jazz with nuance and delicacy

Blonde but Korean. Discreet, shy and humble, but boldly determined. For his tenth album, They (Warner Music Arts), Youn Sun Nah has concocted a surprising cocktail of covers drawn from the female repertoire. As well The crowd of Piaf that Killing Me Softly With His Song by Roberta Flack, and again Feel Good that Nina Simone sang in her time. Nothing like a pale copy of the originals, but a total rewriting, crafted as she knows how to do – meticulously.

She went to a good school: her father, a choir director, introduced her to Handel. His mother, a musical theater performer, introduced him to the great themes of Broadway. In impeccable French, she recognizes that “I loved French song before I understood the words.” Impressed by his eclecticism, a friend from Seoul recommended that he turn to jazz which, he said, would open all musical doors for him. But rather than running to New York, she will come to Paris, fascinated by “the delicacy and phrasing of Carla Bruni”. Good luck to him. The accuracy of his choices and the relevance of his interpretations earn him all the laurels. She is today one of the most recognized jazz singers – all sparkle and muted. On stage, she is as she is in life: a curious mixture of discretion and strong presence. This summer, she will be at all the festivals, from Vienna to Junas and up to Marciac. Don’t miss it.

Concerts: June 28: Jazz in Aiacciu; July 6: Jazz in Vienna; July 10: We Know the Song festival (Abbaye de Mozac); July 20: Jazz in Junas; July 5: Jazzaldia, San Sebastian; July 27: Cosmo Jazz, Chamonix; July 30: Les Nuits de la Citadelle, Sisteron; August 1: Jazz in Marciac; August 3: Jazz in Langourla; August 7: Parfum de Jazz (Pierrelatte); August 8: Saint Jazz Cap Ferrat; August 9: Gaume Jazz Festival (Belgium)