ilona knopfler
Stratford, Connecticut, United States | SELF
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Press
There are so many female jazz singers in the world that each week it seems as if 5-10 have new releases out. But even in a batch of 100, Ilona Knopfler would stand out. (...) The backing musicians in her CD "Live the Life" change from cut to cut with the bigger names being altoist Antonio Hart, bassist Rufus Reid, trumpeter Sean jones and Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, but the singer is the main start throughout. Ilona Knopfler has the potential to be a big name in the jazz vocal world.
Scott Yanow. - L.A. Jazz Scene
You could spend big bucks searching for the two or three Japanese reissues of the scintillating, early-'50s Blue Stars of France (where Blossom Dearie made her pre-solo mark), or invest a fraction of the amount on French vocalist Ilona Knopfler's breezily Continental follow-up to 2003's pop-driven "Some Kind of Wonderful." Though Knopfler is too full-bodied a singer to draw valid comparisons to the girlishly winsome Dearie (...) she embraces every ounce of the languidly assured sophistication that made the Blue Stars so enticing.
As you listen to the bilingual Knopfler lovingly caress such tender slices of sentimentality as "But For Now," "This is Always" and "Alone Together," descend into the misty, labyrinthine depths of "Les Moulins De Mon Coeur" (Windmills of your mind) and strip "Girl Talk" of its stale misogyny by reinventing it as the sparkling "Dansez Sur Moi," just think of her as a one-woman Manhattan Transfer infused with vivaciously urbane perspicacity.
- Jazz Times
(...) her vocalizing is easy on the ears, with a gentle swing and pleasingly smooth sound. (...) This collection has a winning blend of variety in song selection, and consistency in interpretations. Ilona Knopfler has taste, an innate jazz sense that is even more evident when you see her in a club, as I recently did at the Blue Note, and great potential for finding an audience that transcends the boundaries that are often built around one who is billed as a jazz singer. - Jersey Jazz
Beaucoup plaisir awaits on this English and French jazz vocal new release.
Live The Life begins with the unlikely gospel anthem of the late Thomas Dorsey, “I'm Going To Live The Life I Sing About.” After the stated vocals, a stunning French vocal duo of Knopfler and Kim Nazarian (from New York Voices) emulates the stylings of the Blue Stars of France quite effectively. That is followed by a cooking alto solo from Antonio Hart. Immediately on the way is the next tune, “Comment Allez-Vous,” a signature piece of Blossom Dearie, who coincidentally founded the Blue Stars in the early 1950s.
Many well-chosen songs in both English and French ensue, and all are treated with respect and the appropriate feelings of swing or tenderness. (...)
Producers Jay Ashby and Al Pryor should be proud of this fine album showcasing the talents of Ilona Knopfler.
Michael P. Gladstone - All About Jazz
Ilona Knopfler describes her latest CD, Live The Life, as a tribute to my unconditional love of music. This album comes highly recommended to jazz lovers as well as those who may not listen to jazz but are looking to expand their musical horizons. After listening to Live The Life you will know that Ilona Knopfler is one with the music she sings.
Ilona Knopfler was a name I recognized even though she has not been in the eye of the mass public for very long. (...)
Live The Life is Ilona Knopfler's second release. I'm impressed. No - I'm completely blown away. I couldn't stop uttering the caveman phrase, "WOW!" Ms Knopfler opens the disc with the Thomas A. Dorsey number I'm Going To Live The Life I sing About In My Song - acappella!! Her voice sounds so pure and she is confident in her execution. I could enjoy an entire CD of her voice with no accompaniment but more of her own voice. She has great control over it without sacrificing any expression. This is the case though out the entire CD.
I was obviously hooked from the beginning, but my vocabulary went from 'wow' to speechless as Ilona and her supporting cast of more than 30 musicians took me on a journey with numbers sung in English, French or both and ranging from big band swing to the sound of a trio that you might find in a smoky bar on Bourbon Street. There are many worldly flavors sprinkled on Live The Life from the latin tinged But For Now, in which Ilona does a great scat reminiscent of Lena Horn, to the middle-eastern sounding Throw It Away.
If I were to choose my favorite moment on Live The Life, I would have to say that I especially enjoyed the trade off call and answer play between Ms Knopfler and trumpet player, Sean Jones, during La Jazz Et La Java. Speaking of the supporting cast on Live The Life, they are top notch. I also might add that I particularly enjoyed the melancholy This Is Always, which has a beautifully orchestrated intro reminiscent of one of my favorite composers, Gustav Mahler.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Ilona Knopler's - Live The Life gets lucky 11.
Jimmy Caterine - Guiter Noise
t's always nice to review a CD project & get goose bumps as you rationalize the level of raw talent contained therein. I can't put my finger on it, but this jazz singer Ilona Knopfler has me nailed, busted?..yes, sold!!
