Elizabeth Shepherd and Michael Occhipinti

Singer/pianist/composer Elizabeth Shepherd and I have been featured in each other's projects for almost a decade, with Elizabeth being the vocalist and pianist for my The Universe of John Lennon, and me touring as a member of Elizabeth's group promoting her albums MONtreal and The Signal.  In 2022 released a new duo album, The Weight of Hope, and it received a JUNO nomination for Best Vocal Jazz Album, although it crosses into the world of singer-songwriters with music by Nick Drake, Gordon Lightfoot, and Leonard Cohen, and there's a healthy dose of soul and r&b with Stevie Wonder's Visions and trans pioneer Jackie Shane's Any Other Way.   We're now working on our follow up which will be more loop and found sound based, and the first single should come out in May 2024.  www.esmoband.com 

Meanwhile, a few months back we had fun inviting bassist Felix Pastorius to join us, and there's some fan video below!

 

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PHOTOS FROM EUROPE 2019