"Crabbe's almost-Ella Fitzgerald vibe glows with sunshiney takes on "Lucky To Be Me," "You Taught My Heart To Sing" and, especially , Carole King's "So Far Away."

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Shirley Crabbe - Home

A great debut solo album ....
.... plunged back into the jazz scene!
Hans Koert

September last year Shirley Crabbe released her debut album Home. Although she was awarded several times and sung at famous venues like Birdland, the Metropolitan Room and the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York, performed in stage productions like Ain't Misbehavin' an Coming to the Mercy Seat, it's not just an album a dime a dozen - it is a new start. An operation on her vocal chords gave her a chance at a career as a singer, and with this album, Home, she's plunged back into the jazz scene ...... And what a re-start ... She was one of the five best vocalists in the 2010 Jazz mobile "Best of the Best" vocal companion ..... Home - what a great voice she has!
  Her sister Deborah, who says in the liner notes with some proud that she is Shirley's first accompanist and her biggest fan, remembers their duets as kids in Barbara Streisand’s Hello Dolly and how they loved to sing together....... Shirley points to Ella Fitzgerald, whose version of A Tisket-A-Tasket fascinated her and made her decide to become a singer. She studied Voice at several Schools of Music, like the prestigious Manhattan School of Music and could be found, as a young student, singing at clubs downtown. This album Home is a great start for a new career in vocal jazz .......
 The album contains nine tracks, most part of the Great American Songbook, like Gerswin's Summertime and Detour Ahead. I love the American Songbook. It's so hard to find things that everybody hasn't done already, but there are treasures out there if you look beyond the usual jazz sources. Don't expect the usual arrangements as sung by those hundred other vocalists that recorded these tunes - no, Matt Haviland and Shirley herself, both responsible for most arrangements, love to surprise its listeners......... Summertime is transformed into a rousing, wake-the-baby West African polyrhythmic celebration ......... I read somewhere.

She's accompanied by some versatile musicians, like trumpet player Brandon Lee, reed player Dave Glasser and trombonist Matt Haviland.
The rhythm section contains piano player Jim West, my brilliant pianist, as Shirley labels him, ( replaced by Donald Vega on some tracks), John Burr on double bass and Alvester Garnett on drums. Guest player is the well known veteran tenor player Houston Person, who can be heard on two tracks: Lucky To Be Me and Strong Man. Houston Person, active for more then 50 years in concert, accompanied vocalist Etta Jones since the 1970s and knows how to do that ........ Strong Man, one of the tunes that fascinated most, was originally sung by Abbey Lincoln October 1957 for her album That's Him, featuring great names like Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Max Roach. The album Home: a great debut album!
The album can be ordered at the Shirley Crabbe website.

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl


Last year Shirley Crabbe released her debut album as a solo jazz vocalist. The album contains nine tracks, which she arranged together with trombone player Mat Haviland. She's accompanied by some great versatile musicians, including the legendary tenor boss Houston Person as her special guest. An inspired album by a great singer - you'll realy like it. Keep Swinging loves to point you to this kind of releases. Follow the Keep (it) Swinging blog at Twitter ( #keepitswinging) or ask for its free newsletter ( keepswinging@live.nl)

Monday, January 23, 2012

Shirley Crabbe, "Home": Some Singing Going On!!

Singers. Remember? We cover them here as well as all the other things. There are lots of singers out there in the "jazz" realm. Some aren't quite up to snuff. Others you hear and you KNOW. You know that they are an instrument of the music. I knew that from the very first opening moments of Shirley Crabbe's CD Home (self released). She has it all--the phrasing, the fine tuning of inflection, the delivery of lyrics and that something that takes real artistry--a variability, a variational knack.

Well now here she is with a mid-sized group with some good soloists, even Houston Person on a couple of cuts. She chooses songs that aren't overdone, "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeny Todd, Oscar Brown's "Strong Man," "Detour Ahead," Carol King's "So Far Away." And she obviously does them because Ms. Crabbe has something to contribute to them. And so she does.

