Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Shirley Crabbe was born on February 18, 1963 in New York City, New York. As a teenager she wanted to sing jazz after being inspired by a performance of Ella Fitzgerald singing the song A Tisket, A Tasket in an old Abbott and Costello movie. She pursued her dreams first to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she earned a Bachelor of Music, then returned home to study Voice at the Manhattan School of Music. During this period of study by day she traveled downtown to sing jazz in the clubs.

She has performed at festivals, jazz clubs and concert series in New York City and its surrounding area. She has appeared at some of Harlem’s best jazz rooms such as Minton’s and the Lenox Lounge, as well as the 2019 Berks Jazz Fest, Zinc Bar,  Metropolitan Room and Birdland. Crabbe has opened for Abby Lincoln, recorded with Houston Person, and has performed with Harold Mabern, Jamil Nasser, Donald Vega, David Budway, Ron Blake, David Glasser, Brandon Lee, Matt Haviland, Cameron Brown, Jon Burr, Jim West, among others.

In 2011 Shirley released her debut album Home which remained on the Jazz Week Album Chart for 26 weeks. Her sophomore project Bridges hit the Jazz Week album chart Top 50 albums. She has been the recipient of several honors and awards.

Vocalist Shirley Crabbe, who won the New York Bistro Award Winner for Outstanding Recording: Bridges in 2019, continues to performa nd record.

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Tex Beneke was born Gordon Lee Beneke on February 12, 1914 in Fort Worth, Texas. He started playing saxophone when he was nine, going from soprano to alto and settling on the tenor saxophone. His first professional work was with bandleader Ben Young in 1935, but it was after a Gene Krupa recommendation when he joined the Glenn Miller Orchestra three years later that his career hit its stride.

Miller immediately made Beneke his primary tenor saxophone soloist and he played all but a few of the tenor solos on all of the records and personal appearances made by the Miller band until it disbanded in 1942. He appeared with Miller and his band in the films Sun Valley Serenade in 1941 and Orchestra Wives in 1942, and both film solos helped propel the singer/saxophonist to the top of the Metronome polls. He went on to perform with the 1941 Metronome All-Star Band led by Benny Goodman. In 1942, Glenn Miller’s orchestra won the first Gold Record ever awarded for Chattanooga Choo Choo.

With the orchestra disbanded due to Miller’s enlistment, Tex briefly joined  Horace Heidt before joining the Navy himself, leading a Navy band in Oklahoma. He led two bands in the navy and kept in touch with Miller while they were both serving in the military. By 1945, he felt ready to lead his own orchestra. When Glenn went missing in 1944 he took over the band, shaping it as a ghost band per the desires of the Miller estate, however by 1950, he and the estate parted ways.

Post Miller, Beneke led his own groups but as swing faded from the mainstream so did opportunities. There was a small revival in the late Seventies but he was limited to small labels and competition from Miller alumni and other imitators. He would make the television circuit making appearances on The Tonight Show and Merv Griffin. 1990 saw him have a stroke which sidelined his saxophone playing but he continued to conduct and sing.

On May 30, 2000 saxophonist, vocalist and bandleader Tex Beneke, who  received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, transitioned from respiratory failure at a nursing home in Costa Mesa, California, aged 86.  His saxophone is currently used by the Arizona Opry.

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LOSTON HARRIS TRIO

Meet Loston Harris. His piano playing has been described as “percussive” with “incredibly fluid”. His vocals noted as “suave.” Loston himself will tell you he has worked hard during his career but knows he’s been blessed with the opportunities to play the music closest to his heart, jazz.

For more than a decade Loston has headlined at a “home” that shares his passion for timeless music. The Legendary Bemelmans Bar located in The Carlyle in Manhattan’s storied Upper East Side, has a legacy of hosting great cabaret and jazz greats from the likes of Bobby Short, Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch, John Pizzarelli and the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ).

The innate and dazzling talent of Loston is a beacon of quality in a cacophonous world. He is contemporary, stylish, joyful, playful, powerful, soulful and an immensely satisfying musician. Simply put, his music is a combination of humanity and genius.— MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Loston Harris – piano & vocals | Gianluca Renzi – acoustic bass | Mike Lee – tenor saxophone 

