The season kicks off on Wednesday June 13 with singer Cyrille Aimée. Aimée’s culturally rich background has supplied her with the driving force of Dominican rhythm and the incredible swing of the French Gypsies. She was a finalist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition of 2010, performing in front of a jury that included Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. She won both the First and the Public Prizes in the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition in 2007. Aimée has made it into regular rotation on Jonathan Schwartz’s radio shows on WNYC and XM Satellite. Of her talent Schwartz says, "She is superb and is one of the greatest scat singers...on the level of Ella. She is ELECTRIFYING! It's as simple as that."