Here's a singer to appreciate, doing songs she obviously loves, with a band that's cool. That's enough for me!! Check her out.

SHIRLEY CRABBE HOME (MaiSong Music). Crabbe (v); Jim West (p); John Burr (b); Alvester Garrett (d); Houston Person (ts) and others. 2011. This debut release by Shirley Crabbe presents a very talented and mature singer, performing a well-chosen repertoire, including Lucky To Be Me, Detour Ahead, Summertime and You Taught My Heart To Sing. The singer’s late arrival as a recording artist is a result of vocal problems eventually solved through surgery. Her voice is full and rich and is used with subtle flair, admirable fluency and very good taste. Pianist Donald Vega takes over from West on some tracks and in addition to Person are appearances by Brandon Lee (t), Dave Glasser (saxes, fl) and Matt Haviland (tb). All these guest soloists contribute significantly to the proceedings and the ensemble passages are fiery and exhilarating. Nevertheless, this is a showcase for an exceptionally gifted artist who must surely appeal to all who love good jazz singing and can now hear her for the first time (and at her website). Very warmly recommended.

Shirley Crabbe's new album Home seems to be a celebration on many levels. This classically-trained singer who has also paid her jazz dues obviously loves to sing jazz and has a special love for each of the 9 songs recorded here. But there is more - she has come through the worst nightmare that a singer can imagine: losing her voice.

After the horrible feeling that her voice was going, Shirley Crabbe finally had to give up singing completely. Undaunted, she continued to study music before undergoing a nerve-wracking operation meant to restore her singing voice. Such an operation is always a gamble, with the very real possibility that the voice will never be the same and may even be lost for good. Fortunately, Shirley came out the other side with her magnificent voice restored. And that is good news for us as well as her.

The album begins with a spirited version of Leonard Bernstein's classic Lucky To Be Me, sung with such joy and conviction that you can't help but feel Shirley Crabbe's joy in singing in such full voice. A great rendition of a song that we don't hear often enough.

The good vibes continue into You Taught My Heart To Sing. This is another uplifting performance that will have you tapping your feet and humming along (unless you break out into song yourself, that is).

Home is a softer reflection on the meaning of home tinged with melancholy that never slides into simple sadness. The superb band sounds great with some subtle brass colors and a fine trombone solo.

The ballad mood continues into Seasons. The song starts with an almost minimalist approach by the band, leaving plenty of space for Shirley Crabbe's sumptuous voice to take center stage. Once again the group is just great, especially the exceptional piano work of Donald Vega.

The beat picks back up with Detour Ahead over a Latin-tinged accompaniment. Like most of the songs here, the differently inflected lines of the voice, piano, rhythm section, and brass fit together like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. It is refreshing to hear that each player continues to play the song during their solo, rather than heading off in another direction. This gives a nice tight feeling to the song, and a definite feeling of cohesion to the whole album.

Strong Man is another smooth ballad, with maybe a bit of tongue in cheek in yet another superb performance. No matter the tempo, this group is always tight and swinging, following all of the nuances of Ms. Crabbe's wonderful vocal.

Not While I'm Around is a wonderfully moody ballad sung with word-perfect expression; you would swear that Shirley Crabbe is coming up with the words off the top of her head, so natural is her singing. What a great combination of confidence and ability!

So Far Away takes the Carole King classic to a more meditative place. The mildly melancholy vocal delivery is set off by Jim West's subtle tone clusters on piano that seem to move it to another world. A very memorable arrangement.

The album ends with a vivid re-imagining of Summertime. There is a lot happening in the background during this particular summer, much due to the outstanding bass playing of John Burr. Once again Donald Vega adds some great piano to the mix. Oh, and just a fantastic vocal performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to that very last note.

If you like jazz and you like good singing you will love this CD. Few artists manage to put across a song with the confidence, enthusiasm, and sheer verve of Shirley Crabbe. She is an artist who is well worth getting to know.

