Sophie Milman

Sophie Milman ( born 1984 in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR, Soviet Union) is a Canadian jazz singer with Russian-Jewish roots.

Musical career

Mid-1990s, the family emigrated to Israel and settled in Haifa. The determining reason for emigration were the press restrictions in Russia, where her mother, tried to escape by profession a journalist. The material conditions in the new home were modest in the early years: At times the parents had two jobs to make ends meet. When Sophie Milman was 16, the family moved to Canada and settled in Toronto. First contacts with the music they got through the extensive record collection of her father, who had this brought from Russia. In addition to plates of pop and rock bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, they also contained gospel, jazz and classical works.

At 18 years, the singer later enrolled at the University of Toronto for the study of economics one. Your first gig they had a year later. During a gig series with local young talent discovered the jazz impresario and pianist Bill King. King cared about more opportunities to perform, the number of which, however, initially remained manageable. However, Milman was lucky. The Canadian jazz label Linus Entertainment took them under contract and brought her first CD on the market. In addition to some standards from the Great American Songbook The debut appeared in 2004, entitled " Sophie Milman " contained, the title La vie en rose and a jazz interpretation of the famous Russian Voksklieds Ochi Chernye (Black Eyes). With over 100,000 copies sold was " Sophie Milman " a commercial success. As well as the two subsequent albums, the publication reached top places in the category jazz album on the Billboard charts. In Apple's iTunes Music Store Milmans first work temporarily reached first place in the jazz charts.

According successful were the next two albums " Make Someone Happy ... " (2007) and " Take Love Easy" ( 2009). " Make Someone Happy ... " won the Juno Award for Best Jazz Album of the Year. Positive reviews received mainly album number three, " Take Love Easy". Were singled out especially praised some cover interpretations in the fields of pop and rock like I'm on Fire by Bruce Springsteen, Be Cool by Joni Mitchell and 50 Ways to Leave your Lover by Paul Simon. 2008 Milman completed a series of gigs outside of Canada - including in New York's Blue Note club. Joint event programs she attended inter alia with known jazz greats like Chick Corea and the group Manhattan Transfer.

In addition to her musical career continued Sophie Milman her studies. The singer is fluent in four languages ​​( Russian, Hebrew, English and French) - a diversity that is also reflected in the chosen song repertoire. Although she described herself as not religious in an interview, she expressed several times that dealing with the ethnic Judaism and Jewish identity is an issue for them. A corresponding musical accent she sat with the song Eli, Eli ( A Walk to Caesarea ) on their second CD. About the studio albums out so far are two live releases appeared: "Live at The Winter Garden Theatre " (2007) and "Live In Montreal" (2008).

Style and reviews

As an important musical influences in her youth calls Sophie Milman Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson and Stevie Wonder. It was also affected by the vocalists Peggy Lee and Billie Holiday. In addition, they admired Carmen McRae. In an interview she called Ella Fitzgerald as her idol. Of the currently standing in the spotlight artists, however, was especially Diana Krall one that have paved their success younger singers the way.

Unlike Diana Krall or singers like Norah Jones, who occasionally or regularly looking for the crossover to the Easy Listening or the current pop music, Sophie Milman prefers classic jazz combo instrumentation at their studio releases. The standard instrumentation (vocals, piano, guitar, bass and drums ) will be supplemented by title by other instruments such as violin, accordion, vibraphone, saxophone, or a horn section. The classic jazz style of play complemented the singer with a song repertoire that in addition to classics and new compositions and pop songs, chansons, in other languages ​​transferred songs ( Stay or residues) or folk songs from the Russian or Hebrew culture contains.

The press relished the music of Sophie Milman, in particular the third album, with consistently positive reviews. The music portal rocktimes.de wrote: "With, among others, lounge jazz, bop, bossa nova and swing is impressive throughout on this album well. Sophie Milman grows up to be a serious competitor for many a famous name. The voice can be imagined pictorially that they themselves accompanied only by the piano would make a brilliant figure. "Page gaesteliste.de praised the classically -reduced setting and the successful adaptation of songs from other styles of music. The MDR- MDR Figaro culture page resummierte about " Take Love Easy", " Sophie Milman taught in the swinging songs some of the properen freshness of the 1950s, but then again peeps the cool jazz around the corner. "

Discography

• 2004: Sophie Milman ( Linus Entertainment)
• 2007: Make Someone Happy ( Linus )
• 2008: Live In Montreal ( E1)
• 2009: Take Love Easy ( Linus )