Ilona extracts the most oomph with songs that skirt the edge of jazz (her natural home). Her highly developed sense of syncopation gives her an equally highly developed air of individuality which she exploits consummately for our instruction. This is a hard gripping & intense sound of a jazz singer one might
assert to have a natural bent for the jazz vocal idiom.
George W. Carroll/The Musicians' Ombudsman
- e jazz news
Jazz vocalist Ilona Knopfler sings in both English and French on Live the Life. Accompanied by an international band that adds its special musical flavorings, Knopfler swings, scats, and offers her expressive interpretations of music from the pens of such great composers as Ivan Lins, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, and Thomas Dorsey among others. Opening with a great cover of "I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About," this song traverses three distinct styles. The intro is characterized by its a cappella harmonization behind Knopfler's motive development. It then segues into a bass and vocals duet in English that spotlights her comprehensive phrasing before a burst of French harmonization leads to an intense straight-ahead jazz solo by saxophonist Antonio Hart. On "Le Jazz et la Java," which is also sung in French, Knopfler engages in a conversation with trumpeter Sean Jones. This excellent call-and-response section represents one of the many great highlights on the CD and reinforces the universal idea that music erases many language barriers. Knopfler's vocal tones cover the mezzo-soprano to alto range, but on this highly entertaining offering, she eloquently alternates the harmonic rhythm, supportive and interactive comping, and soloist's viewpoint in two languages with seamless ease and professionalism. Highly recommended..
by Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide - All Music Guide
July 27, 2005 - It is a rare treat to hear two powerhouse artists in a single show, but the double bill from Mack Avenue Records in Washington, DC's Blues Alley on July 27 delivered deluxe. The acts — French-American vocalist Ilona Knopfler and trad bandleader and trumpet player Sean Jones — are separate artists both promoting their second CDs on Mack Avenue.
Knopfler came on first, performing several numbers from her new CD, "Live the Life." (...)Her voice more than lived up to the CD, with flawless pitching, smooth emoting and a winning confidence. It was her first time at the famed venue in DC's Georgetown, but Knopfler is an experienced performer and seemed nerveless.
After an excellent set of seven vocal numbers that went by too fast, Knopfler made way for the Sean Jones band (...) It was an outstanding evening of excellent entertainment. We will certainly be hearing much more from both Ilona Knopfler and Sean Jones in the years ahead.
Jeffrey Epstein - About Jazz
http://www.annecarlini.com/ex_interviews.php?id=375
song by song:
http://www.epinions.com/content_230451744388 - online
Discography
Some Kind Of Wonderful
Live The Life
Past Live Performances include:
The Blue Note(NY), The Jazz Standard(NY), The Green Mill(IL), Sculler's(MA), The Firefly(MI), Baker's Keyboard Lounge(MI), Nightown(OH), The Friar's Club(NY), The Cutting Room(NY),
Festivals: The Detroit Jazz Fest, The Syracuse Jazz Fest, The Harrisburg Jazz Fest, The Scranton Jazz Fest, The Indianapolis Jazz Fest,
Photos
Bio
Born in France and raised in a musical family (her mother was a singer, her father a pianist and her mother’s accompanist), Ilona had traveled the world by the time she was in pre-school. That early exposure to the world’s cultures finds its expression on “Live the Life,” on which Ilona sings in both English and French (she’s equally fluent in both) and which was recorded in both Paris and New York. Among the more than 30 musical artists who contributed their talents to “Live the Life” are Alain Mallet on piano, James Genus and Rufus Reed on bass, Marty Ashby on guitar, Paquito D’Rivera on clarinet, and Mack Avenue label-mate Sean Jones on trumpet, as well as a string section and Simon Shaheen on oud .
“Live the Life” highlights the purity of Ilona’s voice, emphasizes her eclectic stylistic abilities and pairs her with a world panoply of supporting players. The result is a lush, atmospheric collection that, in Ilona’s own words, “is a tribute to my unconditional love of music.”
Although she was born in Paris, Ilona’s parents’ gigs took them and their young daughter all over the world, eventually bringing them to Hong Kong, where a six-year-old Ilona took the stage for the first time. By the time she was 15, she was singing professionally as a back-up singer for a rock band in Hong Kong. Her affinity for jazz led her to perform with small groups and big bands at the famous Jazz Club in Hong Kong, quickly becoming a house favorite. When she turned 18, Knopfler set off for New York City, where she lived for five years, and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
She signed with Mack Avenue in 2003, releasing her debut, “Some Kind of Wonderful” that same year. The CD, on which Ilona interpreted pop tunes of the 60’s and 70’s with a jazz flavor, was lauded as “a courageous journey through the heart of pop music,” and “a promising debut,” and critics noted that Ilona had “the instincts of a fine jazz vocalist” and was “someone to watch in the years to come.”
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