Sophie Milman is a charismatic young Russian-born, Israeli-raised, Toronto-based jazz vocalist whoЎЇs well on her way to becoming an international sensation.  Still in her twenties, sheЎЇs been a household name in Canada since 2004, when her debut album established her as a major artist in her adopted home country.  Since then, sheЎЇs continued to take the jazz world by storm, topping the Billboard jazz and iTunes charts Canada, the U.S., France and Japan, winning a Juno Award, and captivating audiences worldwide.In the Moonlight, MilmanЎЇs fourth album, finds the artist creating her most sophisticated and accomplished work to date, drawing upon her sublime interpretive skills and unique personal history to deliver a deeply compelling set of jazz and pop standards that showcases the subtle emotional shadings of her singing.

Throughout In the Moonlight, MilmanЎЇs performances elevate a musically and lyrically diverse array of material, encompassing the playful romanticism of the George Gershwin/Buddy DeSylva chestnut Ў°Do It Again,Ў± the poignant melancholy of the Kurt Weill classic Ў°Speak Low,Ў± the barbed bittersweetness of Serge GainsbourgЎЇs Ў°Ces Petits Riens,Ў± the effortless uplift of the Antonio Carlos Jobim/Jon Hendricks bossa nova favorite Ў°No More BluesЎ± and the understated elegance of the beloved Duke Ellington classics Ў°Prelude to A KissЎ± and Ў°Day Dream.Ў±

Ў°I wanted to make a lush, warm, romantic record, the kind of record that takes people to an emotional place,Ў± Milman asserts, adding, Ў°I choose songs mostly based on the lyrics; they have to resonate with me emotionally or have something cheeky about them to get my attention.  But IЎЇm also drawn to melodies that have interesting twists and turns.Ў±

In the Moonlight matches Milman with a stellar set of musicians whose talent and sensitivity complement her own, resulting in performances that consistently cut to the emotional truth of each song.  Recording in New York for the first time and working with Grammy-nominated producer Matt Pierson, sheЎЇs accompanied by a prestigious musical cast that includes pianists Gerald Clayton and Kevin Hays, guitarists Julian Lage and Romero Lubambo, bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Lewis Nash, percussionist Bashiri Johnson and renowned soloists Randy Brecker (flugelhorn), Chris Potter (tenor saxophone) and Gregoire Maret (harmonica), with key contributions from noted arrangers Alan Broadbent, Gil Goldstein and Rob Mounsey.

Ў°It was good to take myself out of my comfort zone and throw myself into the New York atmosphere, with musicians I had never worked with before,Ў± Sophie recalls.  Ў°That really put me on edge, and I think it resulted in better music.  I was nervous, but I was really proud of how I was able to hold my ground and do my thing.  The whole experience turned out to be amazingly gratifying.  It was fun and scary, which can be a good combination.Ў±

Six of In the MoonlightЎ®s tracks feature vivid orchestral arrangements that accentuate the expressiveness of MilmanЎЇs vocals.  Ў°Recording with strings for the first time was a real trip,Ў± she notes.  Ў°It was like putting on my headphones and being hugged by a big, warm blanket.  Those were the most elaborate arrangements IЎЇd ever performed, whereas the rest of the session was much more spontaneous and groovy.  ItЎЇs a really interesting contrast.Ў±

The intimacy and immediacy of Sophie MilmanЎЇs singing reflects the dramatic experiences that shaped her early life.  Born in RussiaЎЇs Ural Mountains, she left for Israel with her parents in an effort to escape the strictures and uncertainties of life under communism.  Among the few possessions that her family managed to hold onto was a cherished collection of vinyl jazz bootlegs.  Those recordings would become the foundation for SophieЎЇs lifelong love of jazz.

