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Aimée Allen

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, vocalist and composer/lyricist Aimée Allen's connection with music began as a child. Her childhood was scored with classic jazz, because her mother kept the music on the family turntable. Aimée first began singing jazz professionally with a cappella groups in college. After graduation, Aimée moved to Paris where she performed in jazz clubs and festivals and formed, with other musicians, Les Bossa Novices, a Paris-based group dedicated to bossa and jazz. 

Now based in New York, she tours regularly in the U.S. anad abroad. Aimée has released 6 albums. Her latest, Love & the Catalyst was nominated for a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album - Vocal. Standards and bossa are part of her repertoire, but an accomplished songwriter, she also sings her own compositions, many of which are requested favorites.  Her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television.  She has sung with many renowned musicians including Romero Lubambo, Ron McClure, François Moutin, Rozwell Rudd, Ari Hoenig, and Yomo Toro.

Awards

Aimée has been named on Downbeat’s Critic’s Poll as a Rising

Star jazz vocalist, and is the recipient of a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works

l'Inexplicable - 2008 Best International Album Jazz/World, Polish Music Academy in London

 


Tags

8
Album Review

Fahir Atakoglu: For Love

Read "For Love" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Veteran international recording artist Fahir Atakoglu delivers his eighteenth album as leader with the audacious For Love, an album which he proclaims: “ ... Is all about love." And he believes “Everything depends on love." A native of Turkey, this Turkish-American artist is an award-winning composer and pianist whose long and distinguished career has included writing for television, films and documentaries. This exceptional recording was purposely designed with a foreign flavor in mind, revealing a varied repertoire that blends musical ...

3
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Wings Uncaged

Read "Wings Uncaged" reviewed by Geannine Reid


Vocalist Aimée Allen arrived on the scene in 2006 with Dream (Azuline Music). She then digitally released L'Inexplicable (Azuline, 2007) followed by Winters and Mays (Azuline, 2011) and Matter of Time (Azuline, 2015). With Wings Uncaged Allen's socially observant style reaches a new maturity. The standard “Invitation" is given a refreshingly modern arrangement. François Moutin's warm bass sonorities create a novel setting for the well-known melody. Allen's diction is clear and her rhythmic delivery precise. She takes her ...

3
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Matter of Time

Read "Matter of Time" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Aimee Allen's previous recording, her junior release, Winters & Mays. (Azuline Music, 2011) was a well-conceived offering from this Pittsburgh native. On Matter of Time, Allen brings her uncanny feel for jazz conception. The disc is slightly schizophrenic, with two competing centers of gravity: one in the jazz mainstream ("My Romance," “Out of Nowhere") and the Brazilian ("Matter of Time," “The Island"). For the latter, guitarist Romero Lubambo, provides all of the necessary humidity. On the Bossa ...

6
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Matter of Time

Read "Matter of Time" reviewed by Geannine Reid


Aimée Allen has a wonderful ear for beauty; fluent in two romantic languages, French and Portuguese, Allen's warm timbered voice also is fluent in conveying passionate phrases that seem to be wholly heart felt. Matter of Time (Azuline Music) is her latest musical offering that contains highly original music and lyrics penned by Allen dealing with subjects of love and the many changes that life brings to each of us. Allen also has a collection of renewed arrangements on familiar ...

327
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Winters & Mays

Read "Winters & Mays" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Vocalist/composer/arranger Aimée Allen exists as a whole, self-sustaining entity. Her round, sensuous alto has only smooth edges with a caress of warm linen. Her songwriting (and that which she does with brother David Allen) is top-notch, fully formed and in abundance on Winters & Mays. But it is her singing that is exceptional, particularly on the standards mash-up “Bye Bye Blackbird/It Could Happen to You." Accompanied only by guitarist Pete McCann and bassist Craig Akin, Allen begins ...

