Winter Warm by Sophia Bilides

Thank you so much for doing those songs justice – no, for making them better!" (Mike Miller, son of songwriters Connie Pearce & Arnold Miller)

A seasonal CD with a difference, Winter Warm is a spicy mix of folk, jazz, musical comedy, and the American songbook, offering hope and humor for the chill-challenged, daylight-deprived, and winter-weary. The songlist features gems by Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Burt Bacharach, George Shearing, Michel Legrand, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins, and many more. The CD thoughtfully explores ways to celebrate, or survive, winter by deriving warmth from the reassurance of seasonal change and the hope of spring. Options such as cuddling, hibernation, or heading for warmer climes (real or imaginary) are also considered, and even flightless penguins discover the alternative joy of singing. Other remedies include fulfilling one’s dreams, drawing strength from memories, and living for today, in order to make this season the merriest!

Bilides received the 2005 IRNE Award for Best Female Cabaret Performer (Independent Reviewers of New England), and has been consistently named among Boston's Best Of Cabaret. She is described as "delightfully eclectic, highly polished, and mesmerizing" (Cabaret Scenes Magazine), "sharply comic and touchingly dramatic, hitting her intended mark every time" (Bay Windows), "a consummate interpreter" (Theater Mirror), and “a sultry voice and sharp wit” (EdgeBoston.com). She appears regularly at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, and has also performed at Danny's Skylight Room in New York, the Regattabar Jazz Club in Cambridge, and other venues.

"Equal to any of the finest cabaret artists in the country today, Bilides consistently renders a brilliant performance." (Cabaret Hotline Online)

"Bilides spins gold... She can belt, lilt, swing, and serve up shtick or heart upon command. Charismatic, honest, and well grounded, she is also one of the most unique vocalists around. With Bilides, whose deep, sultry voice is like warm honey, you wait for those lush low notes, and they are worth the wait." (John Amodeo, Bay Windows)

Also a nationally recognized Greek vocalist, Bilides is considered "the foremost practitioner of the Greek singing style known as Smyrneika" (Boston Globe), a cabaret tradition born of Asia Minor Greek refugees in the 1930s-40s, with intricate melodies and sensual rhythms expressing love, nostalgia, and the celebration of life. She has performed the songs of her heritage at venues throughout North America, including New York's Lincoln Center For The Performing Arts, The American Folk Festival, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Bilides was featured in a National Endowment For The Arts Singing Traditions Tour, and received an Individual Artist Folklore Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Accompanying herself on santouri (hammered dulcimer), with musicians on guitar and doumbeleki, "she brings to life a musical heritage that still speaks from and to the heart" (International Greek Folklore Society).

Her CD "Greek Legacy," in which she is accompanied by master instrumentalists, celebrates the richness and beauty of Greek music: cabaret songs of Asia Minor (Smyrneika), urban blues of Athenian tavernas (Rebetika), folk songs of Constantinople (Politika), and more:

"One fantastic alto! Any connoisseur of the full-bodied, full-throated female voice will be enchanted by this highly recommended album." (Sing Out!)

"An album that fairly shouts the word 'quality'. Her superb voice is heard to excellent effect in this fascinating singing style that straddles the cultural divide between East and West." (Folk Roots)

"Sonically stunning...a fabulous introduction into the world of Greek music." (Dirty Linen)

"She is masterful in her command of the vocal pyrotechnics involved." (Valley Advocate)

"Sophia Bilides and the excellent musicians on this disc have truly 'got it'... A strong, haunting voice with a lot of power, and a lot of heart." (KPFA)

"What could a second generation, New World born descendent of the old Diaspora possibly possess in the way of authentic Old World substance & exotic charm ? Plenty! A legacy now embodied and best expressed in this brunette with a golden tone." (Rebetiko Row)

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