Spring 2013

Dear Friends,

2013 got off to a great start with my first cd release in seven years! Lovely Days - a duo session with my frequent gigging partner, pianist Bliss Rodriguez - has been described as an “emotionally incisive celebration of the American Songbook’s infrequently turned backpages,” (Andrew Gilbert, The Monthly) and I don’t think I could say it better myself!

The reviews that have come in over the last few months have all been wonderful. Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz says, “Roberts and Rodriguez have created a recording that's at once both intimate and wholly open... their chemistry is evident from the get-go on this delightful duo date.” Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes remarked “As a singer, Roberts has always delivered the straight goods: flourish free readings that are pure, strong and potent.” And D. Glenn Daniels of The Jazz Page raved “The result of singer, music and great song here is a brand of musical rapture that is heavenly.” (To read all these reviews and more in their entirety, click here.)

Like the times we live in, Lovely Days is more spare than my previous small group sessions. But happily, the freedom of the duo setting allowed me to spotlight my love of lyric and storytelling and Bliss to stay “in the moment” with his improvisations and harmonic inventions.

The CD takes its title from the opening medley of Irving Berlin’s “It’s a Lovely Day Today” and “Isn’t It a Lovely Day.” We also traverse both familiar and less- frequented territory with Harold Arlen’s “Hit the Road to Dreamland,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “I Have Dreamed,” Dave Frishberg’s “Our Love Rolls On,” and, from The Fantasticks, “Soon It’s Gonna Rain.” You can see a complete set list and listen to song clips here.

Lovely Days, like my last cd The Sky Could Send You, was released on my own label, Blue House Recordings, in partnership with Pacific Coast Jazz. It is currently available through all major retail outlets such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, i-tunes, etc. It can even be purchased or ordered through the few remaining Brick and Mortar record stores (reference catalog # PJ71002. )

And lastly, but not leastly - I have taken that precarious dive into the world of social net-working ( this from someone who didn’t have a cell phone till this summer...) I now have a Facebook musician’s page. You know the drill... If you “like” me, you’ll know all the scintillating details of my fabulous life as a woman of intrigue, frequenting the haunts of San Francisco’s jazz underworld and tirelessly championing the nearly extinct “unusual standard.” Or - maybe I’ll just let you know “Whaasup?!” And with that - I hope to see you or hear from you soon.

—Sherri

January 2006

Dear Friends,

After a several year hiatus from recording, I am so pleased to announce that my newest effort The Sky Could Send You will have its release in February of 2006.

I have collaborated once more with world class bassist Harvie S (formerly Harvie Swartz), who also produced and arranged this session. He brings his mastery of jazz and Latin vocabulary to the helm of this tantalizing musical voyage: a voyage that passes through different places, cultures and varied emotional landscapes by way of rhythm, language, and lyrical allusions. While a slight departure stylistically, The Sky Could Send You is a worthy sequel to my previous releases Twilight World and Dreamsville.

I’m also extremely pleased with the depth of musical talent on this new outing. Stalwart craftsmen like Vince Cherico on drums and John Hart on guitar are joined by special guests (and he needs no introduction, folks!)  Phil Woods on saxophone and Lew Soloff on trumpet. What an amazing honor to share in the creation of music with these guys!

The extent of my enthusiasm for this recording reaches into post production as well. I’m very fortunate to have forged a partnership in this venture between Blue House Recordings (my own label along with pianist David Udolf) and San Diego based Pacific Coast Jazz. (See press release announcing this association below). Donna Nichols of PCJ will be handling the marketing and distribution of Sky, and it will soon be widely available on internet sites such as CD Baby and Amazon.com, as well as major retail outlets nationwide. In the meantime, it is available the old fashioned way, by check or money order to my P.O. Box.

I returned recently from the always stimulating (and equally exhausting) International Association of Jazz Educators Conference (IAJE) in New York in January – the largest jazz conference in the world. Pacific Coast Jazz had an exhibitor’s booth, and I had a chance to see old friends, meet a few new ones, and hear a ton of great music - as well as be interviewed on WOR am (New York), WBGO fm (Newark), and KTSU fm (Houston).