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EMILIE~CLAIRE BARLOW

Emilie-Claire Barlow is an award winning and critically acclaimed Canadian jazz singer, arranger, record producer and voice actress. A two time Juno Award winner and 6 time nominee, she has released 12 self-produced albums on her own label, Empress Music Group.
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Her performing career spans over 24 years in venues ranging from Toronto’s storied Montreal Bistro & Top of the Senator, to Tokyo’s Cotton Club and more recently concerts with symphony orchestras at Toronto’s Massey Hall and Montreal’s Maison Symphonique. She has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival on seven occasions including a 2015 performance on the Main Stage with 50,000 people attending.
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Ms. Barlow has led bands featuring the finest musicians in Canada. Her work as a band leader and producer has been recognized with a Juno Award nomination for “Producer of Year” for her recording “Clear Day” (2015) — notable for being only the 2nd Jazz recording nominated in this category. Ms. Barlow is also one of a very few women to be honored as “Producer of the Year”.
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Ms. Barlow’s all francophone recording “Seule ce soir” won a Juno and Felix Award in 2013 representing an unprecedented achievement in Canadian bilingualism.
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After releasing her second holiday album Lumières d’hiver in 2017, Emilie-Claire turned her attention to her duo project with Steve Webster, Bocana. Bocana has released 8 singles over the last couple of years in the electro-pop, lounge, world music genres, amassing a healthy following on streaming platforms. ECB has also released a collection of James Taylor covers as part of her JT Project.
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Up next is her 13th full album, due for release in early 2023. In the meantime, you can listen to ECB’s newest single, a hauntingly beautiful version of Sidney Bechet’s “Si tu vois ma mère”.

BAND MEMBERS
Emilie-Claire Barlow – Voice
Kelly Jefferson – Sax
Reg Schwager – Guitar
Jon Maharaj – Bass
Amanda Tosoff – Piano
Fabio Ragnelli – Drums

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YVETTE NORWOOD-TIGER: CELEBRATION OF LIFE IN JAZZ TOUR

International jazz vocalist, recording artist, songwriter, vocal coach, Recording Academy voting member, and founder/director of the Palm Beach International Jazz Festival, Yvette Norwood-Tiger is a Detroit, Michigan native who hails from a family of musicians, including a father who played guitar and a mother who played drums. Her CDs, A’LA ELLA! and whY NoT… Love, Peace, Joy, Jazz feature music from great composers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and the Gershwins. Yvette’s latest released CD, LOVE IS, is a wonderful compilation of great jazz standards and original songs and music to celebrate the works of musical geniuses John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. LOVE IS stayed on JAZZWEEK’S charts for over twelve weeks. Yvette performs with vocally clean and pure interpretations of the great American Songbook, while emphasizing intonation and storytelling. Many of her audience members worldwide have commented that watching Yvette perform is like being in her living room. Her vocal styling and texture is often compared to that of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. In addition to jazz standards, her repertoire includes gospel, bebop, Latin jazz, classic songs from popular music, and arias of the great composers such as Puccini. She also performs songs in other languages which includes French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Xhosa, and Mandarin. After going through extensive treatment and a tedious recovery from a benign brain tumor in 2012, Yvette’s mission has evolved into not only entertaining her audience, but uplifting, inspiring, and encouraging them as well.

Yvette performs internationally at historic jazz venues and has sat in several times with jazz orchestra The Cotton Club All Stars at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem, NY. She has also sat in with the late saxophonist David Fathead Newman, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, family members of Celine Dion, Tito Puente, Jr., and Jay Beckenstein and Tom Schuman of Spyro Gyra. Many musicians, worldwide, find it an honor and joy to perform with Yvette.
Yvette resides in south Florida where she performs extensively, including performances at the Raymond F. Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, the Arts Garage in Delray Beach, and the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Yvette has performed sold out/standing room only concerts at Royal Albert Hall in London, England; Cape Town, South Africa; Berlin, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Havana, Cuba, as well as various venues in New Jersey, New York (Birdland), Florida and Michigan (Cliff Bells).

Yvette is a recipient of the 2022 Cultural Council of Palm Beach County Artist Innovation Fellowship Program Award. In 2021, Yvette was interviewed and featured in the PBS South Florida “On The Town – Black Voices” segment. She was also featured in a short film titled “Art Meets Jazz on J Street”. A film produced and directed by south Florida film maker, James Venable. Art Meets Jazz on J Street was presented at the Boynton Beach Short Film Festival and at the Northeast Film Festival in Teaneck, New Jersey and is the winner of the 2018 Wavelengths Awards. Yvette was also nominated for the South Florida Indie Awards 2022 – Best Jazz Vocalist.
Yvette is a true vocal natural in any setting from jazz festivals to intimate jazz clubs. She captivates the audience whether she’s singing with an ensemble featuring piano, bass, drums, trumpet, and saxophone; with a piano or guitar accompanist; or with a full orchestra. Her CDs are great compilations of popular jazz standards that lends the mind back to the days of the original recordings. Close your eyes while listening to her music and let the sultry sounds of Yvette Norwood-Tiger take you to a place where jazz was the most celebrated American music genre. According to press clippings from the Two River Times, “the swingin’ and groovin’ singer’s career is on the fast track. Whether she is backed with a full jazz ensemble or with a piano accompanist, she sets an authentic jazzy mood for true jazz listeners.”

BAND MEMBERS
Yvette Norwood-Tiger – Vocals
Nevada Hadary – Pianist
Frederick Cleveland – Contrabassist
Jose Roman Duque – Drummer

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