↑ Leimann, Eric (September 2014). "Ein Soul-Groove-Meisterwerk". Radio Erft.
  9. ↑ Aaron, S. Victor (2014-09-22). "Elizabeth Shepherd - The Signal (2014)". Something Else!. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  10. ↑ Zauerer, Angelika (October 18, 2014). "Frischer Wind in der Jazz-Lounge". Mittelbayerische Zeitung.
  11. ↑ McBride, Christian. "THE MCBRIDE DIARIES (VOL.34)". www.christianmcbride.com. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
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