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...where [Doris] Day's notes were strung together like cultured pearls - creamy, lustrous
and perfectly round - Cooper's are closer to the freshwater variety; smokier, more angular
and less precisely uniiform, yet fully as beautiful. Cooper is further unique among
her contemporaries in that she's equally accomplished as a saxophonist ...Cooper alternates
between hauntingly naked sax licks and languorous vocals...
Christopher Louden, JAZZTIMES MAGAZINE, United States
Of all the vocalists to emerge in the past ten years, the Canadian singer and saxophonist
Sheila Cooper is the the most interesting. Gifted with a cool timbre, sophisticated approach,
and a precise and delicate measure of expression, Cooper is in league with the most revered
white singers of the fifties from June Christy to Helen Merrill. Exceptional among her
colleagues is the fact that she is also a very talented saxophone player.
ALL ABOUT JAZZ,Italy
...a beautiful and soulfully sung collection of real jazz standards delivered
as pure jazz....with the added bonus of her excellent saxophone playing
ALL ABOUT JAZZ - New York, United States
Canadian-born, NYC-based singer and saxophonist Cooper has developed her own
self-assured sound as both a vocalist and altoist - her refreshingly simple, unfussy delivery
befits her Konitz-esque sax tone while her unpretentious singing draws on her narrative
abilities over excessive reliance on technique.
TIMEOUT LONDON, United Kingdom
For her third album (her first on Candid), Canadian-born
vocalist, sax player, composer and arranger Sheila Cooper has teamed
up with the great Viennese pianist Fritz Pauer - and what an inspired
and creative pairing it turns out to be. A 10-track collection of ballads,Tales
of Love and Longingis a recording of incredible warmth and intimacy.
Cooper and Pauer seem to be extraordinarily attentive to each other's
musical perspectives, whether in the chilly desolation they bring to
"Winter Moon", the enormous depth of feeling that underpins "I'm a Fool
to Want You", their achingly beautiful reading of "I Didn't Know About
Love" or the instrumentaltour de force"How Deep is the Ocean". The excellent
recorded sound perfectly complements the duo's carefully nuanced approach.
Having honed her skills playing with giants such as Clark Terry and
Kenny Wheeler, Cooper's vocal and instrumental talents have earned her
praise from Lee Konitz and Bob Dorough among others. Clearly well deserved,
on this evidence.
JAZZWISE MAGAZINE, United Kingdom
Ms. Cooper has long been one of the jazz world's best-kept secrets. Cooper's sonorous,
multi-textural saxophone sings with a genderless human ache. As a vocalist, Cooper is
a no-nonsense, in-tune purist ... Every note is placed perfectly, with a knowing,
sadder-but-wiser nuance. This CD is a "must-have" for any jazz lover, as there's no
doubt that it will be a perpetual joy.
Leslie Mitchell-Clark, THE WHOLE NOTE, Toronto
Duo records can be a real challenge... through the rest of the program of aching vocals and sympathetic sax/piano accompaniment, this is more than a well intentioned jazz/cabaret set. One of the standard bearers that will find an audience despite being on a small label, the bar has been raised for this genre. Hot stuff. Chris Spector, MIDWEST RECORD, United States
Sheila Cooper is a subtly dramatic storytelling vocalist and alto sax player ...Whether she
is singing or playing alto, her music has a plaintive quality that gives every phrase extra
poignancy... blues for the very sophisticated.
Chuck Graham, TUCSON CTITZEN, United States
This album brims with extraordinary performances that are simultaneously hot and cool. Through her lush, honeyed vocals and her sultry sax passages, Cooper proves magnetic. PALO ALTO NEWS, United States
Canadian alto saxophonist Sheila Cooper is also a good singer. Her instrumental and vocal
abilities cross-fertilize to make her performances both rounded and deep. Sheila's vocal
phrasing reflects her command of jazz saxophone, while her understanding of the lyrics
is revealed in the melodic charm of her instrumental solos. Sheila lives in Austria
and she is accompanied here by Austrian pianist Fritz Pauer. Together, they form an
exceptional duo and on a set of mainly standards they never put a finger wrong.
Bruce Crowther, JAZZ JOURNAL, United Kingdom
...Cooper shone with a boppish solo version of "Stella
by Starlight".
Alan Nahigan, DOWNBEAT (live review)
Sheila Cooper has a fresh-sounding voice and a clear, intelligent, expressive way with
lyrics. ... Her fresh ideas on alto bring new life to old tunes . . .
she moves with grace from vocal choruses to alto saxophone solos. Never sounding the
least bit gimmicky, she creates a smooth, one-person dialogue between voice
and saxophone.
Owen McNALLY, HARTFORD COURANT
Cooper charms with multi-faceted saxophone-playing,
and like every great singer she not only knows how to fascinate with
notes, but to create a deep connection between heartfelt tranquility
and ominous silence.
DIE PRESSE, Austria
The New Yorker carves a place for herself out of the ghosts of
tradition, revitalizing old songs into a powerpack of poetry, easily accomplished
through her subtle charms. And with such tasteful warmth, such earthy originality that
one must really take one's hat off to her. Her voice is crystal-clear, and at times breathy,
as if she had left her voice in the embrace of a smoky room. She sings her ballads with
understatement and with barely any vibrato, as if cookng on a low flame, and in this
way she brings her dishes to doneness. Her saxophone playing is virtually a continuation
of vocal acrobatics through instrumental means. She phrases as if with her voice and
releases a light, drifting tone, that sounds as pure as a diamond. In doing so, she uses
natural breath power so that one can nearly experience the flow. Dry, vibrato-free,
mellow, nearly breathy. AND she has something to say.
DIE RHEINPLATZ, Germany
In addition to playing outstanding solos and interesting arrangements,
Sheila Cooper has genuine charm onstage ...performing a flawless show that came directly
from her heart.
FRANKISCHERTAG, Bamberg, Germany (translated from German)
Sheila Cooper has a fresh, unique sound which combines a sense of cool
with humor and passion. It's an intriguing and irresistable mix which she is able to convey
in both her vocals and her alto sax. It's serious musicianship with no pretensions, and a sly
sense of fun. Sheila Cooper is a musician you want to see and hear again.
LAURIE GYPSON, WHCN-FM, Connecticut
Sheila is a singer on her horn and with her voice, and that's the best playing for me.
LEE KONITZ, Alto Saxophonist
