New and Nifty: Sophie Milman, Margo Reymundo
Lots of searches come through this page, looking for free music downloads. They’re out there - I run across nifty music all the time on MySpace and “All About Jazz,” a musical website. Linus Entertainment manages a number of Canadian acts - they’ve got a whole webpage dedicated to downloads by their stable of artists. It’s where you’ll find a freebie from one of this week’s featured artists, Sophie Milman.
Let’s get to it, then.
Sophie Milman - Take Love Easy (Koch)Released - May 5, 2009 (Canada)
June 2, 2009 (US)
There’s a lot to like about this third release from Sophie Milman, the Canadian singer whose steady rise through North America continues to gain momentum. Appearances at the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl last year; you can find her DVD “Live In Montreal” in the racks at “Best Buy,” for heaven’s sake.
This release should continue the upward trajectory for Ms. Milman. There’s everything to like about her delivery, which sits somewhere the intersection of swing and seduction. That requires not only good production (thanks, Steven MacKinnon), but also the talent to pull it all off. Ms. Millman continues to mature as an artist - and as much as I liked her earlier two discs, this one is her best yet.
“Take Love Easy” topped the iTunes Jazz chart in Canada right after its release last month, and there’s no reason that this one won’t take off in the US, as well. The title track is the one that’s pushed as the first single from this disc - Duke Ellington’s “Take Love Easy.” The disc is heavy on covers of pop tunes; yet Ms. Milman’s silky styling and the new arrangements put a slightly different point on many of these familiar tracks. Among them - Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” and Paul Simon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.”
I’d worry about the market for this kind of pop-tinged jazz; it seems to be shrinking a little, with the demise of so many “Smooth Jazz” radio outlets. On the other hand, I don’t get paid to worry about those things - I simply enjoy the music.
And there’s much to enjoy about this one. Highest recommendation.
Ms. Milman’s Canadian management company, Linus Entertainment has made one of the tracks from “Take Love Easy” available for download. It’s “That Is Love,” an original, penned by Ms. Milman’s pianist, Paul Shrofel. It’s available here.
Margo Reymundo - My Heart’s Desire (Organica Tunes)Released - December 18, 2008
The note from the publicity guy came, inviting me to take a listen to Margo Reymundo’s music, which he said, “…combines, Jazz, Bossa, Pop, and the ethno-rhythmic sounds of world music together into what she calls ‘Organica.’”
Organica, he said, is “…an unorthodox hybrid of Pop that is deeply rooted in Jazz with thick, ethno-rhythmic beats created by humans not machines, textured with the lush vocals of Margo Reymundo and layered with ambient guitars and keys.”
Ethno-Rhythmic, Organica, hybrid, textured, ambient…okay, but as a wise man once said, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.” Can the woman sing?
The answer to that - is “you betcha.”
Thank goodness.
The title track opens the disc - a catchy, growly, infectious tune, that nicely sets the tone for what follows. And what follows can perhaps be called a journey. Each track is a part of the whole, and despite all the mumbo-jumbo in the press releases, I just started to float along, and enjoy the trip.
And it’s quite a journey - most of the tracks are originals - you’ll find Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and a bilingual version of the Carly Simon-Michael McDonald tune, “You Belong To Me” among the covers.
Production values are pop-flavored, but make no mistake. Ms. Reymundo’s voice is the show here. Whether Seductive, bouncy, or mesmerizing - it’s quite an instrument, itself.
And that’s what all those words were really trying to say.
The words get in the way. Just go listen. Very highly recommended.
I’m a sucker for big bands, and this past week, I’ve been listening to a lot of the US Air Force’s big band, the “Airmen of Note.” Recent vocalists with the band include Paige Martin and Tracey Wright. Some of those recordings are available free here.
And although the audio quality of this video recording is poor, it’ll give you an idea of the good stuff you can find from these guys and gals - free, if you poke around enough on line.
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Tags: Margo Reymundo, Paige Martin, Sophie Milman
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I’ve rewritten this a half-dozen times now. Here’s the problem I’m having: growing up where I did, also having lived in Canada (Sudbury) for a while as a kid, I’m overly sensitive to that patronizing tone that Americans sometimes (heck, often) take when talking about (or to) their neighbors. For us in Detroit, those neighbors were right across the river. On the other hand, I’m generally amused when Canadians dish it right back. So. Canadian friends, please understand. I’m trying hard not to do that here. If there’s a faux pas on my part, it’s one of ignorance, not of intent.
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