Emilie-Claire Barlow: JUNO nomination and show at Capilano Performing Arts Theatre

 Emilie-Claire Barlow will be performing as part of the Jazz Series at Capilano Performing Arts Theatre on March 27, 2011 @ 8pm Tickets are $32/$29
Featuring Reg Schwager (guitar), Kelly Jefferson (saxophone), Ross MacIntyre (bass), Davide DiRenzo (drums) 

Emilie-Claire has been nominated for the 2011 Juno Vocal Jazz Album of the Year!
Taken from the Performing Arts Theatre's site
"It is a delight to welcome back jazz vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow to our series. Her energetic live performances and exquisite recordings are thrilling audiences the world over. The Toronto-based Barlow is getting recognized for her innovative arrangements of American Songbook treasures, rhythmic bossa novas and elegant ballads. A critic’s darling, Barlow has endeared herself as well to peers and audiences alike with her relaxed, polished demeanour, her charming humour and her incomparable voice. Truly an independent artist, Barlow writes all her own charts and produces her own recordings under her own label, Empress Music Group."

Here is a video of Emilie-Claire Barlow

Meaghan Smith Up for New Artist of the Year JUNO

Meaghan Smith is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. Here is what they have to say on the JUNO site.
"Talking about her independently-recorded debut album, The Cricket’s Orchestra , Smith says: “Les (Cooper) and I put our heads together and decided to create my musical world by using a string quartet, an eight-piece horn section, guitars, keys, upright bass, a clarinet, some flutes, and even an Omnichord. We used Mellotron samples in place of a modern band because we loved the quirky, vintage vibe they brought to the songs, and topped it all off with some turntable scratches. The result is an ideal blend of old and new.” The Cricket’s Orchestra, was picked up by Sire Records/Warner Music Canada and released in early 2010. Smith also received a great deal of exposure by contributing a cover of alternative rock group Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” to the soundtrack of 2009′s (500) Days of Summer, featuring Smith playing an Omnichord."

Basia Bulat Nominated for JUNO, New Artist of the Year

Basia Bulat is one of the nominees for a JUNO this year. In the category of New Artist of the Year, (Sponsored by FACTOR and Radio Starmaker Fund), she is up against other Canadian artists, including Hannah Georgas and Meaghan Smith.
I had the privilege to see Basia perform at the Vancouver Folk Festival a couple of years ago and her set was electric. So I am very happy to hear she is getting this recognition from the Canadian music business.
Taken from the JUNO site,
"In 2006, Basia went to live in Montréal and through friends she met Howard Bilerman, an engineer and co-owner of the famed Hotel 2 Tango studio. Initially the recordings were meant only as an “audible memory” of the time Basia spent with friends in London and Montréal. But Bilerman, smitten with Basia’s songs, began to write to friends at labels, friends with music-blogs, anyone who might pay attention. It’s this spark that sets Basia Bulat apart from the raft of typical singer-songwriters, and also what attracted the interest of Geoff Travis and Britain’s legendary Rough Trade label – who released Oh My Darling in Europe and Japan in the Spring of 2007. The album was released in North America shortly thereafter, and has since gone on to worldwide acclaim. It garnered a Polaris Prize nomination in 2008, and rave reviews from everyone from NPR and Q. Her new offering, Heart Of My Own, was born after over a year of touring that took Bulat across Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. several times over."