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January 8, 2010
Sheryl Rae's first CD
Launch concert happens at Norman Rothstein.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Sheryl Rae has chosen the songs for her debut CD, After All These Years, with love and care. She has chosen the performance space for this month's release concert with equal love and care – the Norman Rothstein Theatre.
"I began my photography exhibition career at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the JCCGV [Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver], and am doing my CD release concert in the Norman Rothstein Theatre at the JCCGV, so that has been special to me," Rae told the Independent in an e-mail interview.
Songs on her CD include "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," "All of Me," "Paper Moon" and other jazz and swing standards, as well as a couple of original compositions.
"I like a variety of genres, as long as the song and performer are strong and connect with me," explained Rae about the music she chose for her first CD. "I've always loved Bette Midler ... her interpretation of a lyric, her performing style, the emotion she puts into a song.
"In the past several years, I have enjoyed listening to and performing swing and big band tunes, and an annual highlight for me for the past several years was being a guest vocalist at the Harmony Arts Festival with the Dal Richards' Orchestra, because I love their sound.
"I wanted to do a number of older songs (swing, big band) so I began with those. A couple of friends of mine are songwriters, so I included two of their original songs ('Blue Spaghetti' and 'Real Fine'). I have been singing 'Rain' and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' for many, many years and find them just magical and they really move me. I love 'Hallelujah' and really wanted to record it with my own flavor and style."
According to her bio, Rae has been performing since the age of four. Among her many accomplishments, she has appeared in the Shooting Star Foundation's Raymond James Starry Night musical variety event at the Stanley Theatre three times, headlined her own sold-out concert at the Arts Club Revue Theatre, performed in various musical theatre productions and sings with her female musical trio, Hot Ice. Rae brings all of this experience to her new recording, as well as her Jewish background.
"When I started wanting to perform swing tunes, one of my first choices was 'Bei Mir Bist du Schoen' because of its Yiddish origins," she said. "I feel a special connection to it because of that, and thought I could bring something 'Jewish' to it because of my cultural roots, and also by adding the clarinet, which has a klezmer style. And somehow I liked the fact that the composer of 'Hallelujah' (Leonard Cohen) is Jewish."
Since her Zack Gallery debut, Rae has had several photo exhibits and, recently, she published three books of her work, called Patterns of Life, Perspective and Black & White & Red All Over. As for what's next for her creatively – music or photography – Rae said, "Probably a bit of both, but over the past year or so my concentration has been singing (performing, recording my CD), so I have a feeling I will pursue that for a while ... all the time still taking photographs! I have also been doing some graphic design, and designed my CD cover."
To hear some of Rae's music, visit myspace.com/sherylraemusic. At the CD release, Rae will be performing with her six-piece jazz/swing band, musicians Nick Apivor (piano, vibes), Ron Thompson (guitar), Brent Gubbels (upright bass), Phil Belanger (drums, percussion) and others, with vocalists Lisa Milton – who has been performing with Rae in various capacities for more than 25 years – and Rae Armour. Stephen Kaplan will open the evening and act as emcee.
The concert will take place Jan. 22, 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 (plus service charges) and are available from the JCCGV by calling 604-257-5111.
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