​May 1, 2018 
Perhaps best known for opening for Abbey Lincoln, winning a slew of vocal competitions and her acclaimed one woman show celebrating African American icon Ethel Waters, Shirley Crabbe makes a compelling emotional case for being most celebrated for her own rich artistry with her second full length release – a jaunty celebration of Bridges and the meaningful connections we make with other people. With a sensual, resonant and rangy soul-jazz voice that may remind jazz fans of Dianne Reeves, Crabbe – under the musical direction of pianist Donald Vega – romps through an eclectic set blending pop and jazz standards (by everyone from Irving Berlin and Rodgers & Hart to Michel Legrand, Milton Nascimento and Billy Joel), sparkling Crabbe-Vega composed originals (including the exuberant title track and the heartfelt, optimistic “Promise Me”) and a subtle swing version of the classic hymn “Blessed Assurance” that will resonate beyond just the faithful.


Beyond allowing her to showcase her sensually cool and dynamic range, the unique set list allows Crabbe to pay homage to several important personal influences. Her lighthearted stroll through “Isn’t This A Lovely Day” is an homage to Ella Fitzgerald, while “Taking a Chance on Love” is a tune made famous by Waters. Other song selections come directly from Crabbe’s live set list, including the brisk cha-cha arrangement of Rodgers & Hart’s “I Didn’t Know What Time it Was” (featuring a playful trumpet solo by Brandon Lee) and a percussive spin through “The Windmills of Your Mind,” whose lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman perfectly fit the theme of this extraordinarily thoughtful project.         

​Vocalist Shirley Crabbe is a marvelous Jazz singer who makes singing seem effortless.  Her interpretation of Lyric and her beautiful Voice produce a sound as smooth as silk!  Her CD is called "Bridges" and it's all about connections through our lives.  It contains an eclectic list of songs, including some Jazz standards, a Pop tune, a couple of originals and a hip, updated version of "Blessed Assurance" which is a well-known Christian hymn that is one of her mother's favorite songs.  The first cut on the CD is the Irving Berlin classic "Isn't It A Lovely Day" that is closely associated with Ella Fitzgerald who was an important influence on Shirley Crabbe.  Whenever I listen to a singer for the first time, I really like to hear them sing a classic standard song.  Singing a song that has been covered by all of the greatest Jazz vocalists in history usually tells me up front the level of talent the vocalists has.  Most singers simply copy the style of the performer who had the hit and most times the results are less than satisfying.  However, even though Ella was one of Shirley's influences, she takes on the classic song and brings some of herself to it, adding something new but retaining the integrity of the original recording.  Few singers can accomplish this feat and Shirley is one of them.  It was a pleasure to experience her talents on this CD and I highly recommend that this CD would make a terrific Christmas present for any lover of the "Great American Songbook". 

Shirley has gathered two brilliant Jazz Pianists to join her on this CD, David Budway and Donald Vega who also was the musical director for the CD.  In addition, the fine list of musicians below helped make this CD an outstanding musical presentation.

        Players:  
Shirley Crabbe-Vocals
Donald Vega-Piano & Musical Director
David "The Budman" Budway (1,8,9)
Clovis Nicolas-Bass
Ulysses Owens Jr-Drums
Alvester Garnett-Drums- (2,10)
Brandon Lee-Trumpet
Chris Cardona-Violin
Sean Carney-Violin
Todd Low-Viola
Stephanie Cummins-Cello

         Playlist:
1. "Isn't It A Lovely Day"
2. "Taking A Chance On Love"
3.  "Bridges"
4. "The Bridge"
5. "I Didn't Know What Time It Was"
6. "Promise Me"
7. "The Windmills Of Your Mind"
8. "And So It Goes"
9. "Thief In The Night"
10. "Blessed Assurance"

I found two "YouTube" videos showcasing the great Jazz vocal singing by Shirley Crabbe.  I am sure you will enjoy the wonderful arrangements also!  The first one is an Irving Berlin classic, "Isn't This A Lovely Day" and the second is the Evergreen "Taking A Chance on Love".

Shirley Crabbe at the historic Lenox Lounge in Harlem. photographed by Marc Santos
​Shirley Crabbe is a remarkably-gifted vocalist. Her agile, luminous voice is ideal for this kind of Romantic and Gospel fare – some of which she has written herself – and she sings with power and great subtlety, superbly matched by musicians from pianist Donald Vega, David Budman, bassist Clovis Nicholas, drummers Ulysses Owens Jr., Alvester Garnett, trumpeter Brandon Lee and the strings quartet of Chris Cardona, Sean Carney, Todd Low and Stephanie Cummins.
Miss Crabbe is at her best when she wrings the poetic imagery out of songs and the best of these is Milton Nascimento’s classic “Bridges” with its expressions of longing, hope and joy, a song that has inspired many singers, but none who capture its delicacy with such exquisite tracery as Miss Crabbe. The Brasilian composer’s sense of saudade is perfectly captured in Miss Crabbe’s extraordinarily perfumed version that soars into a rarefied realm. Mr Vega – musical director on this date – is not far behind. The pianist’s ingenious accompaniment here and elsewhere makes him an equal partner in all of the music on which he appears.
On other music Miss Crabbe is equally wonderful. Her highly expressive approach to music – clearly coming from the Gospel setting – enables her to dig deeper than most vocalists. As a result even songs such as “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”, for instance, becomes something wholly her own because Miss Crabbe elongate syllables and alters accents creating vocalastics that become fumaroles of sound, while dissonance, chromaticism and striking harmonic shifts paint the plaintive texts afresh – here ably assisted by Brandon Lee and the high and lonesome sound of his trumpet. Mr Vega’s moments of austere scoring on music such as “Promise Me” and its silences, together with Miss Crabbe’s unique colourations highlight the underlying theme of romantic solitude.
Throughout this wonderful disc Miss Crabbe displays the pliancy and expansive range necessary for these intricate song settings with their two-octave breadth, though her voluptuous contralto is far more sensual than chaste. David Budman’s sensitive accompaniment on “Thief in the Night” is a spectacular addition to the song. But he is not alone in making significant contributions here. Bassist Clovis Nicolas is the perfect rhythmic mirror for all of the music as are Ulysses Owens Jr and the Alvester Garnett, who once did likewise for the greatest of them all: Abbey Lincoln. Miss Crabbe is also sensitively accompanied by the strings players who reflect the abject mood of the pieces they are in. Not surprisingly the disc is absolutely one to die for…
Track list – 1: Isn’t This a Lovely Day; 2: Taking a Chance on Love; 3: Bridges; 4: The Bridge; 5: I Didn’t Know What Time It Was; 6: Promise Me; 7: The Windmills of Your Mind; 8: And so It Goes; 9: Thief in the Night; 10: Blessed Assurance
Personnel – Shirley Crabbe: voice; Donald Vega: piano; David “The Budman” Budway:piano (1, 8, 9); Clovis Nicolas: bass; Ulysses Owens Jr: drums; Alvester Garnett: drums (2, 10); Brandon Lee: trumpet; Chris Cardona: violin; Sean Carney: violin; Todd Low:viola; Stephanie Cummins: cello
Released – 2018
Label – Mai Gong Entertainment & Music
Runtime – 48:49

• TAGS
• ALVESTER GARNETT
• BRANDON LEE
• CHRIS CARDONA
• CLOVIS NICOLAS
• DAVID BUDMAN
• DONALD VEGA
• MAI GONG ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC
• MILTON NASCIMENTO
• SEAN CARNEY
• SHIRLEY CRABBE
• STEPHANIE CUMMINS
• TODD LOW
• ULYSSES OWENS JR