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Saints Of The Most High! What It Do? It’s hard to believe that we are already into the month of November, and 2009 is almost over. I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to review some anointed new independent Christian recording artist. This was the very first year that Holy Smoke CD Reviews was listed in the Indie Bible, and carried independently on the Muzik And All That website. I would sincerely like to extend my thanks for your cooperation and patience, as I attempt to make Holy Smokes the preeminent site for reviews of new Christian and Jazz artist. I would also like to thank the new authors that have found this column a great place to expose new literature in the Christian industry. I would like to conclude the 2009 review year with a review of one of the most refreshing, exciting, and gifted musicians I have ever been exposed to in my life. A dynamic new CD titled, “Sunday Best” (Kirby Lu Productions), by recording artist Sherry K. (Sherry Klinedinst) has become a fixture in the CD changer of my automobile. Thefirst track, “Holy, Holy, Holy” began with a very beautifully played piano solo, which I must admit was a pleasing rendition on an old standard hymn. Sherry, I discovered, is full of surprises throughout this project, and quickly transitioned this solo, into a full orchestra accompanied production that seemed to open like an umbrella, and crescendo into a musical shower of joy. I have to take a moment here, and mention the wonderful vocal contribution on the second track, “I’m In The Lord’s Army”. The soloist Katie Klinedinst, does a masterful job of delivering this song accapella, with a perfunctory “Yes Sir” in the second stanza to add just the right amount of backing vocals. This young apple didn’t fall far from the talented tree!! Sherry K. has the uncanny ability to send your audio sensors in a totally different direction with her interludes and intros, before she gives you that subtle note or chord that allows you to recognize the number, and marvel at her creativity. She hybrids multiple songs into one cleverly changing tune on the “H2O Medley”, with a sound reminiscence of an old silent movie theater pianist. I actually had flashes of old Charlie Chaplin movies popping into my head! Sherry K. uses a myriad of styles to keep her in a traditional arena on these tracks, but with non-traditional arrangements. She clearly wants you to know that this is how Sherry K. does it! There are flashes of ragtime, rock, blues, and jazz, and on track 11 my favorite, if that isn’t a chamber concerto, it should be, beautiful song. “Sweet Peace”, once heard, and enjoyed by the masses, will quickly become a favorite of a lot of other fans too. This is a composition meant to be rendered in a public forum to insure that everyone can enjoy and be inspired by it. I personally can’t wait to be invited to a live Sherry K. performance. I would be remiss, if I didn’t mentioned that on a number of the tracks on “Sunday Best”, Sherry K. is accompanied by some of the most amazing musicians I have had the pleasure of listening to. They accompany her without taking away from the essence of her arrangements. The Clarinet, Flute, (and is that an Oboe?), soloist are definitely in a class all alone! I could continue to wax poetically about this wonderfully anointed woman of God, but even I have a limit to my space and time on Holy Smokes. I do want you all to know that you can continue to enjoy Sherry K. during your Yuletide season with her Christmas release, “Have Yourself A Sherry Little Christmas” (Kirby Lu Productions). The one tidbit, I will reveal about this project, is the intro for “Silent Night”, is definitely not the norm!, so enjoy this track. You can purchased the wonderful music of Sherry K., online, and through her website at www.sherryk.com. You can contacther at sherry@sherryk.com. God Bless, Much Success, In Jesus Name!!!! See you in 2010!!!!

For years Sherry K has plied her piano trade around the country, playing at festivals, theaters, and fairs to the delight of young and old. When she decided to put down some roots in South Bend, she decided to lay down some tracks as well, the result being A Whole New Woman, her second collection of original instrumental compositions.

The 12 tracks run over an hour and span a variety of genres, including light jazz, gospel, classical and new age. The pieces are very well composed and performed, but what struck me most was the use of real instruments (ironically played by real musicians) instead of the usual "synthesizer band" common among indie releases. By having flesh-and-blood musicians add their styles and subtle techniques, the entire project takes on a depth and spontaneity that even the best MIDI orchestras lack.

