Elizabeth Shepherd - Parkdale (2008)

Elizabeth Shepherd pushes the boundaries of what is considered conventional jazz, all the while creating a sound completely her own. From London to Tokyo, Elizabeth has captivated audiences and critics on both sides of the pond. Her Juno Awards nominated debut album, Start to Move continues to receive critical acclaim, and was voted the Top 3 Jazz Albums of the Year by the listeners of the Gilles Peterson show on BBC Radio 1 in 2006. Parkdale is Elizabeth Shepherd's follow-up full-length album to her acclaimed debut, Start to Move. Her quintet consists of Shepherd on piano and vocal, Scott Kemp on bass, Colin Kingsmore on drums, Roman Tome on percussion and William Sperandei on trumpet. Produced by applauded British Indie-Jazz sensation Ben Lamdin of Nostalgia 77 (Tru Thoughts Recordings), Parkdale is an older, wiser Shepherd teamed with her ever youthful, graceful soul. The words speak of longing and despair. Underlying the pain of growth and turmoil it brings, is the of assurance of light at the other end and the promise of wisdom that only time and experience can impart. Just as Elizabeth Shepherd is a person on the mend, so is the neighborhood of Parkdale which becomes the allegory for Shepherd's growth and exploration. As an up-and-coming area of the city, it mirrors Shepherd's artistic career. She has written the majority of her songs in this lieu and the lyrics show a fondness mixed with aversion that one can only feel for something one has grown to love. Parkdale, the area, becomes synonymous with the theme of regeneration a renaissance, for all intents and purposes. The self-proclaimed artistic hub of Toronto, Shepherd engages the listener in a character study of her niche and neighbors. As far as being a "jazz performer", Elizabeth does not count herself as one to be defined by a particular genre; her music comes straight from the soul, and is more than just what she does, but what she loves and who she is.