Arie Thompson
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Great sound!" ----KLCR, Dubuque IA
"Very cool, in the same realm as Norah Jones" --WARY, Valhalla NY
"We definitely will be following her as an artist"--WCFM, Williams College, MA
"Her stuff is very good, we especially like Ticket Booth" --SCAD college radio, Savannah, GA - N/A
The latest album "I'll Know Who You Are When I See You Again" released by the bewitching Arie Thompson delivers a consistent level of old world charm. The first track "Of Your Love" is rendered true to Arie's reputation as a firecracker of a live performer capable of belting out rock anthems and rousing an audience with a combination of saucy and sweet stage presence. She manages to convey one-on-one intimacy in a crowded room. She combines versatility easily with her improvisational skills, making her a must-see theatrical entertainer, capable of raunch, wit, emotion, empathy and dialogue. Her bittersweet voice on this album reveals greater study and meditation of jazz technique, but more importantly, the soul of jazz vocalists, often hitting nuanced, rich, and dark notes. She succeeds as a catchy songwriter with fresh and memorable lyrics in "There's No Other" (track 8), "Ticket Booth" (track 2), and "I Got You" (track 6). Arie has also selected her band members with a great deal of care, and the chemistry is apparent on standout tracks such as "Left Alone" (track 3), "Triste E Sentimental" (track 4), and "Save Your Love For Me" (track 5). My favorite moments of the album are contained within these 3 tracks because of the interplay of Arie's voice with the thoughtful melodic accompaniment of David Cordeiro on guitar. This is a true musical match that creates the ambience of a smoky lounge filled with quiet lingering memories. The restraint and delicacy are palpable stripping everything down to the mimimal without sacrificing complexity or artistry. Bennett Miller wears many hats and does a fine job both as a bassist, as well as co-producer and co-engineer along with Johne Keefe and Mike Amu. Arie's sound is complete with the comfortable vibe of her longstanding and excellent band members including drummer Kenneth Salters and guitarist Ben Cassorla. For Arie's next album, I would like to hear more original tracks penned and composed by the Reverend Mistress Hummingbird herself and fewer covers. While I have never heard Arie cover any track as anything other than the inimitable Arie herself, I personally prefer hearing anything she writes and composes, because Arie has been blessed with true pop sensibility - she instinctively knows how to write a hit. - WTNR Radio
Review of 4 SONGS by Marc Foster, music director KAFM radio, Colorado
Hi Arie,
Colorado Marc Foster here. I just listened to your 4 SONGS. WOW! Nice Sound - did someone say great jazz singer?
My Jazz and Americana programmers here at www.kafmradio.org are starting to ask for your material now.
Tracks 1,2, & 4 are dream like and the break for your bass player on #2 is nice. Track 3 really grabs me. Are you harmonizing with yourself on this CD? That is really a nice touch. Also, kudo's to your guitarist!
I am on air tonight from 6:30-9:00 pm, (7-8-08). I plan on playing all 4 songs. You can now check out my play list anytime by going to our website and clicking on "play list"
- MARC FOSTER, MUSIC DIRECTOR, KAFM RADIO COLORADO
Discography
* I'll Know Who You Are When I See You Again 2009
- On the 2010 Grammy Ballot in 6 categories
- CMJ Top 25 chart at various college radio stations across the country
- Plays in heavy and medium rotation on various internet radio stations including WTNRradio.com, Women of Substance Radio, Breakaway Internet Radio
-available on iTunes
* 4 Songs 2008
- Track "There's No Other" was included and is the best selling track on RPW records compilation "Violet Femmes 2" (available on iTunes)
* Solstice EP 2007
Photos
Bio
Arie Thompson is literally following a dream.
Classically trained as a stage actress, Arie Thompson was in the process of launching a successful acting career that included network TV appearances, Off-Broadway Theatre, independent film and award winning fellowships as a performance artist. In the midst of this, her grandmother appeared to her in a dream and told her to be a singer. She listened.
What follows is the subject of a memoir that is currently in discussion for publication. To summarize, Arie took a hiatus from acting to soul search in Southeast Asia. Upon returning, she got a gig fronting a rock band and eventually went solo. In the course of that transition, she recorded two EP's of original music that attracted the attention of various industry professionals including Grammy award winning engineer and producer Cynthia Daniels. Daniels heard a distinct current of jazz and classic pop in Arie's voice and song writing and encouraged her to explore this.
At that time,
"I always wanted to be an actress/performer, so that's what I was pursuing and I didn't have a strong background with music, but this dream always stuck with me and then one day I realized-- 'I am going to sing now' and that's what I did."
Arie's first music gig was as the frontwoman for the funkrock outfit 4DSEA. "It was a great experience-- the shows were fun and high-energy and I got my first real studio experience recording a full length album, but at the end of the day, I knew I would have to go solo to really express what was in me, so I left the band after a year and a half."
In June of 2006, Arie bought a red Jeep Cherokee from a Gypsy on a Brooklyn street, drove to a rented cabin in upstate New York and made her first solo recordings on an old mac laptop. "I didn't really know what I was doing," she admits. "I just had these songs inside of me and a ridiculously romantic notion of going to the woods upstate to get them out...I was obsessed with Bob Dylan at the time... I'm kind of funny that way. I found a guy on craigslist who gave me one piano lesson on the little keyboard that I had bought. I remember there was something manic about the lesson--in 45 minutes, he gave me an introduction to simple functional harmony, chords and songwriting and then I never saw him again. He was some kind of teaching genius, though... I used the notes from that lesson to write my first real song-- it's on my record."
Arie returned to the city after only 3 weeks at the cabin-- "Yeah, it would be nice to have some story about how I came back after 3 weeks with all of these songs written, but that's not what happened. Between an incredibly persistent raccoon, a feral cat with a bad attitude, and having to choose between opening the windows to breathe or being eaten alive by mosquitoes, I just came back with a clear understanding of what I needed to do. I did manage to write and record about 4 songs and used that demo to start booking gigs in the city. In my good fortune I was able to find really seasoned musicians who were willing to work with me-- alot of really incredible jazz cats who were so generous with their time and knowledge."
After gigging regularly in the City, Arie decided to go back to school for music in order get deeper into the heart of what she had to express as a singer. She enrolled in City College in the spring of 2008 and auditioned for and was accepted to the Jazz Vocal Performance program. "I came to this path at a comparatively late point compared to so many musicians I know who have been playing since childhood. Sometimes that makes it frustrating, but I think that it's been a definite benefit in my songwriting. My musical influences are so diverse and without formal training, my ear just heard innovative ways of combining different styles. Now that I am studying music, I have an easier time consciously doing what I was feeling my way through. " She decided to radically restructure her sound-- using stripped down acoustic arrangements of her songs she connected with musicians Bennett Miller, Kenneth Salters and Ben Cassorla to record another EP entitled "4 Songs."
The following fall, she officially began her studies in the jazz vocal program and had the good fortune to study privately with Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Kate McGarry.
Now, Arie Thompson has released the album "I'll Know Who You Are When I See You Again." The album was recorded in Brooklyn, Harlem and East Hampton and was mixed and mastered by Grammy winning engineer, Cynthia Daniels. This record bears witness to the growing influence of jazz on Arie's sound, songcraft and repertoire. The result is a cohesive collection of music that addresses themes of personal freedom, longing, lost love and redemption. "I see myself as participating in a tradition of vocalists and songwriters like Billie, Nina, Dolly, and Joni who are really coming from their hearts with these great songs that everyone can relate to.
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