But how about that thar music? "Home" is aptly comforting and inviting, with piano and harmonica welcoming you in before an inspiring turn towards the grandiose with horns (real horns, mind you) and strings (keyboards. but they still sound good). The genuine sax lays down a very nice line in "Shadowland," a track where slight wah-guitar and overall laid back sound combine for an AM radio feel, a kind of modern Carol King. "The Swing" opens with calliope and glass bells, joined soon by piano and a nostalgic melody that is sweet and pleasing without being saccharine. Part Jewish, part Russian, "Sisters of Faith" is a jaunty folk dance on the piano with horns, flute, clarinet and accordion thrown in for spice, while "On The Steps of Ebenezer Lutheran" scales down to a wistful ragtime piano-and-clarinet duo. A slightly out-of-tune piano playing a hymn opens "The Gospel According to Lu" before jazzy guitars, rollicking piano, drums and Hammond organ manage to develop this same hymn into a bouncy Salvation Army marching rock band. My personal favorite is "Female Problems." Not that I like female problems, but I do like how the song careens along, changing directions with a cartoon-like pace, incorporating a huge array of sounds and instruments, from massive and ominous pipe organs to bells, woodwinds and timpani, being capricious one moment and sad the next and bounding from innocence to deviance in an instant. If this is what it's like to be a woman, I'll take my "deformed chromosome" any day!

Sherry K has packed years of experience and expertise into these 12 fun-loving compositions. To explore your feminine side or experience the myriad joys of being A Whole New Woman, click over to www.sherryk.com.

A good time was had by all at the St. Patrick's Day feast at Southside Christian Church, featuring authentic Irish food and music provided by Sherry K: The Jazzy Gourmet. The menu included Irish classics, such as corned beef and cabbage, homemade sausages w/apples, champ (potato peasant dish) fresh homemade Irish soda bread and Bailey's Irish cream cheesecake. There was even an Irish sing-along!

If you ascribe to Wolf's Law, then it will come as no surprise that one of the finalists at this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off ® was pianist/composer Sherry Klinedinst, who made it to Dallas with her Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups. Klinedinst tours around Indiana on a regular basis (or you can just watch videos); her music is cheerfully all over the map—described on her website as "Yanni, John Williams, Jim Brickman, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin all rolled up into one." My tastes bat .600 from that list, but sound clips reveal her latest to be better than the average jazzed-up hymn album, with "I Want Jesus to Walk With Me" reimagined à la "Minnie the Moocher," and a "Holy Manna" laced with nice instrumental touches that call to mind Smile-era Brian Wilson. Critic-at-large Moe and I did our journalistic duty this morning and whipped up a batch of salmon cups. creamy salmon cups The verdict? I could eat these all day long.
--posted by Matthew @ 11:30 AM

It's hard to believe, but it's time once again for the annual Pillsbury Bake-Off. In 2006, it was Mary Beth Schultz of Valparaiso and her award-winning Chicken Fajita Quiche in the spotlight competing in Orlando, Fla. This weekend, it's Sherry Klinedinst, 44, of South Bend, who's our local creative cook we'll all be cheering for to win the big $1 million dollar check, which will be announced live from the 2008 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off on Tuesday on location at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. And, just as with the previous two Pillsbury Bake-Offs, in 2004 in Hollywood, Calif., and 2006 in Orlando, Fla., I'll shadow our local contestant's every step and spoon stir with daily updates in my offBeat column on the lookListen page.

Klinedinst's winning recipe for Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups is shared in my column this week for readers to sample. It is one of 100 winning recipes all competing for the grand prize. The entire collection of this year's contest recipes are available in the new "43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbook" ($3.99), which went on sale this week at the check-out magazine racks in major supermarkets. Popular Food Network television host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee has been selected to announce the next million-dollar recipe during the April 15 awards ceremony and the official announcement, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Central Time Tuesday morning. This 43rd contest brings eight men and 92 women competing with a diverse range of original recipes from pizzas and appetizers to sweet treats, breakfasts and brunches, and Mexican-inspired dishes. From the tens of thousands of recipe entries, contest officials used rigorous screening, taste panels and kitchen testing to select the final 100 recipes. The recipe creators-amateur cooks from across the country will now prepare their recipes in the contest finals on April 14, in Dallas competing for the really serious dough that's at stake. Seven of the contest prizes will be determined by a panel of judges working in jury-room secrecy.

One award, "the America's Favorite Recipe Award," will be determined by consumers across America. For more information, visit the Bake-Off Contest Web site at www.bakeoff.com and watch my daily column beginning Saturday for all the best on-location behind-the-scenes "dish."

Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 2 teaspoons small capers, drained 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 (10 ounce) box Green Giant Niblets frozen corn & butter sauce, thawed 4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls * Heat oven to 375 degrees. * Spray 48 minimuffin cups with Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. * In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream until well blended. Stir in lemon-pepper seasoning, chives, capers and salt. Stir in corn until well mixed. Fold in salmon. * Separate dough from both cans into 8 rectangles; press perforations to seal. * Cut each rectangle into 6 (2-inch) squares. Press one square in bottom and up side of each mini muffin cup. Spoon slightly less than 1 tablespoon salmon filling into each cup. * Bake 10 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from pan to serving platter. Serve warm. Makes 48 appetizers.

After experimenting with five different recipes, it was her final flavor blend of ingredients that netted Sherry Klinedinst, 44, of South Bend, her chance competing this week at the 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas, Texas. Her pie in the sky hope is to win the big $1 million dollar check, which will be announced live Tuesday from the 2008 Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off, which is sponsored every two years by parent company General Mills and this year is based at The Fairmont Hotel in Dallas.

Klinedinst's winning recipe for Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups contained the mandatory two sponsored brand named ingredients required from every one of the final 100 winning recipes all competing for the grand prize. The entire collection of this year's contest recipes are available in the new "43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbook" ($3.99), which went on sale last week at the check-out magazine racks in major supermarkets. "I just combined some of my favorite ingredients together to create what I think is a great blend of flavors," said Klinedinst, who is a composer and pianist.

Popular Food Network television host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee will announce this year's million-dollar recipe during the awards ceremony scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. This 43rd contest brings eight men and 92 women competing with a diverse range of original recipes from pizzas and appetizers to sweet treats, breakfasts and brunches, and Mexican-inspired dishes. From the tens of thousands of recipe entries, contest officials used rigorous screening, taste panels and kitchen testing to select the final 100 recipes. The recipe creators and amateur cooks from across the country will prepare their recipes in the timed contest finals Monday in Dallas. Seven of the contest prizes will be determined by a panel of judges working in jury-room secrecy. One award, "the America's Favorite Recipe Award," will be determined by consumers across America. For more information, visit the Bake-Off Contest Web site at www.bakeoff.com.

Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 2 teaspoons small capers, drained 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 (10 ounce) box Green Giant Niblets frozen corn & butter sauce, thawed 4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 48 minimuffin cups with Crisco Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream until well blended. Stir in lemon-pepper seasoning, chives, capers and salt. Stir in corn until well mixed. Fold in salmon. Separate dough from both cans into 8 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Cut each rectangle into 6 (2-inch) squares. Press one square in bottom and up side of each mini muffin cup. Spoon slightly less than 1 tablespoon salmon filling into each cup. Bake 10 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from pan to serving platter. Serve warm. Makes 48 appetizers.

So what's the scoop on this year's Northern Hoosier Pillsbury Bake-Off contestant who's in Dallas, Texas, to compete in the 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off? This weekend, it's all about Sherry Klinedinst, 44, of South Bend, who's our local creative cook we'll all be cheering for to win the big $1 million dollar check, which will be announced live from the 2008 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off on Tuesday on location in Dallas at The Fairmont Hotel. And, just as with the previous two Pillsbury Bake-Offs, in 2004 in Hollywood, Calif., and 2006 in Orlando, Fla., I'll shadow our local contestant's every step and spoon stir with daily updates in my offBeat column on the lookListen page.

Klinedinst's winning recipe for Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups was shared in my food column earlier this week for readers to sample. It is one of 100 winning recipes competing for the grand prize. The entire collection of this year's contest recipes are available in the new "43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Cookbook" ($3.99), which went on sale this week at the check-out magazine racks in major supermarkets. Popular Food Network television host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee has been selected to announce the next million-dollar recipe during the April 15 awards ceremony and the official announcement, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Central Time Tuesday morning.

This 43rd contest brings eight men and 92 women competing with a diverse range of original recipes from pizzas and appetizers to sweet treats, breakfasts and brunches, and Mexican-inspired dishes. From the tens of thousands of recipe entries, contest officials used rigorous screening, taste panels and kitchen testing to select the final 100 recipes. The recipe creators-amateur cooks from across the country now will prepare their recipes in the contest finals on April 14 in Dallas, competing for the really serious dough that's at stake. Seven of the contest prizes will be determined by a panel of judges working in jury-room secrecy. One award, "the America's Favorite Recipe Award," will be determined by consumers across America. For more information, visit the Bake-Off Contest Web site at www.bakeoff.com and watch my daily column beginning Saturday for all the best on-location behind-the-scenes "dish."

