Jeremy Ellis AYRO is sonic chef who mixes ingredients from across the musical spectrum. Hes a freestyle live set specialist, pianist, singer and synthisizer MPC programmer whos sound is like nothing you heard before. Jeremy first rose to fame as a member of various musical fusion projects, utilizing his classical, jazz and percussion training. Becomming a frequent collaborator with Detroit producers, he has worked with such luminaries as Carl Craig, John Beltran, Recloose and Alton Miller, providing a combination of vocal and keyboard.
MERCURY LOUNGE OTTAWA Thursday May 28th 22:00pm with DJ Trevor Walker
Published on
May 7, 2008 in
Festivals, Labels and Live Review.
Tags: Add new tag, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Billie Holiday, Black Sheep Inn, Blues, Bob Dylan, CSHF, Edmonton, Edmonton Folk Festival, Frank Davies, Hawksley Workman, Isadora Records, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Leonard Cohen Tribute, Louis Armstrong, Millbrook, Randy Bachman, Ray Charles, Serena Ryder, Soul, Steve Mackinnon, Toronto, Tradewinds, Wakefield.
Serena Ryder is just 24. But her voice, a deep, bluesy, soulful instrument that has drawn comparisons to Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin, makes her sound much older. She also appears wise beyond her years, blessed with an intelligence and confidence that came across in her songs on Unlikely Emergency, her critically acclaimed independent album. She’s definitely an old soul. Ryder’s extraordinary major-label debut, If Your Memory Serves You Well, involves no time-traveling or reincarnation. But it does feature the native of Millbrook, Ontario covering vintage Canadian songs-some of them written more than 70 years before she was born-with remarkable authority. From Shelton Brooks’ “Some of These Days,” recorded by the likes of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday,” to Percy Faiths’ “My Heart Cries for You,” previously recorded by Ray Charles and Ben E. King, Ryder sings with enough passion and conviction to make them her own. She delivers a stunning rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy” and a scorching version of “This Wheel’s on Fire,” which Bob Dylan co-wrote with The Band’s Rick Danko. Continue reading ‘Serena Ryder’