When Cyrille Aimée joined WBGO's Michael Bourne on Singers Unlimited, she brought the same fine musicians who formed her band during a run at Birdland. She also brought songs from her new album, Move On: A Sondheim Adventure (Mack Avenue), a celebration of the music of Stephen Sondheim.
Aimée first dug into Sondheim's music for A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Story, a 2013 New York City Center production featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Bourne was among those who admired her performance that evening; here he asks how she chose the songs on Move On.
“I got the four-volume books of Stephen Sondheim’s music,” Aimée replies. “And every song was like a short story; it really tells such beautiful adventures.” After flagging the songs whose lyrics reached her on the page, she sought out recordings, to see where the music also spoke to her.
“His music has a beginning, a middle, and an end,” Aimée. “It really goes through experiences, and when you have a quality of lyrics like that, it’s easier to feel the emotion of what the character is going through when singing these songs.”
Aimée performs several of those songs in this visit to Singers Unlimited, including “Loving You,” “Marry Me a Little” and “No One is Alone.” She also departs from the Sondheim frame for a captivating solo performance featuring her a cappella vocals deftly layered with a loop station. Watch her in that mode, on an original titled “Down,” in the video below.
Videography: Chris Tobin
Audio Mix and Video Edit: Corey Goldberg