Sophie Milman

Sophie Milman is unusually well-­traveled for someone who has yet to post 25 years on the planet. Born in Russia and raised in Israel, Milman now resides in Toronto, where she somehow manages to balance pursuing a commerce degree at the University of Toronto with her recording and touring activities as one of jazz's ­fastest-rising young torch singers. Her 2004 debut, Sophie Milman, was nominated for a Juno (Canada's Grammy) for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and last summer's Make Someone Happy seems certain to follow suit. Milman's dusky vocals wrap themselves around familiar Broadway melodies (Oklahoma's "People Will Say We're in Love"), pop standards ("Fever," "It's Not Easy Being Green") and tributes to her Jewish heritage ("Eli, Eli (A Walk to Caesaria)") like a fine mink stole, while her four-piece band navigates frisky bossa novas and languid ballads with equal dexterity. Milman's sophisticated style should be right at home at the well-appointed Sambuca, but don't expect her set to run to the wee small hours of the morning. She probably has to study.