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That what happens when your local record emporium has as bright and knowledgeable chap like Jason at the helm. And to be honest, if Jason hadn’t had done such a good job the previous day at Play De Record, I’d have passed on this new CD by the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio; even if it was on a label currently pushing for label of the year.

John Kong at Do Right! Music clearly saw something in Ms Shepherd (piano/vocals), Scott Kemp (Bass) and Colin Kingsmore (Drums) that was reminiscent of the Ready Or Not compilations. The eleven tracks were a big revelation to me, as the trio format hasn’t done anything for me in years.

As ever, that man Peterson is on the case and as he played the ‘George’s Dilemma’ (music: Clifford Brown / Lyrics: Shepherd) the other day but the CD is more than a one-track album.

Shepherd’s voice and style is a mix of jazz club classic ‘See You Later’ (Joanne Grauer & Lorraine Feather), Tania Maria (at her best), Janet Lawson, Judy Roberts, Mary Watkins whilst her idol is Mr Herbie Hancock. ‘Melon’ (is her mash-up of Hancock’s classics ‘Cantaloupe Island’ and ‘Maiden Voyage’) augmented by Dan Blondin’s horns and (along with the opener ‘Start To Move’) we’re transported back to the days of the vibrazone! In a similar style is her instrumental ‘Along The Way’ and you can see why she claims that the 70s was the best music period of all time.

Even so, you can see why she’s a little hard to pin down as, the sleeve notes tell us that she’s the daughter of Salvation Army Ministers which meant home was constantly on the move and she’s spent half her life in Montreal and France (see ‘Roots’).

She has no problem singing in French on ‘Ton Visage’ that Kong cheekily included on the end of Ready Or Not 2 but I’d already fallen for Shepherd big time. The other cover is the Miles Davis/Jon Hendricks track ‘Four’ on which she shows she can do ‘Hendricks’ vocal gymnastics as well as the next Cleo Lane.

Full marks for avoiding the “cruise ships” styling of a little Jamie Cullum (not that I’m a expert on him) as this band are truly ‘jazz’. May not mean huge sale figures but all in good time I’d say as the word spreads. I’m kicking myself that missed her gig at the Jazz Café with Five Corners Quintet at the start of the month. What a gig that must have been. And like them, the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio has put a new je ne sais do jazz on the menu. Lets start the calls for a Maida Vale session now!

Gigs:
August 12: Jazz Cafe w/ Five Corners Quintet, Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkways, London UK
September 20: CD Release Party, Supermarket, 268 Augusta Avenue, Toronto
September 23: Pepperjack Café, 38 King Williams Street, Hamilton, ON

Reviewed - Elizabeth Shepherd Trio - Start To Move (Do Right! Music) Cat. No. DR017CD Release date: July 2006 Notes: Recorded & mixed at Rogue Studio, Toronto.

Tracklisting:
1. Start To Move (4:52) Feat. Flugelhorn, Trumpet - Dan Blondin
2. George’s Dilemma (3:43) Feat. Beatbox - Oral B
3. Roots (6:29)
4. Four (2:57)
5. Circles (4:00)
6. Reversed (3:23)
7. Melon (6:35) Feat. Flugelhorn, Trumpet - Dan Blondin
8. Ton Visage (5:42) Feat. Guitar - Christine Bougie
9. Along The Way (7:26)
10. Just Getting By (4:42)
11. Price Is Right (1:10)

Links:
www.dorightmusic.com
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting Sunday 20 August : Elizabeth Shepherd - ‘George’s Dilemma’ (Do Right! Music)
Recommended Record Stores:
Play De Record, 376 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario tel 416-586-0380 Web Site: www.playderecord.com
Beat-nick, 3770 St. Denis, Montréal, Québec Web Site: www.beat-nickmusic.com
Fred’s Records. 198 Duckworth Street, St. John’s, Newfoundland tel. 709-753-9191 Email: FredsLtd@canada.com. Web Site: www.freds.nf.ca
BOP City Records, 211 Simms St. Courtenay, BC tel. 250-338-6621