What Took You So Long?’ is an original song, co-written between Emma Smith and Jamie Safir. It is the centrepiece of the album and takes its narrative inspiration from Nancy Wilson’s “Guess Who I Saw Today,” while walking its own path. “We were really moved by the storytelling in that song,” Smith explains. “So we wrote something that captures that dramatic arc but with a narrative voice that feels more like me.” Bitter Orange, the new album by Emma Smith, is an intimate snapshot of the reality of Smith’s modern inner life with a sound rooted in yesterday — the glamour and the introspection of a self-making woman trying to be heard and make an impact. “This album is my space to play with the juxtaposition of bitter and sweet, the humor and heartbreak that punctuate my life — the ups and downs, the wins and the losses,” she says. “There’s camp ridiculousness and raw vulnerability — and somehow, all of that is me.” Emma was raised in a musically-rich family of accomplished musicians. Her mother played saxophone for Leonard Bernstein and Paul Weller, among others, and her father’s orchestrations were commissioned by The Three Degrees, Herb Miller (brother of Glenn Miller), Princess Diana and King Charles III. But it was her grandfather, Chris Smith Sr., a celebrated East End trombonist, who was her greatest influence. He performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Oscar Peterson, and Barbra Streisand, among others. “He never skipped a day’s practice,” Smith recalls. “He taught me that you’re only as good as your last gig.” That discipline, paired with a deep love for the music, became the foundation of Smith’s artistry. Bitter Orange pays homage to Emma’s musical inspirations including Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, and British jazz royalty Dame Cleo Laine but with a sound distinctly her own. Smith and her trio have been seamlessly playing together for over a decade. The trio includes pianist and co-producer Jamie Safir, (Kylie Minogue and Claire Martin OBE), double bassist Conor Chaplin, (Jacob Collier and drummer Luke Tomlinson, a guest member of the NDR Big Band). “We’ve been making records and playing shows together for years,” Smith explains. “There’s a real friendship and deep trust between the trio and me. It’s our hope that listeners can hear the camaraderie that exists between us on every track.” Songs on Bitter Orange include a stripped-down and haunting “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered;” a playful revival of the forgotten Disney Cinderella gem, “I’m in the Middle of a Muddle,” and a meditative medley combining “Funny Face” and “My Funny Valentine.” Smith honours her British heritage with London Pride, composed by Noël Coward during the Blitz. Please stream the album on a platform of your choice using this link: https://orcd.co/streambitterorange And share it with your favorite jazz buddy It features my fabulous swinging classy trio of brit-boys: Jamie Safir: Piano Conor Chaplin: Double Bass Luke Tomlinson: Drums Recorded by Dan at Urchin Studios Filmed and edited by Herbie Elton-Rowley —– The new album ‘Bitter Orange’ is out now, Subscribe to Emma’s mailing list here: https://www.emmasmithmusic.co.uk/ Support Emma by buying her Autographed albums here: https://shop.emmasmithmusic.co.uk/
‘What Took You So Long?’ is an original song, co-written between Emma Smith and Jamie Safir. It is the centrepiece of the album and takes its narrative inspiration from Nancy Wilson’s “Guess Who I Saw Today,” while walking its own path.
“We were really moved by the storytelling in that song,” Smith explains. “So we wrote something that captures that dramatic arc but with a narrative voice that feels more like me.”
Bitter Orange, the new album by Emma Smith, is an intimate snapshot of the reality of Smith’s modern inner life with a sound rooted in yesterday — the glamour and the introspection of a self-making woman trying to be heard and make an impact.
“This album is my space to play with the juxtaposition of bitter and sweet, the humor and heartbreak that punctuate my life — the ups and downs, the wins and the losses,” she says. “There’s camp ridiculousness and raw vulnerability — and somehow, all of that is me.”
Emma was raised in a musically-rich family of accomplished musicians. Her mother played saxophone for Leonard Bernstein and Paul Weller, among others, and her father’s orchestrations were commissioned by The Three Degrees, Herb Miller (brother of Glenn Miller), Princess Diana and King Charles III. But it was her grandfather, Chris Smith Sr., a celebrated East End trombonist, who was her greatest influence. He performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Oscar Peterson, and Barbra Streisand, among others. “He never skipped a day’s practice,” Smith recalls. “He taught me that you’re only as good as your last gig.” That discipline, paired with a deep love for the music, became the foundation of Smith’s artistry.
Bitter Orange pays homage to Emma’s musical inspirations including Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Oscar Peterson, and British jazz royalty Dame Cleo Laine but with a sound distinctly her own. Smith and her trio have been seamlessly playing together for over a decade. The trio includes pianist and co-producer Jamie Safir, (Kylie Minogue and Claire Martin OBE), double bassist Conor Chaplin, (Jacob Collier and drummer Luke Tomlinson, a guest member of the NDR Big Band).
“We’ve been making records and playing shows together for years,” Smith explains. “There’s a real friendship and deep trust between the trio and me. It’s our hope that listeners can hear the camaraderie that exists between us on every track.”
Songs on Bitter Orange include a stripped-down and haunting “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered;” a playful revival of the forgotten Disney Cinderella gem, “I’m in the Middle of a Muddle,” and a meditative medley combining “Funny Face” and “My Funny Valentine.” Smith honours her British heritage with London Pride, composed by Noël Coward during the Blitz.
Please stream the album on a platform of your choice using this link: https://orcd.co/streambitterorange
And share it with your favorite jazz buddy
It features my fabulous swinging classy trio of brit-boys:
Jamie Safir: Piano
Conor Chaplin: Double Bass
Luke Tomlinson: Drums
Recorded by Dan at Urchin Studios
Filmed and edited by Herbie Elton-Rowley
The new album ‘Bitter Orange’ is out now,
Subscribe to Emma’s mailing list here: https://www.emmasmithmusic.co.uk/
Support Emma by buying her Autographed albums here: https://shop.emmasmithmusic.co.uk/