Brought up in the village of Samois-sur- Seine, Aimee saw the colorful caravans arriving in village each June for the annual Django Reinhardt Jazz Festival. She got the bug early, and before long, Gypsy music's siren call was irresistible.

Cyrille Aimée in concert (Photo: Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

Cyrille says she started sneaking out to meet the gypsies at night, learning their language and their tunes before sunrise so she wouldn’t be late for school. "I became friends with the Gypsies," she says, "and became obsessed with their way of life, and especially their music. Gypsy music reflects a sense of freedom, and living each day like it’s the last." 

We can feel that freedom with Cyrille for one night when the singer comes to Fort Lauderdale to perform with Shelley Berg's trio in the Amaturo Theater.

Cyrille and Shelley have planned an exciting night of jazz standards with Gypsy swing, and Bossa Nova style. Aimée is a winner of the Sarah Vaughan Jazz Competition and was finalist in the Thelonious Monk Competition. She has been called “a revelation” by the New York Daily News and her vocals caught the attention of the renowned Stephen Sondheim.  Shelly Berg, Dean of the UM Frost School of Music, is an internationally recognized jazz pianist, composer, arranger and producer. Catch this enchanting chanteuse before she catapults to major stardom.

And if you'd like, join me for a preview in which I'll trace the history of gypsy jazz and the guitarist Aimée credits as her greatest influence, the jazz giant Django Reinhardt. I'll pour you a glass or two of wine, just to help the atmosphere along, to give us that je ne sais quoi. I'm really looking forward to this concert, and invite you to join me - the preview is open to all ticket holders. The concert is at 7:45pm and the preview begins at 6:45. To order your tickets, contact the Gold Coast Jazz Society by clicking the button below and I'll see you at the Broward Center on January 10th.