Singer Millman brings Eastern European accent to jazz
Jazz vocalist Sophie Millman reckons that her sophomore album reflects “all of the turbulence, transformations and drama” in her life.
And there’s been plenty: The 24-year-old, widely tipped locally as the next major jazz artist to emerge from Canada, was born in Ufa, Russia — on the slopes of the Ural Mountains — but her family immigrated to Haifa, Israel, when she was 7. At 16, Millman was uprooted again when the family moved to Canada.
Toronto-based Linus Entertainment released Millman’s self-titled debut in Canada in 2004. Since then, she has balanced a music career’s demands with her university studies for a commerce degree, which she will finish in June 2008.
Millman, who managed to fit in headlining shows throughout North America, Mexico, Japan and Europe after her debut’s release, admits that “it’s been tough. I was learning my craft under incredible pressure. Meanwhile, I wrote essays on buses, cars and planes.”
Jazz CJRT Toronto music director Brad Barker noted that Millman’s approach is “less blues-based” than that of many other jazz singers, citing “the Eastern European flair she brings to her music.”
The June 19 Canadian release of her new album, “Make Someone Happy,” on Linus/Universal Music precedes an August 28 U.S. release through Koch.
“I was itching to make another record,” Millman said.
A June 10-city Canadian tour precedes U.S. shows scheduled for August 20-28.
“Make Someone Happy” continues its predecessor’s all-covers approach, placing standards like the title track alongside “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” from “Fiddler on the Roof” and Canadian pop-rock act the Guess Who’s 1969 hit “Undun.”
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