Irene Atman's Page

“Atman has that irresistible intonation ringing in her timbres which jazz vocalists have. She has a storybook perfect pitch able to touch the listener’s soul, understand the sorrows that burrow in their hearts, stroke their sensibilities with tender caresses and lick their wounds.”
- Susan Frances, JazzReview

"It is not often that a vocalist can stamp a song her own, but I can’t express enough how good Atman is at this. She knows how to swing, she knows how to sing ." - Christopher Lams, Jazz Improv NY

"Atman is clearly one of the finest singers around, gifted with a voice that allows her to reach high notes with ease, revealing a cool and enticing style that tenderizes the lyrics with a touch of class" - Edward Blanco, All about Jazz

"Irene Atman is the epitome of New York style. She knows the meaning and the feeling of what she sings. Her rendition of “Why Did I Choose You” will bring the sweet passions of love to a simmer. This song will never be sung any better, never with any more understanding and feeling of the sentiment expressed. " - Bob Gish, Jazz Improv NY

"Atman sings "Why did I choose you" with a vocal dexterity equivalent to a flute that can speak words. It's often difficult to tell that she's taken a breath, as she seamlessly moves from one sustained note to the next phrase" - Woodrow Wilkins, All about Jazz

"Atman has perfected the malleable harmony line, her voice stretching and contracting effortlessly in all four dimensions, defying the quantum mechanics of sonics." - C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

ABOUT IRENE
It’s been quite a year for Canadian recording artist Irene Atman who recently relocated to New York City from her hometown of Toronto to record her latest CD titled “New York Rendezvous”. Irene follows her highly acclaimed self-titled debut of 2007 with this latest release, backed by the finest jazz musicians on the New York scene today - Frank Kimbrough on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, Matt Wilson on drums and Joel Frahm on saxophone.

The disc’s title “New York Rendezvous” is just that – the reunion of Irene Atman and Frank Kimbrough after a couple of dozen years along different musical roads. Now together in New York , with Frank acting as musical director and co-producer of the CD, Irene Atman is being hailed as “one of the finest singers around, gifted with a voice that allows her to reach high notes with ease, revealing a cool and enticing style that tenderizes the lyrics with a touch of class”. (All about Jazz)

In a recent interview with Jazz Review, Susan Frances says, “Atman has a voice that was divined to sing jazz just as assuredly as was Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey, Vicki Carr, or any other vocalist born with the timeless elegance that Atman possesses. She enables audiences to feel the lyrics and become a part of the stories being told in the songs.”

Born in Toronto, Irene is also an accomplished pianist. Her love for classic jazz started early. “I always say, that my greatest inspiration came from my father’s fruit cellar,” she said. As a child, she brought up a box of old records from the basement and asked her father to play them for her. “Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Doris Day. All of the greats”, she recalled. “I just loved them”.

At 19, while studying history at the University of Toronto, Atman credits that time as the official start of her professional career. During those years in Toronto, Irene sang with the Stan Hiltz Orchestra, recorded with the Boss Brass, and performed with the legendary Tony Bennett. She has also performed with jazz luminaries Guido Basso, Dave Young, Terry Clarke and Peter Appleyard. Last year, Irene toured Australia and Japan where she performed at the Canadian embassy in Tokyo with Makoto Ozone and Holly Cole for a Tribute to Oscar Peterson.

Upcoming performances in ’09 will see Irene performing at New York’s finest supper club Feinstein’s at Loews Regency where she will be joined by jazz greats Frank Kimbrough on piano, Jay Anderson on bass and Joel Frahm on saxophoneIrene Atman, The Kitano – NYC, June 3rd, 2009

LIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEW - THE KITANO, NYC - Christopher Lams, Jazz Improv NY
With so many vocalists crowding the New York City jazz scene these days, it is difficult to attend a new comer’s event without feeling that you may be getting some more of the same ole recipe. Then there is vocalist Irene Atman, who to me, proved to be quite different. The Canadian born songstress has recently relocated to NYC from her native land to join the ranks and be heard. On a publicist’s invite and his strong words about Ms. Atman’s abilities I decided to take in her recent show at The Kitano.

If you are going to take NYC by storm you better have a top-notch quartet behind you and Atman had just that. The great Joel Frahm on saxophone, Matt Wilson on drums, Jay Anderson on bass, and her long time friend Frank Kimbrough on piano. One quality that I have seen in many vocal performances is the inability to work the stage as a professional. When you allow the audience to be attracted to your personality & presence, I can assure you they will enjoy your presentation of the material much more. Atman has that part down. I often felt like I was an old friend of hers, and she has taken me down memory lane with stories regarding her song selection and some very interesting facts about her friendship with Kimbrough. The friendship started on a cruise ship with him performing show tunes and her selling bingo cards. Stage-wise vocalist Irene Atman is a pro.

Atman’s set was made up of selections from her new independently released CD titled New York Rendezvous, which I might add is also fantastic. The set opened with “Two for the Road”, and from note one Atman was brilliant. She possesses incredible vocal technique and knows how to structure a set list. Atman paced the set and gave us great versions of “Taking a Chance on Love,” “Why Did I Choose You,” – all giving space and time to Kimbrough, Wilson and Anderson alike. Joel Frahm was at her side throughout the set and never failed to blow a phenomenal solo. The evening moved on with “Time after Time”, & “I’m a Fool to Want you” which again allowed Atman to sing a song as it should be sung. It is not often that a vocalist can stamp a song her own, but I can’t express enough how good Atman is at this. She knows how to swing, she knows how to sing and she knows how to move in and out of a song form. The set turned the corner for home with a heart felt “Charade” into “My Foolish Heart” and closed with “The Glory of Love”.

With wonderful arrangements by Kimbrough, an all-star band backing her, and of course her own amazing performance, Irene Atman is a step above the others and should be heard. She is now in town, and should be on the area calendars a bit more, but if you can’t catch her at one of the local hot spots, then go to her website and check out her new CD which I found to be just as good as the show.