-= CounterPoint Records =-

Sheila Landis - Parenthe-Seizure







Availability: CD=£8 + P&P

CD/Download

Cat: (CRCD032)

Sheila Landis has been a vital part of the Detroit area jazz scene since 1973, performing her unique style of vocal jazz and lending her distinctive voice to a wide variety of musical settings. She has performed in various local night spots and coffee houses, and has appeared in several jazz festivals, including the Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival and the Michigan Tastefest. Sheila has been voted seven time winner "Outstanding Jazz Vocalist" in the Detroit music awards by the Metro Times (Detroit). She sings without artifice or gimmick, and her delivery is honest and direct. Her voice is natural and unadorned. Landis approaches the music as if she's a horn player, and uses her voice to entice and enliven. She has become Detroit's secret scat diva! Sheila has been influenced by a wide variety of vocalists, from Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter to Joni Mitchell and Aretha Franklin. She has absorbed these and other influences, filtered them through her own sensibility, and distilled from them her own unique sound. 'Parenthe-Seizure' is a collection of tracks selected from her extensive back catalogue of album releases (1981- 2002) that were originally released on her self financed 'Shelan Records'. This is the first ever album release in Europe of the music of Sheila Landis. The track listing ranges from the hardhitting fusion of swing and samba of the title track ('Parenthe-Seizure'), the Latin soul of Gershwin's 'Summertime' to the jazz dance mayhem of 'Who Will Buy' and the funky serenity of 'Leigh Ann's Dance'. These four tracks will also be available on limited 500 vinyl sampler for dj's (CRS032). Other tracks of note include the Rhodes laden samba of 'In A Place in My Heart', the brooding bop drenched 6/8 modality of 'Nightwalking', to the first ever vocal version of Lee Morgan's hard bop classic,'Speedball' and the Joni Mitchell inspired romanticism of 'Souviens-Toi'. All in all a fine introduction to the music and vocal stylings of one of Detroit's best kept secrets.

Press/reviews for Sheila Landis - Parenthe-Seizure

parenthe siezure is a all time jazz classic !
Nik Weston

She's fantastic. 'Who Will Buy' went down a storm at the 'Hi Hat'.
Snowboy

Fucking great
Stefan Prescott (Dancetrax, NYC)

its fantastic!!!!played it on the radio (the classic leigh annes dance) got it with me when djing.diggin the whole album, but in particular, leigh annes dance, parenthe seizure, summertime, secret love, who will buy,.... review to follow for JAZZTHING issue april/may.
10/10
Michael Rutton (Soulsearching Radio, Germany)

Just a quick note to say thanks for sending me a copy of the Sheila Landis lp. I've heard a couple of tracks by Sheila over the years but from some reason only wrote them on paper and never hunted them down. This proves how stupid I was because this is a beautiful album and I need to hear more. I've played "Who Will Buy" on my Basic Soul Show and "Leigh Ann’s Dance" on my latest Nu-World mix 035. I will write a review very soon.
Simon Harrison www.basic-soul.co.uk
The Basic Soul Show

Detroit‚s best kept secret finally gets her first European release courtesy of those lovely people at Counterpoint Records. Sheila Landis may not be a household name amongst the vocal jazz fraternity, but the quality of this collection of her work (from 1981-2002) should see her up there with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Carmen McCrae and Ellen McElwaine. There‚s the superb scat and latin/jazz of the title track and ŒGuess I‚ll Call It Love‚, the swinging version of ŒSummertime‚ and a classic version of ŒWho Will Buy‚ for the dancers. The highlight, though, has to be the laid back, soulful nugget 'Leigh Ann‚s Dance'. An absolutely essential anthology of a most under-rated vocal talent.
Dom Servini (SNC review)

Wow....another great find in our own backyard that most have not heard of...what's up with that?? Sheila Landis is beyond talented, and hopefully a hidden treasure no more. I love this album, and I hope that other lovers of jazz and quality music don't sleep on this one. 10/10
Several tracks already played on my radio show, and it's charted for the February charts. Will also get writeup in my column.
Velanche (Urban Landscapes radio show/ XLR8 mag)

Radio support:
Peter Young (Jazz fm, London)
Patrick Forge (Kiss fm, London)
Michael Rutton (Soulsearching, Germany)
Enrique Domenech (Fusionova021records Radioshow)
Simon Harrison (Basic Soul show)
Russ Dewbury (Nu Jazz Spectrum, Brighton)
David Bassin (KUSF, San Francisco)
Velanche (Urban Landscapes radio show)

Tracklisting
Guess I'll call it Love Parenthe-Seizure listen Rainflower Summertime listen Secret Lover Who Will Buy I a Place in Heart Souviens-Toi Leigh Ann's Dance listen Nightwalking Speedball