So Nice by Wilma Baan

When you hear 'So Nice', the debut release from vocalist Wilma Baan, you may wonder why you haven't heard her before. Wilma's rich, mellow tone, impeccable timing and elegant delivery pay homage to her musical influences (Julie London, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves) on this accomplished recording of 12 treasures from the standard repertoire.

The arrangements by Graham Harvey provide a sparklingly fresh take on these much-loved songs including a wonderfully sensitive version of the inexplicably under recorded 'Day by Day' and on a poignant rendition of 'Here's to Life', producer Claire Martin coaxes every nuance and shade from Wilma's charming vocal performance.

Chris Traves' mellifluous trombone solo on 'Close Enough for Love' demonstrates the generous contributions made by Chris (he also co-produced the album with Claire Martin) Josh Morrison and Dave Chamberlain throughout the recording (Dave can be heard playing the guitar on tracks 1 & 8).

For Wilma, 'So Nice' represents the fulfilment of a long-held ambition; to record songs that have deeply moved and inspired her and that have sustained her love for the jazz repertoire through the years.

Born in the Netherlands, if her parents' accounts are accurate, her musical career began at the tender age of 3, humming herself to sleep with parts of the Brandenburg Concertos – a serious side effect of being spoon fed JS Bach and Miles Davis in equal amounts from the moment she was born.

A career in nursing beckoned although her love of jazz endured and she sang with various jazz ensembles and performed at jazz clubs and festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague where she met vocalists Ernestine Anderson and Sarah Vaughan. Other special moments included performing alongside Jean 'Toots' Thielemans and sharing a chat and a hug at Ronnie Scott's with idol Mark Murphy. Among her radio performances, accompanied by the KRO Orchestra, she sang live for a broadcast about the life and work of Irving Berlin.

After a break to bring up her family including spells in Oman, Brunei & Greece due to her husband's long international career, Wilma finally settled in the UK. A chance opportunity to perform with singer/pianist Joe Stilgoe, followed by a series of dates with pianist Alex Hutton, reignited the spark for jazz and in May 2020 she was about to perform with pianist Graham Harvey and his trio when the pandemic brought everything to a grinding halt.

Unwilling to lose momentum, she decided to seize the moment and record this album.

'So Nice' may have been a long time coming but it's an album of depth and maturity, steeped in the jazz tradition with something to please lovers of vocal jazz, The American Songbook and of first-class musicianship.