Philomene Irawaddy : a lovely voice on the French scene

« This is swing in which delicacy and precision work together,

the phrasing is relaxed and sure… »

Born in Massachusetts in the United States, Philomène Irawaddy came to singing early. She spent hours in the recorded company of Ella Fitzgerald (her all-time favourite), Doris Day, and the rest of the distinguished vocal cast of the American musical. These are her sources of inspiration, nothing less than the very roots of jazz.

After a Masters degree in international law, Philomène Irawaddy changed direction and studied music at the Sorbonne University in Paris, going on to qualify as a music teacher. About this time, she gave her first performances in a variety of Parisian jazz clubs.

Melody comes before everything for Philomène Irawaddy, whether she is singing timeless standard or adding her own vocal line to more recent compositions by Chick Corea, Charles Mingus, or Wayne Shorter.

She has worked with numerous musicians including jazz pianists Alain Jean-Marie, Pierre de Bethmann, Franck Avitabile, Ludovic de Preissac, Hiroshi Murayama and Manuel Rocheman, guitarist Christian Brun, accordionist Ludovic Beier, trumpettist Nicolas Folmer and saxophonist Rick Margitza.

Philomène Irawaddy has presented concerts of baroque music, as well as Spanish melodies, and is a composer for children. Her song collection “Une coccinelle sur mon violoncelle” (released in 2005, distributed by Harmonia Mundi) was given top rating by the French culture magazine “Télérama”.

Philomène Irawaddy has just completed recording with Alain Jean-Marie (piano), Gilles Naturel (double bass) and Philippe Soirat (drums), her long-time fellow travelers (“Sun Side Songs”, was released in June 2009).