You can but this great CD at Amazon.com on CD or MP3 download

In 2006, jazz singer Shirley Crabbe suffered from a vocal cord injury, not knowing if she would ever be able to sing again. Home is her long-awaited debut, documenting a successful return appropriately acknowledged in the opening Leonard Bernstein piece "Lucky To Be Me." Her remarkable performance gives no clue to the nature of her prior condition, revealing instead a voice that caresses lyrics of ballads with emotion and projects swinging tunes with power. Inspired by the singing of the great Ella Fitzgerald and mentored by Etta Jones, her stylish vocals are more reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan. In fact, the inclusion here of Roland Hanna's "Seasons," originally written for Vaughan, may be an indirect reference to this comparison.

With a warm approach to the music, her smooth vocals seem a perfect fit for voicing soft ballads as she does here. The first track opens the door for much of the set's laidback, light material, capturing her plush lyrical tone on the title song, "Seasons" and the majority of the nine-piece repertoire. Trombonist Matt Haviland provides the arrangements on "Home" and "Strong Man," where saxophonist Houston Person makes a guest appearance, as he does on the opener.

Crabbe sings with heartfelt emotion on the last two ballads, "Not While I'm Around" and Carole King's pop classic, "So Far Away." McCoy Tyner's "You Taught My Heart To Sing" makes the first break with the album's balladic theme, ushering in a brisk melody featuring Nicaraguan-born/Los Angeles-raised pianist Donald Vega, who also plays an influential part as the album's producer. The singer has no trouble with "Detour Ahead," the second non-ballad piece of the set, with well-placed instrumentals by Vega and alto saxophonist Dave Glasser.

Offering a glimpse of the singer's talents as an arranger, "Summertime" is the set's finale and final non-ballad, given an interestingly new read by Crabbe, where the band claims a good portion of the song, including a few bars of Latin rhythms for a truly original interpretation of this Dorothy Heyward and Gershwin brothers jazz standard.

Armed with classical training from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, a passion for jazz and a second chance, Shirley Crabbe is the newest songbird to arrive on the jazz scene, coming Home with a well-conceived and highly-engaging debut sure to propel this gifted artist to a new level of attention.

Track Listing: Luck To Be Me; You Taught My Heart To Sing; Home; Seasons; Detour Ahead; Strong Man; Not While I'm Around; So Far Away; Summertime.

Personnel: Shirley Crabbe: vocals; Jim West: piano; Donald Vega: piano (2, 3, 9); Jon Burr: bass; Alvester Garnett: drums; Brandon Lee: trumpet (7); Dave Glasser: alto saxophone, flute; Matt Haviland: trombone.

Record Label: Self Produced | Style: Vocal

Shirley Crabbe Profile | Follow Shirley Crabbe

CD discoveries of the week. Vocalist Shirley Crabbe has a big, wide-open optimistic style that's reminiscent of a young, excited Sarah Vaughan. Crabbe's honest, swinging attack is fully evident on Home (MaiSong). Backed on select tracks by tenor saxophonist Houston Person, Crabbe runs through songs that are perfectly tailored to her barefoot-in-the-grass style—Lucky to Be Me, You Taught My Heart to Sing, Roland Hanna's Seasons, Detour Ahead, Not While I'm Around, Oscar Brown's Strong Man and Carole King'sSo Far Away. This is a gorgeous album from a lovely singer—proving that vocalists can indeed choose lesser-known gems rather than adhering to glue-factory Songbook fare.

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Genre: Jazz Label: MaiSong Music & Entertainment Visit Web Site Tracks 1. Lucky To Be Me 2. You Taught My Heart To 3. Sing 4. Home 5. Seasons 6. Detour Ahead 7. Strong Man 8. Not While I'm Around 9. So Far Away 10. Summertime

