The New York Times has called Tierney Sutton “A serious jazz artist who takes the whole enterprise to another level.”

A 6-time Grammy Nominee as both a recording artist and arranger, Sutton is often described as “a singer’s singer,” but just as often, she is described as a “musician’s singer” who uses her voice like an instrument.

Most recently, Tierney received her 5th consecutive Grammy Nomination for “Best Jazz Vocal Album” for her latest project, “After Blue,” an intimate, jazz-inspired re-imagining of the legacy of Joni Mitchell. The album, which is Sutton’s first solo outing without her longtime Band, features Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, Peter Erskine, Larry Goldings, Serge Merlaud, Kevin Axt and The Turtle Island Quartet.

Spanning over 20years of collaboration, the Tierney Sutton Band’s 9 CDs have consistently topped the US jazz charts, leading to Tierney’s selection as Jazzweek’s Vocalist of the Year as well as to numerous other accolades in the music world including a 2011 Grammy nomination for the Band’s collaborative arranging.

She has headlined in recent years at The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Jazz At Lincoln Center. She can also be heard on film and television soundtracks including The Academy Award-nominated film “The Cooler” as well as on television commercials (BMW, Green Giant, Yoplait Yogurt, Coke)

When she is off the road, Tierney is an active educator. She taught for over a decade at USC’s Thornton School of Music and is currently the Vocal Department Head at The Los Angeles Music Academy in Pasadena,CA where she has created a new curriculum for vocalists of all genres.  Tierney has taught and mentored some of music’s finest new generation of singers including Gretchen Parlato and Sara Gazarek.

Judge Gail Nichols, in Aspen, has released some of the details in why law enforcement originally arrested three people this spring in the death of Aspen native Nancy Pfister. One of the three, William "Trey" Styler, confessed last month to murdering her in February. But questions continue about why Styler's wife, and a long time local, were also held for months without bail on murder charges. 

Welcome to Valley Roundup.  It’s a review of the top news stories of the week in Aspen and beyond.

Joining us today are Andy Stone, former editor of and now columnist for the Aspen Times and Curtis Wackerle, Managing Editor of the Aspen Daily News.

This week there was a double-homicide in El Jebel.  The same week a pedestrian was hit and killed on highway 82, this comes on the heels of a high profile murder in Aspen and the death of a rafter.  Today we reflect on how big city this all sounds.

Also, are we loving the outdoors to death?  Judging for the Conundrum Hot Springs…maybe so.

Proposals are lining up for what to do with the old Aspen Art Museum, we look at the Lodging incentive program and the strange partnership of Lee Mulcahy and Maurice Emmer.

On the download with Rob St. Mary a how-to for safe sexting.  It’s all ahead on Valley Roundup.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act and the challenges facing wild places today are different than they were in 1964. Some say it’s increasingly difficult to keep these areas wild and to get protection for new wilderness. The White River National Forest manages eight wilderness areas, including the popular Maroon Bells/Snowmass region near Aspen. In part two of our series, Aspen Public Radio’s Marci Krivonen examines the challenges facing the wilderness in our backyard.

Today is Friday, July 18th.

The Aspen Chamber Symphony under the direction of Osmo Vanska performs at 6 today in the Benedict Music Tent. Piano dynamo Joyce Yang plays the Grieg Concerto. Steven Stucky’s Rhapsodies and Carl Nielsen’s First Symphony are also on the program. Arrive at 4:45pm and you can hear Anton Nel in Mozart piano music in Harris Concert Hall before the concert.

Tomorrow at 10am in the Wheeler Opera House, the Aspen Opera Theater Center singers present staged opera scenes from a wide variety of dramatic and comic works. The Center’s director, Edward Berkeley, always has a new spin to add during these popular master classes.

At 1pm tomorrow, head to the top of Aspen Mountain by gondola or foot if you’re ambitious, and enjoy Music on the Mountain, a casual concert in a spectacular setting.

At 4:30pm tomorrow, three lovely chamber works by Brahms, Dvorak and Mozart will be performed in Harris Concert Hall.

The Pacifica Quartet, one of the finest quartets of their generation, perform the Second and Ninth Quartets by Shostakovich tomorrow at 8pm in Harris Concert Hall. Schnittke’s Third Quartet is also on the program.

Sunday’s Aspen Festival Orchestra concert at 4pm in the Benedict Music Tent features Robert McDuffie in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, along with works by Ravel and Brett Dean. Thierry Fischer conducts.