Alumna Eileen Smith releases debut album and single

On Monday 21 June, UK jazz singer, writer and Leeds College of Music alumna Eileen Hunter is set to release her first album on Jazz FM’s new artists label Clifford Street Records. From the Jazz FM website: The album, ‘Eileen Hunter’, is a combination of timeless classics and self-penned songs, from Gus Khan’s ‘My Baby Just Cares for Me‘ made famous by Nina Simone in the late ’50s to Burton Lane’s ‘Old Devil Moon‘. ’I Miss The Sky‘, now a signature Jazz FM song playing regularly to half a million listeners every week, is released as a digital single a week ahead of the album on Monday 1 June. It was written by Norah Jones’ guitarist and songwriter Jesse Harris who was nominated for a Grammy for writing Norah’s hit ‘Don’t Know Why‘. He also penned several other songs on the multi-million-selling album ‘Come Away with Me‘. A born performer and classically-trained pianist, flautist and singer, Eileen grew up in a family steeped in traditional Scottish music. She would often accompany her father, Alastair Hunter, a renowned accordion player, in Scottish Country Dance gigs all over Scotland. Eileen’s love of jazz grew from these experiences and following five years teaching music in an inner city secondary school in Aberdeen she decided to formalise her passion. She moved to Leeds to study Jazz and Contemporary Music at Leeds College of Music under the tutelage of British jazz singer Tina May. From playing piano in restaurants and hotels to pay her way through college, Eileen has since established herself as a dynamic, hard-working jazz artist performing in many of the UK’s best-loved jazz venues. This first album is a powerful reflection of Eileen’s passionate journey from the heart of the Scottish music tradition to world-class jazz. “Jazz FM has long wanted to sign upcoming artists but it is only now, with the rise of digital sales and the prominence of the Internet as a promotional tool, that this is viable commercially,” says Richard Wheatly, Chief Executive of Jazz FM. “We are delighted to have found Eileen, a quite remarkable talent, to set the standard and launch our new record label.” Jazz FM’s Mike Vitti says, “Eileen is an exceptional talent. She not only provides an inspirational vocal performance, she is an amazing musician, a considered writer and has an arresting grace on stage.” Visit Eileen's website at www.eileenhunter.co.uk Below is a video of Eileen performing live at the 606 Club, Chelsea (video footage courtesy of The Guardian and Observer Music Monthly)