As for Klinedinst, her full-time job when she's not cooking and baking is on stage as a pianist and composer. One person who is really cheering for Klinedinst to bring home the dough is her Great Aunt Pauline Doll of Valparaiso, who was the first person to call me with the news that her niece was headed for Texas. As for Klinedinst's music, she often showcases tunes from the likes of John Williams, Yanni, Jim Brickman, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin. A self-proclaimed "bake-off biker chick," the motto she features on her Web site www.sherryk.com is: "Piano with spirit, piano with soul, piano with a hint of lime and salt."

It was four years ago that Sherry Klinedinst of South Bend first decided to enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. She had been watching an episode of Oprah Winfrey's popular talk show in 2004 featuring an interview with Susan Conrad, of Findlay, Ohio, who had just returned from Hollywood where the 41st Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off had been held with Dick Clark announcing that Conrad's Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie had netted the $1 million grand prize.

"I figured if she could do it, so could I," said Klinedinst, who competed Monday morning with 99 other finalists at the 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Dallas, Texas. Klinedinst had five hours to create three versions of her Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups recipe for Monday's judging. The winners are announced at 8:30 CST this morning from the Regency Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel, the same chandelier-laden room where the air conditioning was cranked to the lowest possible chilly setting on Monday to compensate for the temporary kitchen stations, including 100 hot ovens and stove ranges used by the contestants for their recipe preparation. By 9:40 a.m. Klinedinst already had plated the first version of her recipe and whisked it off to the judging room, where she also met with a Pillsbury attorney to sign the mandatory affidavit attesting that she was solely responsible for the recipe she was delivering.

While at her kitchen station, Klinedinst also visited with George and Sally Pillsbury, who have made it a tradition to meet each cooking contestant as they stroll through the ballroom escorted by a life-size waddling Pillsbury Dough Boy. The other notable who stopped by Kinedinst's workstation was this year's celebrity hostess for the Pillsbury Bake-Off, Sandra Lee of Food Network fame, a cookbook author and host of the popular series "Semi-Homemade" which she describes using the philosophy "70 percent store-bought/ready-made products accompanied by 30 percent fresh and creative touches, allows cooks to take 100 percent of the credit."

"These look beautiful," said Lee, referring to Klinedinst's appetizers, which had just been removed from the oven. Lee, whose TV trademark is wearing a color-coordinated outfit each week that matches each episode's ever-changing color scheme of appliances, dishes, food and even the background draperies on her show's set, also is announcing the prize winners at today's award ceremony. Klinedinst also has a circle of close fans who have accompanied her to Dallas, including her friend Vickie Marshall of South Bend and Klinedinst's mother Sharon Klinedinst and her aunt Jeanie Poston, both of Walkerton. Also competing from Indiana in this year's Pillsbury Bake-Off are Gloria Felts of Indianapolis with her Poblanos Florentine Casserole, Beverly Rossell of Morgantown, Ind., with her Fudgy Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, and Lisa Kramer of Madison, Ind., with her Cranberry-Pecan Crescent Sausage Wraps. And from our Illinois readership area, it's Annette Riva of Berwyn with her Buffalo Chicken Salad Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Monika Johnson of Chicago and her Orange Marmalade-Chorizo Pizza.

Guests of honor Pillsbury's Bake-Off, now held every other year, also includes some famous special guests of honor who mingle with finalists and sample the recipes showcased. The first contest held in New York in 1949 included Eleanor Roosevelt in attendance. The following year, guests of honor were the would-be king of England, Edward, who abdicated and took on the title of Duke of Windsor, and his wife, the Duchess of Windsor, aka American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Other notable guests over the years have included actress Greer Garson in 1959 and Mamie Eisenhower in 1962. Even Ronald Reagan attended as a special celebrity guest at one of the earlier Bake-Offs, just as he was leaving his acting career to enter politics.

By the numbers-Of the 92 women and eight men competing in this year's 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off, the youngest contestant is 27, and the oldest is 72. There are 79 married contestants, and 78 is the number of grandchildren for all the finalists.

When Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, Md., sent in a selection of four recipes last year in hopes of being a finalist at the 43rd Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off, she said it was her recipe for Jif Peanut Butter Pancakes with Smuckers Strawberry Jam Sauce that she thought would be her ticket to a free trip to Dallas, where the big event was held this week. Instead, it was her recipe for a quick and tasty peanut butter cookie that captured the taste buds of the preliminary judges and won her a spot among the 100 finalists from around the country, including South Bend's Sherry Klinedinst, whose "Creamy Smoked Salmon Cups" recipe also had a shot at $1 million.

