Pianist, vocalist, composer, and educator BRENDA EARLE STOKES presents MOTHERHOOD, a collection of ten original compositions that share the journey of motherhood with songs that explore identity, fear, expectations, body image, friendship, and growth. This is Stokes’ sixth album as a leader and follows Solo Sessions (2019), Right About Now (2014), Songs for a New Day (2009), and Happening (2006). Bebop Spoken Here has said, “Stokes is very much her own woman and stamps her individuality on both her singing and her piano playing.” Downbeat Magazine said, “Stokes revs up on eclecticism, centering her jazz improvisation and pop-jazz adventures that shimmer with energetic scatting and her cheery piano.”
Stokes lives and works in New York City and brought to this project some of the A-List players the city has to offer, including bassist EVAN GREGOR (Gary Burton, Dave Liebman, Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, John Fedchock), drummer ROSS PEDERSON (Snarky Puppy, Patti Austin, The Manhattan Transfer), and special guest, renowned trumpeter INGRID JENSEN. Celebrated vocalists MELISSA STYLIANOU and Grammy-winning NICOLE ZURAITIS provide backing vocals.
A native of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Stokes started studying classical piano at the age of four. She became interested in jazz while in high school after hearing Oscar Peterson for the first time. She went on to receive the Oscar Peterson scholarship to study jazz piano at York University in Toronto and benefitted from the mentorship of her idol. After graduating, she spent a few years gigging around Toronto. She started to seriously develop her performance skills when she worked at a piano bar on cruise ships in the Caribbean. She says of the experience, “Taking requests six nights a week for several years was a deep education for me. Not only did I have to learn hundreds of songs, but I also had to learn how to hold an audience’s attention and engage with people.” After earning enough money, she decided to head to New York City, where she planned to study and immerse herself in the jazz scene. She ended up at Manhattan School of Music, where she earned a master’s degree in jazz piano and voice.