It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing! There's no doubt that Peter Appleyard still swings, even though he's now an octogenarian. And in terms of jazz comeback stories, it doesn't get any cooler than this.
After years of lying low, legendary jazz musician Peter Appleyard decided he needed to make more music. His first venture back into the music game was the release of The Lost 1974 Sessions, featuring an all-star band that included Hank Jones, Slam Stewart, Mel Lewis, Zoot Sims, Bobby Hackett and Urbie Green. It's a studio session recorded in Toronto between gigs back in 1974; the tapes left in storage since that time. (You can find out more about the story of that recording in this piece, "Q&A: Peter Appleyard, The Lost 1974 Sessions.")
The overwhelming success of the release proved to Appleyard that there was still an interest in his music, and from there the idea for the album Sophisticated Ladies was born.
Sophisticated Ladies is among the most anticipated Canadian jazz albums of the year and features a who's who list of Canadian female vocalists. Over the years, Appleyard spent a great deal of his time working with singers, and as a fitting tribute a group of Canada's best singers came together to sing with him. Emilie-Claire Barlow, Elizabeth Shepherd, Jill Barber, Jackie Richardson, Heather Bambrick, Sophie Milman, Molly Johnson, Carol Welsman, Barbra Lica, Carol McCartney and Diana Panton can all now consider themselves to be Peter Appleyard's sophisticated ladies.
Check out this exclusive video of Johnson singing a live-off-the-floor version of the title track to Appleyard's Sophisticated Ladies.
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