Cyrille Aimée (; born August 10, 1984) is a French jazz singer.

Biography

She grew up in the French town of

Samois-sur-Seine Samois-sur-Seine (, ) is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located near Fontainebleau. Culture It is famous for being the town to which Django Reinhardt retired, and hosts an ...

, in

Fontainebleau, France Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement'' ...

. Her father is French and her mother is from the Dominican Republic. She won the '' Montreux Jazz Festival Competition'' in 2007, was a finalist in the ''

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock. The i ...

'' in 2010, and won the ''Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition'' in 2012. Her 2019 album ''Move On'' featured cover versions of songs by Stephen Sondheim. The album received praise from Sondheim himself, and one of its songs, "Marry Me a Little", was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Critical reception

''New York Times'' music reviewer Stephen Holden described Aimée as a blend of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

and wrote that the "saucy, curly-haired jazz singer toodwith one foot in tradition and the other in electronics," and that her voice had a "tart, girlish chirp" and that her Surreal Band fused traditional and futuristic electronics with textures mixing jazz and funk. ''New York Times'' reviewer Nate Chinen wrote that she had a "sweet, girlish voice that she controls with a sniper's precision". '' Star-Ledger'' reviewer Ronni Reich described her sound as "instantly recognizable" with a "soft, girlish buzz with a touch of an Edith Piaf-like quaver." Reviewer John Fordham in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote that she is a "subtle and articulate vocalist" who is "light-stepping, casually fluent and persuasive" and sometimes "coolly understated in a soft glide." ''Classicalite'' reviewer Mike Greenblatt described Aimée as "beautiful, talented, precocious, funny, cultured, with the kind of instantly-recognizable voice that has no known precedent." Aimée was also singled out for particular praise for her role in Alex Webb (musician)'s music theatre piece ''Cafe Society Swing'' at New York's

59E59 Theaters 59E59 Theaters is a curated rental venue located in New York City that consists of three theater spaces or stages. It shows both off-Broadway (in Theater A) and off-off-Broadway plays (in Theaters B and C). The complex is owned and operated by ...

in Christmas 2014, where she starred alongside vocalists Charenee Wade and

Allan Harris Allan Harris (28 December 1942 – 23 November 2017) was a footballer who played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers. His brother Ron was also a professional footballer. Harris was a full-back and began his career with Chelsea ...

. The show received a Critic's Pick in

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Discography

* ''One More by Crème Fraîche -- The Lost Recordings'' (2006) * ''Cyrille Aimée and the Surreal Band'' (2009) * ''Smile'' (Cyrille Aimée Music, 2009) with Diego Figueiredo * ''Just the Two of Us'' (

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, 2010) with Diego Figueiredo * ''Live at Small's'' ( SmallsLIVE, 2010) * ''Live at Birdland'' (Cyrillemusic, 2013) * ''Burstin' Out'', Chicago Jazz Orchestra with Cyrille Aimée (

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...

, 2013) * ''It's a Good Day'' (

Mack Avenue Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company is a sponsor ...

, 2014) * ''Let's Get Lost'' (Mack Avenue, 2016) * ''Cyrille Aimée Live'' (Mack Avenue, 2018) * ''Move On: A Sondheim Adventure'' (Mack Avenue, 2019) * ''I'll Be Seeing You'' (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aimee, Cyrille Living people French women jazz singers French jazz singers People from Fontainebleau 1984 births 21st-century French singers 21st-century French women singers French people of Dominican Republic descent Mack Avenue Records artists