Please VOTE for it – you can vote once/day through March 31!

Some highlights: “Both as a singer and on trombone, Elizabeth! brings a quiet intensity to her performance….She and her band go more for texture than improvisational fancies, making this a good album for people who are just discovering jazz. For the rest of us, Brainchildren is the work of a subtle artist backed by a responsive and talented band.”

Thank you!

And thanks to you for reading, listening, reaching out, telling your friends… all year long. May you be healthy and happy in 2012!

"On the Ferris Wheel"

I wrote this song about the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel, so it was a pleasure to get to shoot this video there, too!

Leave me some comments on YouTube and let me know what you think!

You can also get the song and the album while you’re online…

AOL premiered the album yesterday and it will be streaming in its entirety all week, along with other new releases…including The Beach Boys, Jethro Tull, and yes, Susan Boyle.

What people have been saying:

“every moment of this album has something to offer” – CMJ (College Music Journal)

“recommended if you like Regina Spektor and Norah Jones” – AOL

“one-of-a-kind jazzy pop tunes” – The Deli LA

“an enjoyable confection” – The Sun Chronicle

A little about the album:

Jazzy, poppy “Brainchildren” (November 1, 2011 – Canopy Jazz), tells stories real and imagined, outlining the similarities found in our experiences no matter where we reside. “Three” tells the story of a couple deciding to have a child, “Bicycle” reminds a child to enjoy his innocence while it lasts, and “Melting Snow” describes the feeling of rebirth after tragedy. Several songs relate tales of love gained or lost, and the album is rounded out with instrumentals inspired by insomnia, tacos, and a skipping stroll in Memphis. Recorded in Brooklyn with her working band in a single day, Brainchildren features Jason Domnarski on piano, Rob Jost (Saturday Night Live, Bjork) on bass and Robert Di Pietro (Norah Jones, Josh Rouse) on drums. Special guests include Kiku Collins (Beyonce), Jon Natchez (Beirut), and Mark Erelli (Josh Ritter).

How to buy “Brainchildren”:

Buy “Brainchildren” from my website! When you purchase the whole album (digitally or physically) you get a fun bonus track from our day in the studio!

CD Release Tour:

I’m on tour to support the album, so please come out and see us!

• November 3: Los Angeles, CA (not a CD release show, but come and say hi!)
• November 6: Paso Robles, CA
• November 8: Baltimore, MD
• November 9: Washington, DC
• November 10: New York, NY
• November 12: Lebanon, NH
• November 18: Tamworth, NH
• November 19: Great Barrington, MA
• December 11: San Francisco, CA

And please SHARE this music with your friends by clicking “ShareThis” just below…..

Sheila is an amazing woman and an inspirational jazz musician. I was lucky enough to study with her in New York City, and she is a wonderful, sweet, funny, and honest teacher. What a gift she has in her voice, and what a gift she has in being able to tell her stories through song and to bring out the most playful parts of her collaborators.

In her early 80s and as strong as ever, she’s touring and teaching. Don’t miss her if she’ll be near you!

P.S. 2012 will supposedly be the 30th and final year of the Jazz Masters honor. What a shame – I hope that we will find ways to continue to recognize our living jazz legends and to let them know how much they continue to spur on musicians around the world.

Singer Gretchen Parlato has a new album out, and I went to hear her band at New York’s Jazz Standard the other night. They sounded great! Gretchen continues to experiment and do interesting things with all kinds of standard songs, as well as writing her own compositions (“How We Love” is a particularly nice original).

One of my favorites was a cover of SWV’s “Weak,” a guilty pleasure of mine. Imagine this re-done as a modern jazz tune, with Taylor Eigsti on piano, Alan Hampton on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums…. and you’ll see why I’m digging the mixture of two favorites: jazz and early 90’s R&B. Oh, yeah!

Here’s the original SWV video…

I’m going there to make and hear music – jazz music – with a few lovely people, with the intent of a cross-cultural exchange. Burlington, Vermont and Yaroslavl are “sister cities,” and as part of this program, valve trombonist George Voland has put together a quartet to perform in the “Jazz on the Volga” festival there. I’ll be singing and playing slide trombone, Ali Ryerson will be playing flute, and Joe Davidian will be on piano.

George has written an article, published in this past Sunday’s Burlington Free Press, which gives you a sense of how he views the world, and music within the world. And that in turn gives you a sense about why I love to make music with him! Here’s a taste, but do check out the link above to find out more:

Jazz can make differences between people vanish into thin — and, this time of year — cold air, replaced by a warm sense of community that erases ethnicity, religious affiliation, social class, political persuasions, language differences, Seasonal Affective Disorder and hangnails. (Well, maybe not those!)

Search & Restore
This is run by NYU grad Adam Schatz; they pick a few shows and list a lot more. Their picks, like their live events, tend to run toward modern jazz mixed with rock.

Gigometer
This is run by man-about-town Pierre Jelenc; he lists tons of great options every night. The shows tend to be by singer-songwriters and bands in the indie pop vein.

Anyone have another favorite listings location?

Rather, I was born lucky.

I get to play music with my Dad.

I grew up listening to my father practice the acoustic and electric bass, and the trombone. He also sings. (Hmm… wonder why I’m a singing trombone player and my brother is a singing bassist?) Since I was in high school, I’ve been playing gigs with my Dad. His band, Swing Machine, is in demand throughout Vermont and New Hampshire for private functions, and I have learned a lot from playing with them. I’ve also learned a lot about being a bandleader by eavesdropping on phone conversations with prospective clients, band members, wedding planners, and venue managers. Dad is a consummate professional who takes his responsibilities seriously, but with a healthy dose of fun!

Of course, the best part of all of this is getting to make music together! What do you do with your Dad?

Happy Father’s Day!