Maggie's Supper & Jazz Club

478 Richmond St.

London, Ontario

519.434.5545

****/4

 
Dressed in an elegant black gown with her flowing auburn hair cascading past her shoulders, Jaimee Paul enchanted diners at Maggie's Supper & Jazz Club Friday night with her breathy and smoky vocal renditions of jazz standards and Christmas favourites. Accompanied by John Noubarian on piano and Darryl Stacey on electric bass, Ms. Paul's performance was the perfect antidote for a cold winter's evening.

Hailing originally from Southern Illinois, Paul now calls Nashville, Tennessee home. During our interview between sets last night, Paul told me that music was not always her first choice as a career. "In grade school and high school, I wanted to be a Research Scientist and then I double-majored in accounting in college. I really loved the Math and Science parts of academic endeavour. Raised in a musical home, I've been singing since the age of five. I wanted to be all things," she recalled.

 

Luckily, for her growing number of fans, Ms. Paul chose music as her full-time career.

Attending a Southern Baptist church during her childhood, Paul was attracted to gospel singing with its emotion and four-part harmonies.  Today, she deftly melds her gospel influences with jazz and pop standards. The result is a vocal style that captures listeners somewhat off-guard. 

 

Last night when she started her first set with Bye, Bye Blackbird, the diners around me put down their knives and forks, stopped talking and listened attentively to her "huge" voice emanating from the bandstand. Best described as a cross between Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Bette Midler, Ms. Paul's alto-mezzo-soprano voice is a finely tuned instrument that enables her to bend lyrics around standards like Don't Get Around Much Anymore,  L-O-V-E, What A Difference A Day Makes, Moon River, Sunday Kind of Love, A Foggy Day, and At Last, the title track on her most recent CD. Many of the titles also came from her earlier CD, Angel Like You.

This is Paul's third appearance at Maggie's and the question begged to be asked: What brings her to London, Ontario in the dead of winter?

"Roland Webster saw me in a Nashville club where my husband, Leif Shires, and I played on a regular basis.  After seeing me several more times, he kept on saying that we had to come to Canada to play two places – Rossini's in Chatham and Maggie's in London.  So two years later we finally took him up on it, and here I am," said Paul. "Each time I've been here, Londoners have been very welcoming and I love the atmosphere in Maggie's – it's a great jazz club and I love playing here."

 

Paul has nothing but the highest praise for Maggie's house-musicians – John Noubarian and Darryl Stacey. "John and Darryl are consummate professionals and I just love working with them. They're both wonderfully talented musicians who make my job as guest vocalist easy," said Paul.

At present, Ms. Paul is busy at work on three new recording projects. One is a blues-flavoured CD she has been working on during her trips to Canada and the other two are more jazz oriented ones back in Nashville. "I have a lot of irons in the fire right now, but something I would really love is if my husband and I could go on tour together in the very near future. I hope to be back in the London area in early Spring, maybe March or April," she said.

Jazz fans owe it to themselves to catch Jaimee Paul's performance Saturday night at Maggie's. Fans can keep in touch with her at www.jaimeepaul.com.

Richard Young is the Managing Editor of The Beat – Arts In London. He also serves on the Executive Board of the London Musicians' Association with Vice-President John Noubarian.

 Hey Everyone!!

 

I've been completely terrible about letting you all know what's been going on in my life recently, but I have some very exciting and unfortunately delinquent news!!! Thanks to my marvelous friend, Arthur Hamilton (author of Cry Me A River), and my fantabulous friends at Warner/Chappell in Los Angeles.. thanks a million to Arlo Chan!!!..... Cry Me A River was picked to be the Discovery Download selection for the week of July 14-21!!!

 

Drum roll... 120,000 of you downloaded it, and several of you bought the whole album, which caused it to rise up the charts to #1 ... in three days no less!!!  I can't thank you all enough!!!  Thank-you!  Thank-you!! Thank-you!!!

 

Right now the album is hanging around in the 30's, which is still very exciting!

 

Have a great rest of your days!!!

Blessings,

jaimee

Look who sits atop the VOCAL Home page on iTunes....

 

OUR VERY OWN JAIMEE PAUL!

 

Congratulations Jaimee!!

 

Green Hill jazz vocalist, Jaimee Paul, performed a private showcase for the Green Hill and EMI Sales and Marketing teams at the EMI building in Brentwood, TN on Wednesday, April 8, 2009.  Jaimee was joined on stage by her band which included husband and trumpeter Leif Shires and her producer and guitarist, Jack Jezzro.  Jaimee sang songs from her debut Green Hill recording, AT LAST.

