All that Jazz...

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
Cyrille Aimee

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Cyrille Aim?e has consistently proven herself to be an unstoppable, undeniable talent in the modern age of jazz. Internationally renowned and praised for her unparalleled abilities, Cyrille's vocal stylings are synonymous with musical genius.

Cyrille is born in the imperial city of Fontainebleau, France, and at eleven years old she is back in the Fontainebleau area for the third time after a two year stay in Africa and more than five years in Larchmont, New York.Her village, Samois-sur-Seine, every year greets gypsies coming from all over Europe, arriving in May by the hundreds to set up their caravans in the nearby meadows.

There they wait for the yearly jazz festival organized to honor the legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt who lived there. Cyrille falls in love with their way of life, their music, and their freedom. She invites them to her home, spends evenings and nights at the camp, learns their accent and language, and begins to sing by the fire with the grandsons of Django.

She becomes part of the Reinhardt?s family. Although she quickly surpasses her school mates during guitar lessons with famous manouche guitarist Romane, her voice is what most strikes her professor. He then invites her to sing with the Manoukian Big Band at the following Django festival in the year 2000; a frightful experience for Cyrille and a decisive one.

Cyrille Aim?e wants more of the stage, more of the audience: she will be a singer!At nineteen, Cyrille Aim?e has tried various vocal professors, has performed in various caf?s and jazz spots. She has attended the Crest master classes, recorded numerous demos and she is not ready to follow the steps of the family moving to Singapore.

Cyrille will stay in Paris and attend the American School of Modern Music. Left alone in Paris, Cyrille meets many new friends and misses her family; she goes from exhilaration to frustration and one day, out of sheer boredom, sends a video recording to participate in the Star Academy competition, a four year old reality show.

She gets invited to a first interview, a second one and then things get out of hand; she passes the final selection and words are in the street that she might even be the next winner. Photos appear on magazine covers and friends are frantically calling. Cyrille Aim?e is set up to enter ?The Castle? for the next three months where the show will start in the fall.During the summer vacation, Cyrille realizes that jazz is her life, and that she does not really want to participate in the pop show; despite powerful pressure from the tv producers to get her in.

She decides to pass and flies to her mom?s country of origin, Dominican Republic, for a complete change of atmosphere. After just a few weeks in Santo Domingo Cyrille Aim?e gets to know most of the jazz scene, plays up to six gigs a week, appears on tv, gets radio airtime and actively prepares her file to enroll at Berklee or Purchase College.

She gets acceptance letters from both and chooses to attend SUNY Purchase Jazz Conservatory. Purchase remains for Cyrille an exceptional experience. She discovers campus life as a freshman and Manhattan as a sophomore. In junior year, she already has a band, and as a senior some regular gigs in Soho.

Cyrille not only falls in love with each and every musical instrument but above everything opens all her senses to jazz music: harmony, rhythm and improvisation.During winter breaks she flies to Dominican Republic to entertain her many fans over there, and uses summer as opportunities to bring her fellow musicians to discover Samois, France and Europe.

In 2006, she organizes a backpacking tour where the musicians play and sing their way across Spain, France and Italy. In 2007, the group targets the Perugia jazz festival where they play for food and lodging while Cyrille Aim?e flies to Switzerland to participate in the Montreux international voice competition. She brings home both the first prize and the special public prize.

In Spring 2008, Cyrille Aim?e and her friends will also make a special trip to a studio in the snowed mountains of Switzerland and record her first official CD: ?Cyrille Aim?e & the Surreal Band?.

Some months later, Cyrille is called to front the fast-rising, already internationally-known, Caravan Palace in their European tour. She replaces the ailing singer Zo? Colotis for forty concerts in fifteen countries, for crowds of over 10,000 people.In 2009, Cyrille Aim?e graduates ?summa cum laude? from Purchase, and moves to Brooklyn.

On a hot day of September, Cyrille Aim?e receives an invitation call from guitarist Diego Figueiredo to join him for a few concerts in Brazil. Having met Diego at the Montreux competition and appreciating his talent and virtuosity, she agrees. Some weeks later, Cyrille and Diego play in front of crowded audiences and still find the time to record ?Smile?, a beautiful duet.

To return the gesture, Cyrille promotes the CD in New York, eventually recieving invitations for Diego: one performing five nights at Lincoln Center Dizzy?s Coca Cola Club, a second one recording another duo CD: ?Just the Two of Us?, in May 2010 at the famous Avatar Studios in New York for the Japanese label Venus Records.

In the fall of 2010, Cyrille Aim?e becomes one of the three finalists at the worldwide renowned Thelonious Monk voice competition. The Washington Post celebrates her ??voice like fine whiskey ? oaky and smooth, with a hint of smokiness?? The New York Times catches up a few weeks later and presents a great review of Cyrille while singing at Smalls, the famous NYC jazz club, where she just finished a live record ?Cyrille Aim?e + Friends Live at Smalls? featuring the accomplished Roy Hargrove and Joel Frahm for the label SmallsLIVE.

Cyrille Aim?e?s interests span another wide spectrum as she lends her voice to friends? productions like Django?s grandson David Reinhardt, and touring with his trio to New Caledonia and gave a special vocal jazz Master Class.

Her singing is featured in movies such as ?Kings of Pastries?. She pushes the limits of improvisation with dancers on stage at Dizzy?s Club and the Tribeca Arts Center while perfecting her loop pedal skills during a cherished encounter with the iconic Bobby McFerrin.

Today Cyrille Aim?e tours in the US with the Hot club of Detroit, and sings with the Chicaco Jazz Orchestra. She regularly performs in Manhattan with legends of the East Coast jazz scene. She has performed twice at Harlem?s legendary Apollo Theater and can be found any given day in the historic jazz clubs of NYC, including Joe?s Pub, The Iridium and Dizzy's Club, with musicians like Joel Frahm, Steve Davis, Spike Wilner, Tom Kennedy and Anat Cohen, among many others.

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windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
She's a little "pitchy" live. Better on the studio recording.
 
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the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
nice post, PICHARDO. now go listen to some Sara Tavares, and make everything all right. can?t find anything? then try Esepranza Spalding