By Malcolm Holt

Special to the Record

It鈥檚 been eight years since velvety-voiced keyboardist Elizabeth Shepherd last appeared on stage in Courtenay for the Georgia Straight Jazz Society, and it鈥檚 exciting to welcome her back with her new line-up and her electro-gospel soul-jazz genre.

Shepherd made her international debut in 2006 when her first album, Start To Move, was voted one of the best jazz albums of the year by listeners of the influential Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio Worldwide. Since then, this soul-jazz innovator based in Montreal has established herself as one of the most captivating and imaginative artists on the current scene.

Shepherd will be performing her electro-gospel soul-jazz genre music. Alongside Esperanza Spalding and Robert Glasper, she is part of the wave of jazz-influenced musicians who have evolved a powerful original jazz art form to a new generation of music fans, and at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Little Red Church in Comox, she鈥檚 inviting you to listen to this leading edge of jazz music. This is a wholly unique, unclassifiable style that blurs boundaries between jazz, R&B, pop, and hip hop.

A classically trained pianist who turned to jazz through her love of old-school hip-hop, Shepherd has been hailed as a 鈥渏azz virtuoso with a pop sensibility鈥� (Real Detroit Weekly) and has been praised by critics worldwide for her compelling songwriting and soulful performances. Nominated six times for the Juno Awards and twice for the Polaris Prize, she has released seven widely acclaimed albums, featuring collaborations with musicians such as Lionel Loueke and British producer Nostalgia 77.

She has extensively toured North America, Europe, Japan, and Mexico, playing venues from the Cotton Club in Tokyo to the Jazz Cafe in London, and performing at festivals such as Northseas and ELBJazz. She has shared the stage with diverse artists including Christian MacBride, Victor Wooten, Spankie Wilson, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, the Five Corners Quintet, Bonobo, and was personally invited to open for Jamie Cullum at a sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Shepherd will be appearing with Scott Kemp bass, and Colin Kingsmore drums/vocals.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $15 for members, $20 for non-members.

Visit to see the diverse range of weekly jazz concerts between now and May 2024.

Malcolm Holt is the president of the Georgia Straight Jazz Society