Shirley Crabbe Home Home is a safe haven, a warm and comfortable place where one feels welcome, secure and at ease. Shirley Crabbe’s Home is a perfect example of how this feeling of home transfers to music with a rare quality of making that inner connection with a song ultimately going from vocalist to story teller with a soulful resonant tone that envelops the listener. Crabbe does not sing the words, she makes the music.   There is a delightful swing and effervescent quality that shows up on “You Taught My Heart to Sing” where pianist Donald Vega is the perfect accompanist. Crabbe who was mentored by the fabulous Etta Jones is joined on the Oscar Brown Jr. penned tune “Strong Man” as well as “Lucky To Be Me” by tenor saxophone great Houston Person whose association with Jones and the great vocalist Ernestine Anderson goes back a good quarter century and this is one of the keys to this release. There is an infectious ebb and flow that plays to Crabbe’s vocal strengths with solid arrangements on compositions that run the musical gamete from George Gershwin to Carol King as well as the music of McCoy Tyner and Sir Roland Hanna.   Sometimes the back-story to a release can be as compelling as the work itself with Shirley Crabbe coming back from a vocal injury that would have permanently sidelined a lesser person not to mention someone with a promising singing career as is the case here. Crabbe holds nothing back as she announces her artistic presence with the authority and confidence of a seasoned veteran.   Arrangements such as the Carol King smash “Your So Far Away” with a somewhat eclectic spin give Home a special depth and texture that when taken in context with the entire release simply adds to a virtually flawless effort. “Summertime” which closes the release may be the strongest tune in the offering. A more contemporary arrangement has the pianist Donald Vega treading dangerously close to the avant-garde cliff with his solo without pushing the listener over the edge. Crabbe’s phrasing, inflection and harmonic sense allow her to work magic with an iconic tune that has arguably been done to death and make it her own.   This is an adventurous, contemporary and swinging release that should satisfy the most discriminating of vocal jazz lovers. Making old school new cool, Shirley Crabbe is a name to remember.    Key Tracks: You Taught My Heart to Sing, Strong Man, and Summertime   Brent Black – Muzikreview.com Contributor   October 30, 2011

SHIRLEY CRABBE, HOME

Sometimes jazz is about small moves and simple melodies. From this template springs the debut of Shirley Crabbe who sings jazz and pop standards with a natural effervescence and infectious brightness. Her voice has a natural clarity, one akin to Dianne Reeves, but with a softer and at times, tentative edge. On “Home” (MaiSong Music) she surrounds herself with loyal support that clearly adores her – pianists Jim West and Donald Vega, bassist John Burr, drummer Alvester Garnett and an equally talented horn section. Mentored by the inimitable Etta Jones, Crabbe is a latecomer to the scene but sounds no less seasoned by experience and musicality. The ultimate success of her debut stands on three numbers, Leonard Bernstein’s “Lucky To Be Me” and Oscar Brown’s “Strong Man,” where Crabbe’s lustrous voice hosts saxophonist Houston Person whose velvety solos lend the album its classic feel. Then there’s the exotic arrangement of Carole King’s “So Far Away” that Crabbe sings with soulful aplomb, investing the lyric with a mournful and deeply knowing emotionality. (9 tracks; 44:20 minutes)  www.shirleycrabbe.com  Take a listen here.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

CD Review: Featured Artist - Shirley Crabbe: Debut Album "Home"

Year: 2011

Style: Jazz Vocalist

Label: MaiSong Music & Entertainment

Musicians: Shirley Crabbe - Vocals; Jim West - Piano; Donald Vega - Piano; John Burr - Bass; Alvester Garnett - Drums; Brandon Lee - Trumpet; Dave Glasser - Saxophone & Flute; Matt Haviland - Trombone.

Special Guest: Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone ("Lucky To Be Me," "Strong Man")

Jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe

CD Review: Making music professionally can be a cruelly stressful business; especially for vocalists. Just the misfortune of a vocal chord injury can hasten a premature end to a once promising singing career; as was the case with jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe. A return to singing typically requires patience, determination, confidence, undying passion, lots of guts, and a little luck. Shirley Crabbe has managed to pull them all together, and with the help of an exceptional group of supporting musicians that believed in her, she has released an especially thrilling debut CD: "Home."

