Vocalist/Director Ellen Robinson releases a new CD on Oct. 21

 

 

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF "DON'T WAIT TOO LONG"

Jazz vocalist ELLEN ROBINSON and her QUARTET
Murray Low / piano, Sam Bevan / bass, Dan Foltz / drums, Kristen Strom / sax

“Fortunately for music lovers, Ellen Robinson takes her own advice. The Oakland jazz singer’s new albumDon’t Wait Too Long arrives right on time, showcasing her impressive skills as a songwriter and her gift for putting a personal stamp on American Songbook standards and more contemporary fare.”
Andy Gilbert, Bay Area jazz writer
San Jose Mercury News, Boston Globe
 

Recorded live in May 2011, this 3rd album captures the vivacious singer with her highly sympathetic band featuring articulate bassist Sam Bevan, versatile drummer Dan Foltz, the unabashedly lyrical saxophonist Kristen Strom, and pianist Murray Low, one of the region’s most sought after accompanists. Focusing on ballads with sinuous melodies, Ellen sustains a dreamy mood with a deceptively unadorned style, eschewing vocal acrobatics and scat solos in favor of close attention to melodies and emotionally insightful phrasing. Exploring a program laden with unexpected treasures, she distills the essence of each song.

 

Also a gifted educator who teaches at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA and Community Music Center in San Francisco, CA, Ellen directs several vocal programs and ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area, including a musical theater workshop at Stagebridge, and the Anything Goes Chorus, a community chorus that gives public concerts and free performances at retirement homes and homeless shelters since the early 1980s. Ellen’s tireless efforts as an educator and cultural activist were recognized in 2011 with a prestigious Jefferson Award. She doesn’t see much separation between her work in the classroom or on stage: “As a teacher I feel like I’m a performer, and as a performer I feel like a teacher. I want people to be entertained and I want them to feel different after they've heard my music.”

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 8:00 PM
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA. 94704, (510) 644-2020
http://www.thefreight.org/ellen-robinson-0

Listen to samples from the NEW CD: http://www.ellenrobinson.com/recordings.htm