Ў°Russia was pretty closed, and there wasnЎЇt a huge taste for jazz thereЎЄcertainly not American jazzЎЄduring communism,Ў± she explains.  Ў°But my dad accumulated a decent collection of records, which he picked up on the black marketЎЄthat was his form of rebellion against the regime.  That collection really shaped my early musical consciousness. I came to jazz from a completely different perspective.  When I was growing up, the music in Russia was quite heavy; even kidsЎЇ songs there were tinged with sadness and marked by real life.  So, when I first heard jazz, I was immediately drawn to it, even though I was a kid and it was supposedly grown-up music.  Maybe I had a certain level of emotional maturity that helped me understand it.  For whatever reason, it really spoke to me.Ў±

Spending her formative years in Israel, Milman continued to gravitate towards jazz and other American music forms, developing a deep affinity for such seminal artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong.  When she was 16, her family emigrated again, to Toronto, where she quickly became a part of that cityЎЇs rich, diverse music scene.  She began her musical career almost by accident, after being asked to participate in a local jazz series.  Her talents quickly won her local notoriety, and it wasnЎЇt long before she had earned a record deal with Linus Entertainment, an independent Canadian label.

Although she was barely into her 20s when it was released, SophieЎЇs self-titled 2004 debut album became a major hit in Canada, establishing her as a rising star and an in-demand live act.  Her 2007 sophomore album Make Someone Happy debuted at #1 on BillboardЎЇ Canadian jazz chart and peaked at #3 on BillboardЎЇs U.S. jazz chart, and won a Juno Award as Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.  2009Ўдs Take Love Easy also debuted at #1 onBillboardЎЇs Canadian jazz chart and reached #4 in the U.S.  The live EP release Live at The Winter Garden Theatre and the 2008 DVD Live In Montreal further enhanced MilmanЎЇs international reputation.

MilmanЎЇs recording success led to performances at such prestigious venues as the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, the Montreal Jazz Festival, TorontoЎЇs Massey Hall and the legendary Blue Note clubs in New York and Japan.  SheЎЇs also shared stages and/or collaborated with a varied array of musicians from the jazz, pop and rock worlds, including Randy Bachman, Chris Botti, Gary Burton, Chick Corea, the Manhattan Transfer, Cesaria Evora, Jesse Cook and the Neville Brothers.

Many of the songs on In the Moonlight carry particular significance for Milman.  Ў°Ў®Till There Was You,ЎЇ to me, is the ultimate simple romance song,Ў± she says, adding, Ў°I grew up listening to the BeatlesЎЇ version of it, and I learned how to sing it when I was seven.  It was one of my dadЎЇs favorite songs.  In Israel, we had a beat-up old car without a radio, so when we drove around the country, I was the entertainment.  I would sit in the back seat and take requests, and Ў®Till There Was YouЎЇ was on heavy rotation.  My dad just loved it.  Everybody was trying to talk me out of recording it; they thought it was corny.  But I dug in my heels, because the song represents the deep connection between my dad and me.  It reminds me of times when my family was poor, life was hard and music was the glue that kept us together.  ThatЎЇs when my musical identity was formed, so that song is really part of me.

Ў°I wanted to make a romantic album, but I didnЎЇt want to make a rosy, Ў®everythingЎЇs always greatЎЇ kind of record,Ў± she continues.  Ў°After Ў®Till There Was You, Ў® the other side of the coin is Ў®Ces Petits Riens,ЎЇ which is about loss that is so monumental that you try to belittle it in your mind because itЎЇs so painful.  I can relate that to the starts and stops that IЎЇve had in my life, and to the kind of nostalgia that I feel towards the people and things that IЎЇve had to leave behind.

Ў°My lifeЎЇs been full of detours, but theyЎЇve led me to a good place,Ў± concludes Milman, who recently revisited her old haunts in Russia and Israel, and recently earned gold medal in commerce from the University of Toronto.  Ў°As disjointed as my life feels sometimes, I think IЎЇve been able to take the best qualities of the three distinct, amazing countries where IЎЇve lived and integrate them into my personality.

Ў°Moving around the world twice, starting from scratch each time and having to reinvent and reimagine myself in a completely new context and cultureЎЄthatЎЇs the defining feature of my life.  ItЎЇs certainly shaped me as a person, and it continues to color my approach to music, informing the kind of songs that I choose to sing and the way I sing them.Ў±