In selecting the material for this CD, Crabbe has turned to an eclectic group of esteemed composers and song writers imbueing her work with depth, modernity, charm, vigor and spirited elan; bracketing the whole work with compositions by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin: and complementing the body with the music of Sammy Cahn, McCoy Tyner, Sir Roland Hanna, Oscar Brown Jr., Stephen Sondheim, and Carole King.

Shirley Crabbe is a jazz vocalist who sings passionately from the heart: "Home" speaks to the heart in a variety of ways based on the choices she is able to make because of her classical training as a singer, enduring musical influences, and invaluable experience singing in various New York jazz clubs. She proceeds in a careful, ascending musical arc that starts out with two swinging appraisals of life; Leonard Bernstein's invigorating, "Lucky To Be Me," to which tenor saxophone icon Houston Person gives tremendous thrust and lift, with an after-burner solo, that positions the date onto an upward musical trajectory from which it never veers; and McCoy Tyner's luscious "You Taught My Heart To Sing," out of which comes a delectable solo from pianist Donald Vega.

Crabbe's voice is delightfully warm and smoothly matured. She sings with enviable intonation; is comfortable at any tempo, effortlessly executing each with an astute discernment of the lyric, and an interpretive profundity that facilitates adding another instrument (her voice) to the talented, versatile group of musicians playing behind her. She also shows brilliant form as an arranger on four of the tracks on the CD; most notably, "You Taught My Heart To Sing" and "Summertime."

Crabbe studied classical music, by day, at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and in the evening, she trekked downtown to sing jazz in the clubs. This routine brings to mind a similar habit of trumpeter Miles Davis when he first arrived in New York City in the early 40's, to study at the equally illustrious Juilliard School of Music. He too used to attend classes during the day, and then 'go looking' for 'Bird' and 'Monk' at night in the jazz clubs on 52nd Street; not entirely undistinguished footsteps to follow in the musical sands of time.

Crabbe has amassed a superfluity of working experience during her career's nascency - performing at New York City's Metropolitan Room; Birdland; Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theatre; opening for the late Abbey Lincoln; working alongside jazz-fusion artists tenor/soprano saxophonist/composer Marion Meadows, urban jazz specialist, keyboardist Bob Baldwin; and performing with pianist Harold Maybern and bassist Jamil Nasser - she was inspired by The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald and is an adherent to Ms. Firzgerald's school of impeccable diction and phrasing; two elements of vocalizing that singer Frank Sinatra admitted also 'learning' from Ella. Crabbe displays both like second nature on the tender title track, Charlie Hall's "Home," and Sir Roland Hanna's poignant "Seasons." On both selections pianist Donald Vega displays sensitive, thoughtful pianism that perfectly complements the tone and mood of the song and allows Shirley Crabbe's voice to paint beautiful, rounded colors against the luxuriant palette he lays out beneath her.

As Crabbe continues to ease her way up this adaptable musical arc, its appeal becomes more intimate, she  reaches deeper into her heart for expression and there is a sense that something special, even spiritual is happening, the band tactfully follows her lead into each moment of the songs, supporting her with 'less is more,' uncluttered backing and a bracing simplicity ("Strong Man," "Not While I'm Around"), that invokes memories of the magic made between Nancy Wilson and the Julian "Cannonball" Adderley Quintet during Wilson's historic 1962 singing debut. Houston Person returns with a 'strong' tenor presence on Oscar Brown Jr's "Strong Man," and Brandon Lee's muted trumpet on "Not While I'm Around" is deliciously haunting, yet offering the subtle strong-willed reassurance implied in the song's title.

Crabbe reaches the high-point of the CD's performance arc with a sincere and enchanting lyrical reading of Carol King's pop classic "You're So Far Away," making the song seem 'so right' for her voice. She extends the climax 'swingin' into Gerschwin's "Summertime," adding heartfelt joy, appreciation and verve to the feeling of optimistic assurance inherent in the lyric; she ends the CD as she started it, stating a love for life with accented certainty, in spite of it's vicissitudes.