In addition, a national radio campaign for Sky began in January and the cd is already headed for the Jazz Week charts (the rating system in Jazz radio). You can now hear selections from Sky broadcast on over 60 jazz stations nationwide, and many more will jump on board in the coming weeks. Excellent reviews have also started to trickle in. Be sure to check them out by clicking on "reviews" at the top of this page.

Stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming months.

Yours in Song,

Sherri

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       MEDIA CONTACT:
NOVEMBER 7, 2005

MEDIA ARTS, 760-877-0619

SAN DIEGO-BASED RECORD LABEL, PACIFIC COAST JAZZ, ANNOUNCES SIGNING  OF BAY AREA JAZZ VOCALIST, SHERRI ROBERTS

SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego-based independent record label, Pacific Coast Jazz (PCJ), is announcing the signing of San Francisco-based jazz vocalist, Sherri Roberts.  Roberts’ own independent label, Blue House Recordings, will now be an associate label under the Pacific Coast Jazz umbrella.

Effective November 4, 2005, the agreement anticipates the release of Roberts’ third recording, The Sky Could Send You, slated for a street date of February 7, 2006.  “The quality of Sherri’s work is outstanding,” says Donna Nichols, founder and president of Pacific Coast Jazz.  “Her recordings are exceptionally well produced and very musical.  They fit in perfectly with the caliber of product we like to put out.”  Nichols’ label also will handle artist management services for Roberts and will give Blue House Recordings access to national media buying.

The third recording effort from the jazz vocalist, The Sky Could Send You is produced and arranged by bassist Harvie S (formerly Harvie Swartz), and features guest appearances by legendary saxophonist, Phil Woods and trumpet virtuoso, Lew Soloff.  The CD also is the third collaboration between Roberts and Harvie S, following their critically acclaimed recordings on the Brownstone label, Twilight World (1996) and Dreamsville (1998), which charted for seven weeks on the prestigious Gavin Report.  “My first two releases were more jazz blended with repertoire from the American Songbook,” says Roberts.  “The new record fuses more Latin and world music with jazz elements.  We believe that the audience for jazz is now coming from a broader perspective, and this album is designed to appeal to a more diverse crowd.”  Drawing from a broad palette of instrumental and rhythmic colors, The Sky Could Send You features re-crafted jazz and Brazilian standards and original compositions by contemporary artists.  The jazz and world grooves provide a rich foundation for Roberts’ liquid vocals and intimate lyric delivery.

Having delighted Bay Area fans for well over a decade, Roberts remains committed to introducing her audience to unusual standards.  “I have always been very passionate about lyrics that tell a story.  There are some beautiful standards that aren’t heard that often and I try to bring them into the spotlight.”   A true scholar of American Popular Music, Roberts freely sites such diverse influences as Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Sloane, Chet Baker and Shirley Horn.

Pacific Coast Jazz, founded in 2003, is a boutique jazz label that also offers artist management services. Their catalogue also includes the recordings of jazz flutist, Bradley Leighton.  Donna Nichols, the label’s founder and president, is formerly a successful communications executive in the biotech industry.  “The label has allowed me to follow my passion for music and draw upon all of my experience in the corporate world,” says Nichols.  Artists like Roberts find the unique combination of skills and passion to be a big plus.  “I like the fact that Donna comes from a corporate background and brings all of that marketing expertise to the table but she also really loves music,” says Roberts. “As an artist, I need someone like that who can focus on the business aspect of getting a project to market and let me do what I do best.” Pacific Coast Jazz is currently pursuing the acquisition of new artists in the straight-ahead jazz and contemporary jazz genres.  Says Nichols, “Our team has the talent and the contacts to handle the promotional demands for both of these markets successfully.”  

All artists on the Pacific Coast Jazz label have access to Pacific Coast Jazz’s distribution channels, including Big Daddy Music in the United States and The Woods in the UK.  For more information on Pacific Coast Jazz, please visit: www.pacificcoastjazz.com.