Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – French jazz chanteuses with international flair: Night-capping with CYRILLE AIMÉE and TATIANA EVA-MARIE at Birdland

• By drediman
• November 8, 2026
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This weekend at Birdland Jazz Club, I had the great privilege of night-capping on successive nights with a pair of French jazz chanteuses — Cyrille Aimée and Tatiana Eva-Marie — whose distinctive artistry exudes international flair. As per usual, read on for my thoughts on these two originals.

CYRILLE AIMÉE
Birdland Jazz Club

First up was Cyrille Aimée, who recently completed a weeklong stint at Birdland Jazz Club (RECOMMENDED), the French singer’s longstanding home base when performing in New York. The last time I got to attend one of the multi-lingual chanteuse’s shows at the famed jazz venue was just this past July, during which she presented a laidback and easygoing summertime concert, altogether on the more intimate side of what I was accustomed to from the free-spirited performer. For her autumn appearances, she returned with a musically adventurous, more overtly vibrant set that still managed to show off her sensual gypsy sensibility. Some numbers even took on more experimental and ambient textures; think Jonny Greenwood’s work for Radiohead and beyond. Her eclectic set was comprised of both original songs from her albums (e.g., “Beautiful Way”, now a staple) and established standards. Although her musical influences are far-ranging — she’s equally at home with jazz, pop, Caribbean music (her mother hails from the Dominican Republic), and French cabaret (she’s even a Stephen Sondheim interpreter, as evidenced by her rendition of “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney Todd) — the resulting musical aesthetic is instinctual and distinctly all her own. Throughout, Aimée was in fabulous voice and high spirits, crooning with both delicacy and stylish precision. Making matters even more delicious, she’s the kind of performer who exudes little other than authentically positive vibes. As accompanied by an expert band, Aimée’s seasoned musicality — accessible and sophisticated all at once — shined through brightly, drawing listeners in as she caressed the songs and got lost in the music.

TATIANA EVA-MARIE
Birdland Theater

Last night at the subterranean Birdland Theater, I had my first encounter with Tatiana Eva-Marie (RECOMMENDED), a youthful French jazz singer with a growing reputation on the circuit. For her New York appearances this weekend — appropriately entitled Jazz in Paris — she opted for an intimate vibe, accompanying herself with only guitar, bass, and violin (courtesy of the absolutely smashing violinist Daniel Garlitsky, who came over from Paris just to play these shows with Eva-Marie). Sans pianist and percussion, the music took on a dreamy quality, largely in the register of gentle swing, which was just fine with me. What was quickly evident during the late night concert I attended was that the music-making was a true collaborative effort between the four formidable musicians. Vocally, Eva-Marie possesses an expressive, carefree voice, largely opting for a seemingly throw-away aesthetic, as if casually crooning for friends in her living room. Indeed, it was fascinating to catch both Cyrille Aimée and Eva-Marie in quick succession to compare their similar and divergent traits as musicians a performers. Both share the same inherent qualities — namely, a subtle and instinctual vocal awareness, which both can attribute to their gypsy-adjacent backgrounds. Although Aimée has chosen to pursue a more international and eclectic sound, Eva-Marie on the other hand is a genuine throwback to the musical and performance style of Parisian cabaret. Throughout, she gently charmed with her amusing “girl next door” banter, particularly in the sisterly way she poked and prodded her fellow bandmates. In addition to infusing her Birdland set with the Gypsy jazz sound for which is known, she also drew heavily from the Django Reinhardt songbook, to which she added her own original French lyrics. In a smart decision, she closed the show with a lilting performance of Piaf’s signature song “La Vie en rose”, to unsurprisingly crowd-pleasing effect.