It is refreshing to listen to a 'pure' standard-setting jazz singer who adamantly eschews the use of vocal histrionics to 'get over,' instead relying on the best writers, committed musicians, and her own pristine talent. Jazz music is richer to have a vocalist of such high caliber as Shirley Crabbe, return "Home."

Track Listing: Lucky To Be Me; You Taught My Heart To Sing; Home; Seasons; Detour Ahead; Strong Man; Not While I'm Around; So Far Away; Summertime.

Recorded at Bennett Studios, Englewood NJ

Engineered by Alessandro Perrotta

Mixed by Katherine Miller at Annandale Recording

Mastered by Alan Silverman, Arf! Mastering, NYC

Manufactured and printed by Disc Makers

Liner Notes & Editor - Deborah Crabbe

Music Preparation Shirley Crabbe

Senior Executive Producer - Shirley Crabbe

Executive Producers - Deborah Crabbe, Helen Crabbe

Producer & Musical Director - Donald Vega

Production Assistant - Samantha Carlevaro

Posted by C. J. Bond at 1:12 PM

MAISONG
SHIRLEY CRABBE/Home: Her bio sheet tells us everything about Crabbe except how old she is. It tells us that she recorded this after bouncing back from throat surgery. The chops honed by the miles she‚ has traveled come together here in this roaring comeback that harkens back to the classic age of supper club jazz vocalists that you had to go to clip joints to hear this kind of sound from singer and band. A reminder of the vibe but not the sound of the classic singers, Crabbe prefers the light and bouncy making this a friendly jazzbo date that‚is warm, upbeat and on the money throughout. Tasty stuff well worth checking into.

Home
Shirley Crabbe
www.shirleycrabbe.com

New York City jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe’s initial CD offering is a tasty collection of tunes associated with Broadway and elsewhere. The well-produced and conceived recording features saxophone legend Houston Person as well as Shirley’s pitch-perfect vocal instrument and a quintessential New York City rhythm section of Jon Burr on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums and Jim West and Donald Vega on piano.

Ms. Crabbe fortuitously returned to singing following major surgery on her vocal cords and has rendered each carefully chosen track with emotion, skill, theatrical flair and a complete reverence for the melody (something to be kept in mind by emerging jazz singers). A protégée of the late, great Etta Jones, Ms. Crabbe shows us a depth of meaning that can only be realized through life experience and devotion to your art. The moving title track from the hit musical The Wiz is a standout, as is Not While I’m Around, Sondheim’s harmonically complex ballad from Sweeny Todd, featuring an inspired trumpet solo from Brandon Lee. Oscar Brown Jr.’s Strongman is another highlight, replete with an elegant and bluesy solo from special guest (and long-time Etta Jones collaborator) Houston Person. On Leonard Bernstein’s Lucky to Be Me – another gem - Crabbe channels the incomparable Irene Kral and on Herb Ellis’ rarely performed Detour Ahead, the whole company swings sumptuously with a lilting, uptempo horn-infused arrangement from Matt Haviland.

A brilliant debut, this recording should be required listening for any jazz vocalist.

Shirley Crabbe - Claire Dickson - DIVA

Those female singers keep coming my way, and one who handles the task with both jazz feeling and spot-on intonation is Crabbe. With a basic piano trio led by Donald Vega, and here and there several guest horn players, Crabbe has put together an attractive CD which very nicely balances some valued standards with several new and well-written songs. From the standard bag, she gives us Leonard Bernstein's "Lucky To Be Me"; and she alters the tempo bit on "You Taught My Heart To Sing," "Detour Ahead" and "Summertime." But there are new sounds here as well. The title tune speaks of a place where there's "love overflowing." What a lovely thought! "Seasons" is a charming and nostalgic piece by pianist Roland Hanna, and "Strong Man" was written by the late singer-composer Oscar Brown Jr. And there's "Not While I'm Around," another ballad and a beauty from Stephen Sondheim. Crabbe is a breath of fresh air who interprets these songs as though she's lived them. There are still quality female singers out there and she is definitely one of them.

