Spring Is Here

Maximum Jazz together with EMI Music Canada are proud to announce that Laura Crema's quot;Spring is Herequot; was named Vocal Jazz Recording of the Year in the 2007 Village Voice Jazz Poll Ballots by Jazz Journalist James Hale (Downbeat, Coda). The annual poll by the one and only Village Voice combines ballots from 577 critics' Top 10 lists to acknowledge the best albums of 2007. quot;Vancouver jazz vocalist Laura Crema and trumpeter/producer Brad Turner make for a powerful combination. Hers is a wonderfully deep, expressive voice and Turner has surrounded her with some great players and sounds. This is quite the inspired treat!quot; -The Vancouver Province quot;All great jazz singers have at least three qualities in common. The first is that unique timbre that sets their voice apart. The second is the material they choose to sing. And the third is the fresh ideas and insights they bring to those songs. Laura Crema has all three in spades! -CBC Radio quot;Vancouver's Laura Crema has an ageless quality to her dry, dark voice..quot; --Downbeat Magazine quot;She has a knack for bringing out a tune's inherant emotional contoursquot; -Coda Magazine quot;An uplifting and atmospheric album, the most impressive offering yet from this accomplished West coast singer.quot; -The Edmonton Journal quot;Vocalist Laura Crema is poised to take center-stage on the international jazz scene.' -Flutenotes 'Crema makes low notes glow like coals' -Mark Andrews, The Vancouver Sun 'Vocalist Laura Crema is poised to take center-stage on the international jazz scene. Possessed of a powerful voice with great depth and resonance, she bring a warm and strongly emotive approach to classic torch songs.' - Tom Keenliside, flutenotes 'Laura Crema's sultry vocals pull you deep into the dark, smokey room of some 40's speakeasy where torch songs spoke volumes from the heart.......unadulterated musical silk, and not to be missed.' -Sue Braiden, CBC radio '...Crema's rich, vibrant voice held the audience spellbound with a set that ranged from Cole Porter to Elvis Costello'.... -Paul Grant, Host of CBC Radio's Hotair 'Crema is a true artist,..she knows when to hold the note like a longing memory and when to let it go like a painful betrayal. ' -Gregory J. Robb, All About Jazz '...a lush, unique instrument, with an affinity for ballads, such as the CD's ('Almost Blue') stunning title track' -George Evans, Planet Jazz A native of Vancouver, vocalist Laura Crema possesses a lush, unique instrument with great depth and resonance, her influences are broad and diverse as she blends jazz with popular music and improvisation. Laura Crema graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in Fine and Performing Arts, and Economics. She has studied at the Banff Centre for the Arts with legendary jazz vocalists Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton and in Washington State with Nancy King and Kurt Elling. She has trained in extended voice with master teacher Richard Armstrong and studied music at Vancouver Community College. Laura is an accomplished dancer, choreographer and interdisciplinary performer. She has received numerous awards and grants including an 'Emergence' Canada Council Grant for her work in the interdisciplinary arts. She has performed and worked with RADIX Theatre, the Karen Jamieson Dance Company, Touchstone Theatre, Olivia Thorvaldson, Grant Strate, Deborah Dunn, Catherine Lee,... composers she has worked with include, Jeff Corness, Peter Hannan, Ron Samworth, Cam Wilson and George McFetridge. She has presented her own C