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Aimée Allen
Club Bonafide
212 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10022
Jan 10, 2019
9:30 PM EST
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About this concert
Aimée Allen
Aimée Allen’s latest release, Wings Uncaged, is a musical statement of transcendence in all its facets. With a set of striking originals featuring winged creatures, negotiating the challenges and limitations of the natural world, through migration, mating, being predator, or being prey, the project provides metaphors for surviving perilous conditions in creative ways. It is no accident that a profound meditation on the current state of democracy, entitled Democracy How (Harmony and Dissonance) is also included. Interspersed also with unexpected reworkings of standards, Wings Uncaged proclaims that in love, as in life and in nature, we can rise above and transform our circumstances.
Aimée Allen – vocalsToru Dodo – pianoFrançois Moutin – bassKush Abadey – drums
www.aimeeallenmusic.comwww.facebook.com/aimee.allen.942www.facebook.com/aimeeallenmusicwww.instagram.com/aimeemarieallen
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Aimée remembers: “There was a lot of music athome. As a child, my mother sang around the house, so I did too. My brother playedguitar and I played a bit of piano. I remember hearing classic jazz,, Ella Fitzgerald, SarahVaughan (my all-time favorite), Abbey Lincoln, Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Al Jarreau, PatMetheny, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, and Nancy Wilson. I also listened to AM radioand a lot of classic rock including Steely Dan, Chicago, Stevie Wonder and MichaelJackson. I sang in school choirs and occasionally in church, and played the flute aswell.” While attending Yale, Aimée began to take singing more seriously, performing ina cappella groups. She went to Paris as an undergrad and started to sing professionally atduo gigs in piano bars. “Paris immediately felt like a second home to me, and I found thatthe jazz I grew up with was very popular there, even more recognized than in the States.”She teamed up with top local musicians to form Le Bossa Novices, singing Jobim tunesand other Brazilian music. Return visits to Paris found her leading her own quartet,appearing at clubs and festivals.
Back in New York since 2002, Aimée has long been an important member of the jazzcommunity, performing regularly at countless venues, and on stage with many great jazzintrpreters including Roswell Rudd, Joel Frahm, Ari Hoenig, Yomo Toro, RomeroLubambo, and Francois Moutin. In 2006 she recorded her debut release, Dream. Alreadydisplaying a fully-formed style of her own, she performed vocals in English, French andPortuguese on a variety of standards and bossa novas, ranging from “Honeysuckle Rose,”and “Triste” to her original “Solitude Blues.” The following year she recordedl’Inexplicable, a special set of soulful jazz-pop originals sung in French. Next wasWinters & Mays, which includes among its highlights her interpretations of “Peel MeLike A Grape,” Sting’s “Fragile,” and a combination of “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “ItCould Happen To You.” 2015’s Matter Of Time teamed the singer with pianist ToruDodo, bassist Francois Moutin and drummer Jacob Melchior. Four numbers co-star themasterful Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo. Highlights include Aimée’s thoughtful“Matter Of Time,” “The Island,” a hard-swinging “Close Your Eyes,” and the ballad“Sometimes You Just Know.”
Aimée Allen gets vivid reactions from audiences when she performs her compositions.Some of her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television. Sheperforms regularly in New York, has dates in Europe, and is always working on creatingnew music. And she is very grateful for the support that she has received from fans in herIndiegogo campaign for Wings Uncaged.
Aimée Allen and jazz both have a bright future. – Scott Yanow
https://youtu.be/TbqMc5TBTn4
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Aimée Allen Biography
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, vocalist Aimée Allen's intimate connection with music began as a child. Her childhood was scored with classic jazz, because her mother kept selections from the tradition on the family turntable. Though singing was a part of her childhood, Aimée first began singing professionally with jazz a cappella groups in college. After graduation, Aimée moved to Paris where she performed regularly in jazz clubs and festivals. The deep relationship between the francophone audiences and Brazilian bossa nova, led Aimée to form Les Bossa Novices, a Paris-based group dedicated to bossa and jazz.
Aimée now performs regularly in New York City and abroad. Standards and bossa are part of her repertoire, but now an accomplished composer, she also sings her original songs, many of which have become audience favorites. Her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television. She has sung with many renowned jazz musicians including Romero Lubambo, Ron McClure, François Moutin, Roswell Rudd, Ari Hoenig, Joel Frahm, and Yomo Toro.
“A fully fledged composer, lyricist and vocalist, her ideas are filled with depth and meaning and her lyrics profoundly unique.”
- Constance Tucker, All About Vocals
“A brilliant singer and even more thoughtful lyricist, Allen’s sublime collaboration with Lubambo (the duets are true gems) reveal Allen’s vocal abilities in terms of storytelling.”