It isn't many singers who can lose their voice via a vocal chord injury and then, after surgery, become a singer again. That is what happened to Jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe, and this is her debut album, a testament to the work of the surgeon and her powers of recovery and the resolve to sing again. This is a beautiful sounding voice, rich and lush, full of emotion - you have to applaud Ms Crabbe's determination to recover what she had lost. Home is an album of nine tracks, full of Jazz ballads and romantic songs, all wrapped in the velvet soft tones of Ms Crabbe's voice. The songs writers include: Leonard Bernstein, Sammy Cahn, McCoy Tyner, Oscar Brown, George Gershwin and Stephen Sondheim. The entire album is a paean to the art of the song and you are simply going to fall in love with the voice here. It also helps that Ms Crabbe has a wonderful assortment of musicians supporting her - they are: Jim West and Donald Vega - piano, John Burr - bass, Alvester Garnett - drums, Brandon Lee - trumpet, Dave Glasser - sax and flute, Matt Haviland - trombone, Houston Person - tenor sax. Some of the solos these gentlemen play are understated yet plangent in the extreme. The nine tracks are: Lucky To Be Me, You Taught My Heart To Sing, Home, Seasons, Detour Ahead, Strong Man, Not While I'm Around, So Far Away and Summertime. As American Songbook albums go this is a great one, the selection of songs veering away from the obvious, and fitting into Ms Crabbe's theme of regaining her voice and being back home in the world of music. Shirley Crabbe is a vocalist of rare distinction and deserves to be heard - this album is highly recommended.

For more information about this artist, album and availability visit: www.shirleycrabbe.com

For more information on John Peters visit: http://www.the-borderland.co.uk

On May 7, 2009, the Arts Council of Rockland announced the winners of the 2009 County Executive Arts Awards, The ceremony, held at the Cultural Arts Center of Rockland Community College, is an annual celebration of art, those who support and those who create it. 

Attendees were treated to performances by the Ramapo High School Dance Company, Members of the String Orchestra of the Rockland Conservatory of Music, violinist Shelby Yamin, pianist Jan Deats and cellist Claude Gilbert. A dessert reception was provided by the Hospitality Department of Rockland Community College.

Hosts for the evening were Scott Vanderhoef (Rockland County Executive), Thomas L. Brizzolara (Director, Public Affairs, Orange and Rockland Utilities) and Brian Condon (Chairperson, Arts Council of Rockland).

Orange and Rockland Utilities served as Primary Corporate Sponsor. Dominican College and St. Thomas Aquinas College were Corporate supporters of the event. The ceremony was recorded and broadcast by Cablevision.

Pictured above: Front row, left to right: Marigene Kettler (Rockland Conservatory of Music), Dorothy Filoramo (Dominican College, Corporate Supporter), Deborah Darbonne (Friends of the Nyacks), Jennie Chien, Kathy Tappenden (Nyack High School Drama Club), Joan Gussow, Shirley Crabbe. Second row: L. John Durney (St. Thomas Aquinas College, Corporate Supporter), Foster Bass (Friends of the Nyacks), C. Scott Vanderhoef (County Executive), Thomas L. Brizzolara (Orange & Rockland Utilities, Primary Corporate Sponsor), Brian Condon, ACOR Board Chairperson.

Visual Artist - Jennie Chien

Jennie Chien is the winner of more than 25 awards for design excellence. Her work has been exhibited at many galleries in New York and New Jersey. Jennie has received a Special Opportunity Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts and is one of the two Individual Artist Grants awarded by the Arts Council of Rockland. After working as a graphic designer and art director in New York and San Francisco for 11 years, she has been employed as freelance project director and manager for 13.

Jennie says of her work, "Making art is a search for the true self, for wholeness. I am inspired by archetypes, the elemental symbols common to all cultures. I borrow such images and concepts to create something that has within it a timeless quality. My role as an artist is to point out our commonalities while appreciating our differences, both of which make us whole human beings."