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Local jazz artist in contention for Grammy nomination

Sylvan Lake based jazz artist Cheryl Fisher is in contention for a Grammy nomination.
29050sylvanlakeCat-and-Cheryl-Fixed
Sylvan Lake resident

*** Cheryl Fisher performs live at the Jazz At The Lake Festival seasonal concert series alongside the Tommy Banks Trio in Sylvan Lake. ***

Following the release of her highly anticipated 2016 album, ‘Quietly There’, Sylvan Lake based jazz artist Cheryl Fisher is in contention for a Grammy nomination.

The recording industry’s most prestigious award, the Grammy, is presented annually by The Recording Academy. A Grammy is awarded by The Recording Academy’s voting membership to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences.

It is considered a true peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions. The annual Grammy Awards presentation brings together thousands of creative and technical professionals in the recording industry from all over the world.

Fisher, who along with her husband Eric Allison founded the Sylvan Lake based Jazz At The Lake Festival, is currently in contention for a ‘Best Jazz Vocal’ award nomination for her album ‘Quietly There’ released early this year in the spring.

As a Canadian born artist, Fisher explained the Grammy’s were never in his sight line, adding to be nominated for a Juno Award has always been her dream. Presented annually by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), The JUNO Awards is Canada’s premier awards show and the Canadian music industry’s most prestigious recognition for excellence in recorded music.

Much to her surprise, Fisher began recieving emails from musicians around the world congratulating her on the Grammy contention.

“It was surprising to me because I had no idea I was in contention for the nomination,” she explained in an interview with Sylvan Lake News. “That was the first I had known it was happening. So I asked my record company if it was true and they confirmed my name was up for Best Jazz Vocal.”

Having released ‘Quietly There’ with Seattle based OA2 Records, the album has received a great deal of airplay throughout America garnishing over 400 spins on charting stations. Since the release, the album has been charting on Jazz Week for 18 weeks with two CD Release parties selling out and three more dates planned for the winter. “Quietly There’ has also earned Fisher a Global Music Award, Silver for Best Female Vocalist. The Global Music Awards are a top-tier music talent competition that honors talented musicians around the world.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding,” said Fisher on the months following ‘Quietly There’s’ release. “This album was a bit of a departure for me in the way I decided to do it. At some point in your career you say, ‘I want to do what I want to do this time.’”

“I didn’t want to pay attention to what everyone else was doing. I didn’t want to have to ask myself who or what was making splashes in the record industry - this album was for me,” she added.

She explained how over the years various individuals in the industry whom she has respected have recommended tracks to her based on her vocal ability.

“I’ve had a few radio programmers say to me over the years that a certain song would suit my voice - so an artist you end up collecting these little gems along the way,” detailed Fisher. “I had a number of them and so I decided this time around I wanted to do a record that I could listen to and wouldn’t be jolted into another mood.”

“Winters here in Canada are long and cold. The best part of winter is sitting down beside the fire and having a glass of wine while watching the snow fall. So I wanted a record I could listen to while I was doing that.”

Fisher will be doing a number of local shows in November before heading out on a Florida tour for three shows throughout December. She added when she returns it will be full scale planning mode for the return of the full Jazz At The Lake Festival in the summer of 2017.

“We are very excited to go back because it will have been the first tour we’ve had down there in five years,” said Fisher, adding she and husband, Eric Allison met a number of years ago while she was obtaining her masters degree of the University of Miama. “There are a lot of musicians excited to play with us and it’s going to be a really super tour. To go back there with a recording as strong as this, that’s really how you want to get back out there.

With the release of her album, multiple sold out CD release parties and the return of Jazz At The Lake events such as the highly attended Pub Crawl and a seasonal concert series Fisher has had a rewarding year. She adds she is looking forward to upcoming local dates on Nov. 19 and 26 at local restaurant Viva La Sirena, where she and her husband host weekly Saturday night jazz shows.

Fisher will be accompanied both nights by Morgan McKee, a Red Deer based piano player known for his spirited performances at past Jazz At The Lake Festivals.

To help support Fisher in her journey to the Grammy’s like her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cherylfisherjazzartist.

editor@sylvanlakenews.com

 

***See footage of Cheryl Fisher performing live at the Jazz At The Lake seasonal concert series alongside world renowned piano player, Tommy Banks***