SPIN FACTOR
By Ron Wynn
City Paper – Nashville, TN

Jaimee Paul
At Last
(Green Hill)

The interpretative talents of Nashville pop and jazz vocalist Jaimee Paul come to the forefront on this excellent collection of pre-rock standards and ballads. The set list also boasts an occasional alternative work like her lush, striking version of “Crazy.”

While not veering as much into the country realm as the great Patsy Cline, Paul’s rendition retains the original’s aura and lure. Paul understands that the key to not being overwhelmed on such venerable works as “Stormy Weather,” “Fever,” “Cry Me a River” or the title track is to embrace the theme but personalize the treatment. That’s especially true for “What a Difference a Day Makes” or “Lover Man,” since it would be pointless to try replicating the manner in which Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday already immortalized them.

With the expert assistance of the Beegie Adair Trio and Jeff Steinberg Orchestra, Paul’s artistry emerges without radically altering either the intent or memory of these timeless anthems and vintage hits.

Whether we realize it or not, we sometimes approach tribute albums a little sideways, sort of edging up to them while wondering if the artist will do justice to the original. I suppose it's a natural enough attitude to have, but it seems a little unfair if we judge them too quickly.

Those thoughts were going through my mind as I began to listen to a new album from young songstress Jaimee Paul, now out on the Green Hill label. The album's title, At Last, serves immediate notice that she's taking on some powerful icons — they don't get much bigger than Etta James' timeless signature song. 

But this album is about more than one song, and the cover tells us that by listing the names of the thirteen legendary songbirds who virtually own the tunes Jaimee sings. It's worth noting that their status is such that even though only their first names are used, each one is immediately identifiable — Ella, Rosemary, Doris, and Lena, just to list a few. 

Jaimee's own background includes classical training on piano and french horn, but it's as a vocalist that she found her path to success. As a child she sang in her church choir, and gospel music continued to be a strength even as she reached adulthood but she then began branching out. Her latest performances have been as part of Wynonna Judd's show.

Although Jaimee Paul might be a relatively new name this is actually her second album, but it's her first for a major label. It's a first-class production, with backup provided by one of Nashville's best groups, pianist Beegie Adair and her trio. Additional accompaniment is furnished by the Jeff Steinberg Orchestra, along with a rising young trumpeter (who also happens to be Jaimee's husband), Leif Shires.

Jaimee certainly has the pipes to tackle the music of the legendary songbirds. She has a full, mature and smoky voice that's reminiscent of the era's singers, and she knows how to give us a fresh and pleasing take on a familiar piece while maintaining the spirit of the original. Listening to her on a song like "Fever," is naturally a little startling at times because Peggy Lee's classic is so familiar, but
Jaimee's version sounds better with each play. The same could be said about her performances on Doris Day's "Sentimental Journey," or Judy Garland's "Over The Rainbow," both outstanding renditions.

Those three were among my favorites but my top dog was probably "What A Difference A Day Makes," given a little more of a Latin tilt than Dinah Washington's original. Also enjoyable were "Whatever Lola Wants," a Sarah Vaughan classic, and of course the title tune, "At Last" — and this is coming from a long-time Etta fan. Both songs feature full, lush orchestral arrangements that help build a perfectmood for the music.

An outstanding collection of retro sounds from Jaimee Paul and her friends, well worth a listen.

Article Courtesy www.blogcritics.org

Jaimee Paul and Leif Shires
Album Release Party


Monday April 27, 2009 
7:30PM
Christ Church - Wallace Chapel    
15354 Old Hickory Blvd.
Nashville, TN  37211

Hey Everyone,

Leif and I have great news!!  For those of you that don't know, Leif and I both signed recording deals with Green Hill Music, here in Nashville!!  Green Hill is a division of SpringHill (owned by Bill Gaither/Gaither Music Group), and distributed by EMI.

So that means that Leif and I both have new albums to share with you! We're having this album release party for a time of fun, fellowship, and some really great music.  We'll have a whole band with us: Jared Ribble on drums, Steve Forrest on bass, Scott Hallgren on piano, and our producer, Jack Jezzro on guitar. 

This is going to be held in the Wallace Chapel (Christ Church), which is on the extreme left hand side of our church, if you're looking at the church from Old Hickory Blvd.  Don't worry, I'll have balloons out front showing you which entrance take, and where to go.

I hope several of you can make it.  We'll play for about an hour, so come join in our excitement as we share our new records with you!!

Blessings,
jaimee