Susie Arioli is a Canadian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer.

Career

Arioli grew up listening to

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

, and both her parents sang. Her first ever performance as a young singer was at a community centre, where she went by the name Susie Vacation in a subtle reference to

, whose singing style she initially emulated before developing her own unique voice. Arioli had been singing in jazz clubs in Montreal when she met guitarist

Jordan Officer Jordan Officer (born 1976) is a Canadian guitarist who plays jazz, blues, and country music. He has worked often with singer Susie Arioli. Officer was born in Montreal. He played violin and drums before taking up guitar at the age of fourteen. ...

at a jam led by Stephen Barry. Together they started the Susie Arioli Band. Their first big opportunity came in 1998. After a successful outdoor show, they were asked by the

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fest ...

to open for

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. The band's opening set got the attention of Montreal critics, and soon after it released the debut album, ''It's Wonderful''. Arioli has received several

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

nominations. Her second album, ''Pennies from Heaven'', was the last recording of jazz pianist

Ralph Sutton Ralph Earl Sutton (November 4, 1922 – December 30, 2001) was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. Biography Sutton was born in Hamburg, Missouri, ...

. Her third album, ''That's for Me'', was produced by John Snyder. Her fourth album, ''Learn to Smile Again'', was a departure and featured six songs by country songwriter

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

. For the fifth album, ''Night Lights'', she returned to jazz with a collection of standards. All of the albums featured guitarist Jordan Officer. In an article in ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', Arioli was recognized by jazz writer

Francis Davis Francis Davis (born August 30, 1946) is an American author and journalist. He is best known as the jazz critic for ''The Village Voice'', and a contributing editor for ''The Atlantic Monthly''. He has also worked in radio and film, and taught ...

as an emerging jazz talent. Arioli's father was the American writer, actor, and director Don Arioli.

Discography

* ''It's Wonderful'' with

( Justin Time 2000) * ''Pennies from Heaven'' with Jordan Officer (Justin Time, 2002) * ''Susie Arioli Band'' with Jordan Officer (Recorded at Studio Victor, Montreal, 2003 with the support of the Canada Music Fund) * ''That's for Me'' (Justin Time, 2004) * ''Learn to Smile Again'' with Jordan Officer (Justin Time, 2005) * ''Live at Montreal International Jazz Festival'' with Jordan Officer (Justin Time, 2007) * ''Night Lights'' with Jordan Officer (Spectra, 2008) * ''Christmas Dreaming'' with Jordan Officer (Spectra, 2010) * ''All the Way'' (Spectra, 2012) * ''Spring'' (Spectra, 2015)

References

External links

Susie Arioli site

"The Singing Epidemic" by Francis Davis
''Atlantic Monthly'' (Jan/Feb 2006)
Terry Gross interview on ''Fresh Air'', NPR, October 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arioli, Susie 1963 births Living people Canadian people of Italian descent Musicians from Montreal Musicians from Toronto Canadian women jazz singers Justin Time Records artists 21st-century Canadian women singers