On Tuesday, Gurtz, 59, and her peanut butter cookie recipe took home the $1 million grand prize, in addition to a complete set of GE Profile kitchen appliances valued at $10,000, as well as also winning "The Jif Peanut Butter Award" worth $5,000, which was an earlier prize awarded during the ceremony hosted by Food Network TV personality Sandra Lee. Klinedinst, a pianist and composer, was all smiles Tuesday as she prepared for her afternoon flight back to South Bend. "This has been an amazing experience that I'll always remember," she said.

And considering Tuesday was April 15, the IRS holiday known as Tax Day, Klinedinst said she'll especially relive her experience a year from now, since the good people at Pillsbury informed her she'll be receiving a tax statement declaring her free trip to compete as "income" worth $1,700 that she must declare when she files her 2008 tax return.

We've been keeping tabs on her since she was in last year's National Cornbread Championship Cook-Off in Tennessee. But it is the next competition that has us talking. The next stop is the Indy 500 for ingredients, the Grammy for gourmets and the Pulitzer of food prep. Yes, she is heading to the Pillsbury Bake-Off next April in Dallas. It is a three-day event of banquets, receptions and cooking.

Her recipe is creamy smoke salmon cups and it is in the entertaining appetizer category. The beloved bake-off is in its 43rd year and Sherry joins 99 other contestants. Each recipe must use two Pillsbury ingredients, such as crescent rolls or cookie dough. Sherry said she knew that her entry was selected in September. She can't talk in detail about the recipe other than it has crescent rolls and niblet cream corn in butter sauce.

There is big money in baking your way to the top. Last year, the winner received $1 million. We will keep track of the excitement come April.

Professional pianist and composer, Sherry K, visited the elementary schools to share with the children insights into the career of a musical composer and performer. Her workshops, which were presented to all classes in grades K-6 at some point throughout her visiting week, focused on a variety of musical styles and the processes she uses in putting together a new composition and bringing it all the way to the point of performance.

On Monday of her visiting week, Sherry K kicked off the residency at North Liberty Elementary School, presenting an opening assembly in the morning and began to see classes in a small setting throughout the day. The same was done at Walkerton Elementary School on the next day. By the end of Sherry K’s visit, selected students prepared a public performance which highlighted the things they learned and showcased the local performing talent.

To learn more about Sherry K’s school presentations, visit Sherry & School Events.

At their own pace, visitors could leisurely stroll designated routes to specified areas, known as Scenes, where clusters of local visual, performing and culinary artists were showcased (including Sherry K!). The artistic offerings stimulated emotional appeal through sight, sound, and smell. The sense of taste was also appeased thanks to many favorite downtown restaurants, caterers and culinary artisans providing sidewalk cafes with refreshments available for purchase.

All donations received during the performance were given to the Alzheimer’s Services of Northern Indiana. The program was an eclectic mix of down-home gospel, classical, blues and jazz, and included selections from Sherry K’s newest release, Sunday Best: Hymns and Spirituals Freshly Pressed.

What's a 'Sherry K' concert like? Her endearing personality, fun sense of humor, and impeccable keyboard skills make the whole experience a memorable one. No musical stone goes unturned! Will you laugh? Absolutely. Will you cry? Possibly. Will you be bored? Never! Joining Sherry were other area instrumentalists and studio musicians from Indianapolis as well.

A reception followed. The school is located at 56100 Bittersweet Rd., Mishawaka, Indiana, and the auditorium is at entrance C. For more information on Sherry K events, please call 574.291.9044 or visit www.sherryk.com. We enjoyed an evening of spectacular music and the wonderful opportunity to support a worthwhile cause!

The singers -- women ranging from young students to adults -- were recording the song "Reach High" at Gene Michael Productions in Buchanan. Written by local musician Sherry Klinedinst, the song was recorded for release as part of a compilation CD for "Mix in '06," a national women's convention to be held in Indianapolis from June 21-25, 2006. It's a CD that will be sold prior to the event to raise funds and generate interest, Klinedinst said. Klinedinst, who is also known as Sherry K, was contacted by women from The United Church of Christ and The Christian Church and was "asked to write a song," she said. The convention's theme is, "Dream on, Sisters!" and the song puts it to music.