134
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Dream

Read "Dream" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


Aimee Allen's debut album provides a generous helping of eleven tunes from the Great American Songbook. The artist, who possesses a bright voice with a good range, takes the opportunity to mix in some bossa nova, as well as the French lyric for “Autumn Leaves," including the rarely heard verse.

While still a student at Yale University, Allen took an active interest in performing with two a cappella groups which specialized in a jazz repetoire. After her graduation, ...

136
Album Review

Aimee Allen: Dream

Read "Dream" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Aimee Allen, a first-rate interpreter of familiar jazz tunes, gives an exotic texture to Dream, with the inclusion of a couple of Brazilian bossas--"Manha de Carneval/Black Orpheus" and Jobim's classic “Triste." With a crystalline delivery, great range and a fine command of nuance and inflection, Allen also covers “Les Feuilles Mortes/Autumn Leaves," with lyrics sung in French. Sensuality and soul color the vocalist's take on Fats Waller's “Honeysuckle Rose," which Allen turns into a cool-toned ballad. “Cry Me a River" ...

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8
Recording

Fahir Atakoğlu New Release For Love Featuring Vocalists Buika, Luciana Souza, Letizia Gambi & Aimée Allen!

Fahir Atakoğlu New Release For Love Featuring Vocalists Buika, Luciana Souza, Letizia Gambi & Aimée Allen!

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

An unrepentant romantic, Turkish-American pianist-composer-arranger Fahir Atakoğlu is all-in For Love (Far & Here, LLC) on his 18th album as a leader. A visionary undertaking that blends musical elements from Turkey, Spain, Italy, the Middle East, Cuba and Brazil while revealing touches of American jazz in the freewheeling improvisations heard throughout, For Love also carries the majestic sweep of symphonic polyphony in Fahir's stirring string orchestrations. With world-class musicians in American saxophonist Bob Franceschini, Canadian bassist Alain Caron, Turkish percussionist ...

4
Performance / Tour

Aimée Allen: New CD with Romero Lubambo - Release Gig at Cutting Room on June 16

Aimée Allen: New CD with Romero Lubambo - Release Gig at  Cutting Room on June 16

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

Aimée Allen New CD “Matter of Time" with Special Guest Romero Lubambo CD Release Gig: June 16, 2015 The Cutting Room Aimée Allen Upcoming Dates Friday, May 15, 2015, 8:00pm Café du Soleil 2723 Broadway New York, NY 10025 Thursday, May 21, 2015, 6:00pm Aimée Allen / François Moutin Duo La Caye 35 LaFayette Ave Brooklyn, NY 11217 Friday, May 22, 2015, 6:00pm

142
Recording

Re-Introducing Aimee Allen and Winters & Mays

Re-Introducing Aimee Allen and Winters & Mays

Source: Kari-On Productions

Re-Introducing Aimée Allen Aimée Allen—vocals Pete McCann—guitar Toru Dodo—piano Craig Akin—bass Jacob Melchior—drums and percussion Victor Prieto—accordion Aimée Allen's intimate connection with music began as a child. Her childhood was literally scored with classic jazz, because of her mother's intense love of the music. The influence of the jazz tradition can be heard in Aimée's musical style and interpretation choices. But Aimée's listeners can also hear her individual voice, nuanced ...

“Allen exists as a whole, self-sustaining entity. Her round, sensuous alto has only smooth edges with a caress of warm linen. Her songwriting is top-notch...” –C. Michael Baily, All About Jazz

“A fully fledged composer, lyricist and vocalist, her ideas are filled with depth and meaning and her lyrics profoundly unique.” --Constance Tucker, All About Vocals

“A brilliant singer and even more thoughtful lyricist” --H. Allen Williams,  JazzTimes

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Love & the Catalyst

Self Produced
2022

buy

For Love

Far&Here
2020

buy

Wings Uncaged

Azuline Music
2018

buy

Matter of Time

Azuline Music
2015

buy

Winters & Mays

Azuline Music
2011

buy

l'Inexplicable

Vivid Sound / Schubert Music
2007

buy

Videos

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