Eliza Pope
Toronto, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2012
Music
Press
The number of talented young female jazz singers in Toronto is quite mind-boggling. To that list you can now add 20-year old Eliza Pope, as she has just released a debut record, Call Me A Fool, that showcases a rich potential. "One facet of my voice I'm most proud of is its versatility," Pope explains in her bio, and that claim is verified by her convincing singing on a diverse repertoire, from Songbook standards to "Hit The Road Jack" and Beatles gem "Here Comes The Sun". Three impressive original tunes also fit seamlessly into the mix. Assisting her cause is the co-production, keyboards and arranging work of Mark Kieswetter (Emilie-Claire Barlow) and the stellar accompaniment of Ross McIntyre, Eric St. Laurent, and Max Roach, with John "Beetle" Bailey doing the engineering at his elite studio The Drive-Shed.
The album will be launched at Toronto jazz hub The Jazz Bistro on May 19.
Kerry Doole -
This debut album by 20-year jazz/popper Eliza Pope gives us hope for the future in this era of auto-tuned automatons and their assembly-line made product. This is vital and real music, of the kind that supposedly isn’t made anymore. Pope does an outstanding job putting new life in both standards and more recent fare and - very importantly - adds some new songs of her own to the mix.
— Mark Rheaume, CBC Radio -
Talented vocalist and songwriter Eliza Pope’s debut CD is a delightful potpourri of re-conceptualized Broadway show tunes, jazz standards and original compositions. The project was co-produced by Pope and yeoman keyboardist/arranger Mark Kieswetter, who also performs magnificently on the CD. To say the least, this recording is an auspicious opening salvo for an emerging artist. Included is a soulful take on Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg’s 1939 Oscar-winner Over the Rainbow. Kieswetter’s contemporary chord substitutions are the perfect comple- ment to Pope’s tasty vocal line. With facile use of her head voice, Pope soars delicately over, around and above the well-known melody, pushing it right into 2015. Also of note is the jaunty Depression-era original Where Will I Find Love, which evokes a historical mode without becoming derivative of it – no easy task! Eric St. Laurent’s well-placed acoustic guitar work is exceptional on this track, calling to mind a young Charlie Christian. Another fine original is Try, which explores a more pop-oriented aspect of Pope’s versatile vocal and writing style.
A standout is Feeling Good, penned by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for their hit Broadway show, The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. Pope makes wonderful use of her lower register here, and resists the temptation to convert this tune into an overwrought cabaret anthem. Pope also displays her ability to swing, with a thoroughly delightful rendi- tion of Fats Waller’s Crazy ’Bout My Baby. Noted bassist Ross MacIntyre provides the necessary backbone here, and truly shines on this groovy cooker. Of particular beauty is the gorgeous ballad Little Girl Blue, written by Rogers and Hart for the 1935 Broadway musical Jumbo and rendered by Pope with the full intent of the genius composers firmly in place.
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke -
Discography
Album:
Call Me a Fool (Released: May 2015)
Photos
Bio
Backing Band: Michael Shand (piano), Ross Macintyre (bass), Eric st-Laurent (guitar), Ethan Ardelli (drums)
Hailed by New Canadian Music as the newest member on the list of talented young female jazz singers in Toronto, 22-year old Eliza Pope has already broken onto the scene, establishing herself as an up-and-coming talent.
Eliza has been studying music since the age of three, when she took her first piano lesson. Since then, she has expanded her skill set to include guitar, double bass, and singing; the past eight years being dedicated to vocal jazz and composition.
Since beginning to perform in 2012, she has worked with jazz powerhouses such as Michael Shand, Mark Kieswetter, Ross Macintyre, Eric St-Laurent, Maxwell Roach, and Ethan Ardelli, and has performed at venues across the GTA, including the Jazz Bistro, 120 Diner, Gate 403, and the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Her debut album “Call Me a Fool”, co-produced by Kieswetter, is a potpourri of show tunes, jazz standards, and original compositions, and has been hailed as “vital and real music, of the kind that supposedly isn’t made anymore.” Mark Rheaume of CBC Radio claims that, “Pope gives us hope for the future in this era of auto-tuned automatons and their assembly line-made product.”
Furthermore, this album puts Eliza on the map as a “talented vocalist and songwriter,” with Whole Note Magazine calling the album, “an auspicious opening salvo for an emerging artist”. Most recently, in October of 2015, Eliza was named as one of the four nominees for Best Vocal Jazz at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.
Band Members
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