Ilona Knopfler returns to New York City

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French jazz chanteuse Ilona Knopfler returns to New York City for a one-night-only performance with Alain Mallet - Piano, Jay Ashby - Trombone, Percussion, Francois Moutin - Bass, Marko Marcinko - Drums at Jazz Standard on Monday, February 13 at 7:30pm & 9:30pm, in support of her new release Live The Life, Mack Avenue Records. The CD features twelve timeless songs from the pens of such legendary and diverse songwriters as Ivan Lins, Charles Aznavour, Thelonious Monk, Claude Nougaro, Abbey Lincoln, and Thomas A. Dorsey - whose "I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song" kicks off the session and inspired the CD's title. "Live the Life" highlights the purity of Ilona's voice, emphasizes her eclectic stylistic abilities and pairs her with a world panoply of supporting players. The result is a lush, atmospheric collection! that, in Ilona's own words, "is a tribute to my unconditional love of music."

Although she was born in Paris, Ilona's parents' gigs took them and their young daughter all over the world, eventually relocating them to Hong Kong, where a six-year-old Ilona took the stage for the first time. At 15, she was singing professionally in a rock band. During that time, she discovered the music of Diane Schuur and Al Jarreau. "I loved their freedom of expression and the fact that they were not afraid to use their voices however they wanted, " Knopfler says. "I knew then I wanted to express myself that same way." Her affinity for jazz led her to perform with small groups and big bands at Hong Kong's famous Jazz Club, quickly becoming a house favorite. When she turned 18, Knopfler set off for New York City, where she lived for five years, studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

She signed with Mack Avenue Records in 2003, releasing her debut CD, Some Kind of Wonderful. The CD, on which Ilona "jazzed up" pop tunes of the 1960s and '70s, was lauded as "a courageous journey through the heart of pop music, " "a promising debut, " and critics noted that Ilona had "the instincts of a fine jazz vocalist" and was "someone to watch in the years to come."

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