Mili Bermejo
“Mili Bermejo remains one of the most, if not the absolutely most, emotive singers of Latin Jazz music currently recording,” wrote Cadence reviewer Alan Bargebuhr. Mili recently performed her latest project, a program of Love Songs of the Americas, at the Regattabar at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. Her band consisted of pianist Tim Ray, bassist Dan Greenspan and cellist Eugene Friesen. Both Tim and Dan have been playing in Mili’s band for many years, but Mr. Friesen is a relative new-comer to the band. It is unusual to have the cello included in a jazz band and it added another warm and soulful voice that matched Mili’s voice beautifully. They began the program with a Brazilian tune, continued with tangos and bossa novas and even included a jazz standard or two. Mili’s voice is penetrating and gorgeous, full of deep emotion. Her music speaks to political situations in the Americas and of course, the songs she sang tonight spoke of love in all of it’s complicated dimensions. Since Mili sings mostly in Spanish, she tells the story of each song in English before she sings. One need not know Spanish to feel the emotional power of Mili’s music. She and her husband Dan Greenspan have been collecting and writing songs for the past 25 years.
Their new album, titled Love Songs of the Americas, will be available in the next couple of weeks. To purchase Love Songs of the Americas and hear Mili’s music, please visit Mili’s website at: www.milibermejo.com
www.myspace.com/lovesongsoftheamericas