TORONTO, March 7, 2016 – The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is pleased to announce the induction of Swinging Shepherd Blues, a Canadian jazz classic composed by renowned jazz flutist Moe Koffman. To celebrate the song’s induction, JUNO Award winner and Grammy Award nominee Jane Bunnett and 2016 Grammy Award nominee Ron Korb, along with jazz musician Jake Koffman (Moe’s grandson), pay homage to the late composer with a tribute performance of Swinging Shepherd Blues as part of our Covered Classics series. Their cover can be viewed here
“It was an honour to perform Swinging Shepherd Blues and pay tribute to the incomparable Moe Koffman,” says flutist Jane Bunnett. Ron Korb adds, “Moe paved the way for artists like myself, not only as a flutist but as a composer. He was one of the first musicians to create a jazz standard out of a flute-based tune; he had a tremendous impact with the jazz world, and beyond.” “I was thrilled to be included in the induction of Swinging Shepherd Blues. My grandfather was always a hero of mine, and I know he would be very proud,” states Jake Koffman.
No one was more surprised than Moe Koffman when his instrumental tune Swinging Shepherd Blues took over the pop charts in early 1958. When the album ‘Cool and Hot Sax’ was released, Chicago disc jockey Marty Faye played Swinging Shepherd Blues repeatedly, and other stations soon followed. The song hit No. 23 on Billboard, No. 4 on Toronto’s CHUM radio chart, and also charted in the UK. The BMI award-winning Swinging Shepherd Blues has been performed in many genres including easy listening, Latin, classical and even country.
“Moe would have been honoured to have his song inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame,” says Gisele Koffman, Moe’s widow. “Swinging Shepherd Blues was his signature song. The success of this 1958 recording established him internationally as a flutist, and helped to popularize the flute in jazz music.”
A collaboration between the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and CBC/Radio-Canada, Covered Classics invites Canada’s brightest musical talent to perform their own rendition of newly inducted songs.
To view 2015 and 2016 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame song inductions and the Covered Classics performances, click here.
About the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (www.uatcshf.ca) honours and celebrates Canadian songwriters and those who have dedicated their lives to the legacy of music, and works to educate the public about these achievements. National and non-profit, the Hall of Fame is guided by its own board of directors who comprise both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. In December 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the Hall of Fame. The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame’s mandate aligns with SOCAN’s objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization.
About CBCMusic.ca CBCMusic. ca (www.cbcmusic.ca) is Canada’s free digital music service connecting Canadians with the very best in Canadian and international music, concerts and features. Simple and easy to navigate, CBCMusic.ca gives music fans access to 50 Web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, plus content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more.
About ICIMusique.ca ICIMusique. ca (www.icimusique.ca) is Radio-Canada’s online music platform. It allows Canadians to stream live radio, and listen to over 150 channels of web radio, albums streaming, special features and music news.
Media contact, to arrange an interview: Christine Liber, Liberty Ink Communications (for CSHF) Christine@LibertyInk.ca, 416-651-4722 x 1
