Brenda Earle Stokes, a Sarnia-born and New York-based musician, is embarking on a short Ontario tour to promote her seventh album, Motherhood.
Stops include London’s Aeolian Hall Oct. 4, and Stratford, Hamilton and Toronto.
Motherhood is “a collection of songs about what I consider to be the real-life experience of parenting in the 21st century,” said the jazz pianist, singer, songwriter and mother of a 12-year-old son.
Along with the joy of watching kids grow up and wondering who they’re going to be, Motherhood is about “body image and the invisible mental load,” Stokes said.
“There’s a whole song called Sharp Edges, which is a spoken word piece about all the things we can be afraid of,” from gun violence to head lice, she said.
Stokes started piano lessons at age four while growing up in Sarnia, but wasn’t enthusiastic about practising until she heard the music of legendary musician Oscar Peterson.
Her father began driving her to London for jazz piano lessons with Grant Graham. After high school, she attended York University on an Oscar Peterson Scholarship, then in 2002 went on to the Manhattan School of Music.
She stayed in New York and has played with a list of artists that includes trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Broadway’s Maurice Hines and the award-winning Diva Jazz Orchestra.
Her latest album was 12 years in the making, she said.