SOPHIE MILMAN

Singer Sophie Milman was born in Russia’s Ural Mountains, raised in Israel and is now based in Toronto. That seems like a rather unusual background for a velvety singer who sounds so completely comfortable luxuriating in the melodies of George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Regardless of which composer she’s interpreting, Milman’s intimate yet muscular vocal delivery makes every track shine on her fourth CD. This gifted vocalist is consistently convincing, whether she’s joyously elongating the vowel sounds in “Till There Was You” (from the musical The Music Man) or providing a dramatic, accordion-fueled, French-language reading of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Ces Petits Riens” (the only non-English track here). Half of this CD’s tracks have tasteful orchestration and the others find Milman singing with various small groups of amazing players, including Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Larry Grenadier (bass), Kevin Hays (piano) and Gregoire Maret (harmonica). Golden-touch producer Matt Pierson makes the most of the exceptional musicians and arrangers on board. Pianist Gerald Clayton’s arrangement of “Oh Look At Me Now” leaves room for his jaunty piano solo, which is buttressed by drummer Lewis Nash’s supple brushwork. Similarly, guitarist Julian Lage’s arrangement of “Speak Low” features intricate fretwork that is spotlighted in an intoxicating solo. Lage’s arrangement of pop singer Feist’s “So Sorry” not only provides Milman with a platform to showcase her superb versatility, but it also makes a succinct argument that this composition should become a new standard…read more

The new EP, Live From Montreal, which follows Sophie’s critically acclaimed, In The Moonlight, features six live recordings with two new songs — “Tenderly” and the holiday favorite “Santa Baby”— as well as in-concert versions of songs from In The Moonlight.

Pick up a copy today!  Exclusively on iTunes:  http://t.co/6e5bJUNi

Jazz chanteuse Sophie Milman was born in Russia, resides in Toronto and, apparently, thrives in Manhattan. That’s where the 28-year-old vocalist recorded “In the Moonlight,” her fourth and most ambitious album, supported by top-tier musicians and arrangers.

In fact, this collection of mostly pop and jazz standards can be recommended for its musical settings alone. There’s lushly orchestrated Ellingtonia (Alan Broadbent’s string-swept “Prelude to a Kiss”); small-combo delights (Gerald Clayton’s take on “Oh Look at Me Now”); and, in sharp contrast to the album’s sultry allure, even some flashes of exuberance….read more

This Sunday November 6, join Sophie and her band as they give a very special performance to an intimate audience at the Apple Store in Montreal.  The performance will be recorded live for an exclusive iTunes EP, out December 6.  1321 Rue Ste-Catherine, West  Montreal, QC H3G 1P7, Canada.  See Tour Dates for more info.

Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen -

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“In The Moonlight” is proudly perched at #1 in the top 10 jazz albums on iTunes Canada.

The Ottawa Citizen
“Milman’s Fourth Album The Charm:

This CD, Sophie Milman’s fourth since her self-titled debut in 2004, should do the trick. It should lift her from the class of “very promising” jazz vocalists – if she’s even still in that group, and I’m not sure she is – to a spot among the very best of her generation.

It’s a terrific CD, and it should be.

Matt Pierson (Joshua Redman, Kirk Whalum, Brad Mehldau, Jane Monheit) produced it and Milman is backed by an all-star cast that includes pianists Gerald Clayton and Kevin Hays, guitarists Julian Lage and Romero Lubambo, bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Lewis Nash, percussionist Bashiri Johnson and renowned soloists Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Chris Potter (tenor saxophone) and Gregoire Maret (harmonica).

Arrangements were provided by Alan Broadbent, Gil Goldstein and Rob Mounsey.

It’s hard to go wrong there. But Milman is in fine voice, too. Her reading of these jazz and pop standards is lush, warm, and romantic, exactly what she set out to do.

Like Make Someone Happy, which won a Juno in 2008, this one should win, too.

I’ll be watching to see if she decides to stretch out a bit on her next CD, to see what that beautiful voice can really do.” – Allen Panzeri

Now that all of the shows and interviews are done, I can actually process the many highlights of the past two weeks. Although I’ve finally touched down at home in Toronto, I’m still on quite the high. Ten sold-out shows in Japan, a really fantastic group of musicians (My dude Paul Shrofel, Perry Smith, Evan Hughes, and Noah Garabedian), lots of great media exposure, a dinner with Jonathan Fried, the Canadian ambassador to Japan, and a record that’s doing really well. I mean, if a picture’s worth a thousand words, what to say about a picture that is literally larger than me???

I’m going to miss the Blue Notes and Cotton Club, especially my girl Aki at the Tokyo Blue Note, who looks after us! She can practically read my mind by now. And why don’t we get hot towels after every show elsewhere in the world?? I think that should be an international jazz club practice!

It feels so good to be back to making music. And to have been met with such a warm reception has been amazing. My favourite moment of the tour was when I invited backstage two fans whose faces I’ve come to recognize because they’ve come to every single show I’ve ever played in Tokyo. (I think I’m up to at least 30 shows there now. That’s a lot of Sophie Milman!) They were surprised by the invitation – in fact, they seemed a bit overwhelmed – and I was so moved by their reaction. As a touring musician, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress of travel, jet lag, vocal fatigue, etc., but these encounters are truly what it’s all about: the ability to touch people in a meaningful way.

One of these uber-fans, Yoko, told me that her favourite song of mine is ‘La Vie en Rose’, so the band checked out some YouTube clips of me singing it and we threw together an impromptu performance of the song in the second show. I could see Yoko crying in the audience and I could barely hold it together myself. There I was in Japan, on the other side of the world, sharing an intimate moment with another human being, through music. If ever I needed to be reminded why I do what I do, that was all the reminder I needed. It was pure magic!

So, I’m back in Toronto now and looking forward to reconnecting with my family and friends – not to mention my puppy Will (from here on, dubbed ‘puppsies’) – for a few days before I head out for my first dates in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City in more than two years. After such an incredible response in Japan, I can’t wait to play some of my new tunes for these great Canadian audiences!

In the Moonlight
Sophie Milman (eOne)
4 stars

“This is where Milman moves into the big time, with a new label, a stellar set of sidemen (including soloists Randy Brecker, Chris Potter and Julian Lage) and opulent string settings (courtesy ace arranger Alan Broadbent). And yet the Toronto-based singer delivers the goods with such relaxed confidence you’d think she’s been there for years. It doesn’t hurt that she’s great on ballads, smouldering through Watch What Happens and bringing an engaging intimacy to Speak Low. But her tone, luscious and throaty, works just as well on up-tempo tunes like Let Me Love You, creating the illusion of languor no matter how hard she swings. A stunner.”
-J.D. Considine

From The Globe and Mail