- H. Allen Williams, JazzTimes
“Intimate lyrics and timely social commentary on “Democracy How” gives Allen’s Wings Uncaged a powerful voice”
- Jay Edwards, WCLK, JazzTones Radio
“Wings Uncaged is filled with inventive reworkings of a few favorite standards along with five new and memorable originals, featuring Allen at the top of her form.”
- Scott Yanow
Recordings:
After a successful crowdfunding campaign contributed to by fans, Aimée released a new album, Wings Uncaged, in September of 2018. It features jazz standards, and Aimée’s own compositions on the theme of transcendence, evocative song-stories with winged creatures serving as metaphors. The album reached #32 on the JazzWeek charts (#1 on the RMR jazz charts, and #8 on the NACC jazz charts), and garnered a 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine's Best of 2018 issue.
Aimée's last album, Matter of Time, released in May 2015 on Azuline Music features master Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, François Moutin on bass, Toru Dodo on piano, and Jacob Melchior on drums. The album is an exciting and soulful collection of Aimée’s new compositions, unconventional interpretations of standards, and bossas featuring Aimée and Romero in duo.
Aimée's previous release, Winters & Mays is that rare combination of soulful, sensitive, and swinging. It includes Aimée’s thoughtful original songs as well as reinterpretations of hand-picked gems, demonstrating Aimée's versatility through jazz, bossa, blues, tango, ballads and even pop. Winters & Mays was released on Azuline Music in 2011.
Aimée's second CD, l’Inexplicable, was the fruit of her trans-continental musical experiences and her talents as a writer. It is a collection of warm, soulful, jazz-pop originals blending African rhythms, Brazilian bossa, and classic jazz influences. Nearly all the tracks were written by Aimée and are sung in French. l’Inexplicable was released in Japan in 2008 on Vivid Sound and in Europe on Schubert Music. Aimée's original compositions from this album have been licensed for use in film and network television.
On her debut release, Dream, Aimée offered inspired interpretations of jazz standards, familiar bossa nova classics and one original composition. In keeping with her experiences, Dream includes vocals in English, French, and Portuguese.
Read MoreAimée now performs regularly in New York City and abroad. Standards and bossa are part of her repertoire, but now an accomplished composer, she also sings her original songs, many of which have become audience favorites. Her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television. She has sung with many renowned jazz musicians including Romero Lubambo, Ron McClure, François Moutin, Roswell Rudd, Ari Hoenig, Joel Frahm, and Yomo Toro.
“A fully fledged composer, lyricist and vocalist, her ideas are filled with depth and meaning and her lyrics profoundly unique.”
- Constance Tucker, All About Vocals
“A brilliant singer and even more thoughtful lyricist, Allen’s sublime collaboration with Lubambo (the duets are true gems) reveal Allen’s vocal abilities in terms of storytelling.”
- H. Allen Williams, JazzTimes
“Intimate lyrics and timely social commentary on “Democracy How” gives Allen’s Wings Uncaged a powerful voice”
- Jay Edwards, WCLK, JazzTones Radio
“Wings Uncaged is filled with inventive reworkings of a few favorite standards along with five new and memorable originals, featuring Allen at the top of her form.”
- Scott Yanow
Recordings:
After a successful crowdfunding campaign contributed to by fans, Aimée released a new album, Wings Uncaged, in September of 2018. It features jazz standards, and Aimée’s own compositions on the theme of transcendence, evocative song-stories with winged creatures serving as metaphors. The album reached #32 on the JazzWeek charts (#1 on the RMR jazz charts, and #8 on the NACC jazz charts), and garnered a 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine's Best of 2018 issue.
Aimée's last album, Matter of Time, released in May 2015 on Azuline Music features master Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, François Moutin on bass, Toru Dodo on piano, and Jacob Melchior on drums. The album is an exciting and soulful collection of Aimée’s new compositions, unconventional interpretations of standards, and bossas featuring Aimée and Romero in duo.
Aimée's previous release, Winters & Mays is that rare combination of soulful, sensitive, and swinging. It includes Aimée’s thoughtful original songs as well as reinterpretations of hand-picked gems, demonstrating Aimée's versatility through jazz, bossa, blues, tango, ballads and even pop. Winters & Mays was released on Azuline Music in 2011.
Aimée's second CD, l’Inexplicable, was the fruit of her trans-continental musical experiences and her talents as a writer. It is a collection of warm, soulful, jazz-pop originals blending African rhythms, Brazilian bossa, and classic jazz influences. Nearly all the tracks were written by Aimée and are sung in French. l’Inexplicable was released in Japan in 2008 on Vivid Sound and in Europe on Schubert Music. Aimée's original compositions from this album have been licensed for use in film and network television.
On her debut release, Dream, Aimée offered inspired interpretations of jazz standards, familiar bossa nova classics and one original composition. In keeping with her experiences, Dream includes vocals in English, French, and Portuguese.
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