Jazz diva Sophie MilmanCurse those free Amazon.com downloads! It's all Amazon's fault that I first encountered Sophie Milman when I ran across her MP3 track So Long, You Fool as a free download. I'm a Jane Monheit fan, and enjoy Madeleine Peyroux too--and I think Norah Jones shares some slight overlap with these ladies as well--so the chance to download a free MP3 from a female jazz vocalist I'd never heard of before was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

So why am I cursing? She's good! That meant I just had to purchase a few other tracks. So I curse that in finding a new jazz vocalist I like, my pocketbook is a bit lighter. *grin*

All in all, I've now got three of her songs in my iTunes library:

• So Long, You Fool from the album Make Someone Happy--This track was the free MP3 download--and it may still be free, so check it out!
• Undun, also from the album Make Someone Happy--I think of these three tracks, this may be my current favorite!
• Aqua de Berber from the self-titled album Sophie Milman--I could only find this album available on Amazon as an import CD or as an MP3 download album.

Now I've got another CD or two on my gotta-buy list (which seems to be eternally growing longer). *sigh* Life's rough when you absolutely have to listen to good music!

In googling the 'net a bit, I ran across this 2006 Jazz Monthly interview with Sophie Milman (at least I think it's from 2006--I couldn't find a date anywhere other than a copyright year).

I look forward to more music from this young, talented Russian-born Canadian jazz vocalist.

Sophie Milman's self-titled album "Sophie Milman" album coverSophie Milman's "Make Someone Happy" album coverMonday, 03 March 2008 UPDATE:
I'm now the happy owner of two of Sophie's CDs, her self-titled album Sophie Milman, and her latest album, Make Someone Happy.

I like many of the tracks, though there a few arrangments I don't care for. Overall these two CDs (now a part of my iTunes library and added to my vehicle's CD player for playback rotation while I drive) make me happy.