"It's a song about ..." Elise Knaack picked her words carefully. "... We all dream of big things, and we can reach our dreams if we work together." Knaack, a seventh-grader at John Young Middle School in Mishawaka, was the group's soloist. "It has a nice beat to it," she said about the song, "the piano makes it kind of soothing." Other students from John Young, North Liberty Elementary, Urey Middle School in Walkerton and Saint Mary's College were part of the chorus. "The song will encourage other people to pursue their dreams," said Maggie Shoue, a sixth-grader at North Liberty Elementary. "I thought it was really fun," said Urey seventh-grader Kelsey Piotrowicz about her first music recording experience. "We got to sing and express ourselves," she added.

The song, which Sherry K says is representative of her music style, is a combination of light jazz, new age, gospel, and blues. Its instrumental sounds include piano, drums and bass. "I like everything she writes," said Sherry K's mother, Sharon Klinedinst. Sharon is a retired Walkerton Elementary music teacher who gives private piano lessons and who taught Sherry how to play the piano. She has recorded with her daughter in the past and was one of six adults in the chorus of "Reach High." Others were Vickie Marshall, a guidance counselor at Penn High School and Cathy Van Duyne, a music teacher at North Liberty Elementary. Marshall plays the clarinet and has also recorded with Sherry K in the past. Van Duyne has worked with Sherry K on a number of projects in the John Glenn School Corp. "We made a CD here after 9/11," said Van Duyne, "of patriotic songs, and raised $7,000 for the Red Cross."

The music teacher said "Reach High" has "rhythmic creativity" and is "instrumentally catchy," and added that the purpose of the chorus, which is made up of women's voices, is "to promote women." Members of the Saint Mary's College Choir volunteered to record with Sherry K and seemed excited to be there. Kristina Schliesman, a music education major, said it was appropriate for Saint Mary's students because they are from an all-women's college. Schliesman met Sherry K at Saint Mary's College. "Sherry is an accompanist at Saint Mary's," she said, "during voice lessons and opera."

"Reach High" will be released in July, when registration for "Mix in '06" will open.
Tribune Photos/SANTIAGO FLORES

Sherry K makes a point to the singers who joined her in the studio to record her song.	Kelsey Piotrowicz, Patricia Weiss and Kelli O'Brien, from left, enjoy their stint in the recording studio, contributing to the song "Reach High."	Elise Knaack, a seventh-grader at John Young Middle School in Mishawaka, sings a solo in the recording of "Reach High."

"The style of these songs ranges from Windham Hill-ish, to Movie Soundtrack, to Broadway Musical. There is something in here for everyone."
Amy Lotsberg, Whimsical Productions - Minneapolis, Mn

"Sherry K's music travels the same roads Aaron Copland's did. She mines a multitude of musical styles- blues, pop, gospel, new age, jazz and others to create a sound that is uniquely hers yet communicates to the heart and soul of us all. It's a joy to listen to, revealing new textures and surprises with every listen."
Lee Widener, NeverEndingWonder.com - Portland, Or

"Great Music/Incredible Compositions/Truly Gifted Artist. I truly love this CD. Play it once and you're hooked. I am a visual artist and this music makes my imagination ignite. Give it your full attention or play it in the background, either way I guarantee you'll find yourself engaged in the tracks. This CD is a movie soundtrack looking for a good, happy movie. It's a deal at $15.00. Can't wait for Sherry K's next one!"
ericmarshall.net

"Must See TV has nothin' on this Must Hear CD! Sherry K's Musical ingenuity is nothing short of inspirational! From pensive to toe-tappin' the range of musical styles included in this CD is as impressive as the keyboard expertise Sherry K shares with her listeners. Her descriptive melodies, her full harmonies, and her rich orchestrations are enveloping. Don't miss out on the musical experience."
Reach for the Stars review

"With a style all her own, Sherry K brings forth this debut album in full force, cymbals crashing. Though the songs are instrumental, each song has a completely different feel, in essence, making the CD an audible patchwork quilt. Each song is filled with layers of melody, in many voices - clarinet, piano, guitar, bassoon, saxophone, cello, and more. The song "Home" comes at the listener with an air of triumphant accomplishment, while the track "On the Steps of Ebenezer Lutheran" with an air of sauntering on a sunny day. "The Swing" brings forth images of life under the big top. Songs like "Sisters of the Faith" are so catchy, the listener is left wishing for lyrics with which to sing along - but vocals may be all this CD is lacking."
Carrie Smith, IN Michiana Magazine

"Sherry K is an accomplished composer and musician. The songs on this CD are a breath of fresh air– unique and original, qualities that are hard to find in these days of synthesizers and drum machines. Some of the tunes are bluesy, some are fast, some slow, but they all come straight from her heart. Piano is the primary instrument used. "
Christina Lord, Creations Magazine