Cecile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

One album after another, Cecile McLorin Salvant reminds us she’s anything but the stereotypical “jazz singer”. Revealed to the public in 2013 with her gorgeousWomanChild, she stepped it up a gear two years later with For One To Love, an even more masterful and complete record, on which her voice worked wonders. Born on August 28th, 1989 in Miami, Florida, she studied French law, baroque and vocal jazz in Aix-en-Provence before winning the Thelonious Monk International Competition in 2010 (at only 20, in front of a jury composed of Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Patti Austin, Dianne Reeves and Kurt Elling!). She went on to display impressive qualities as a composer as well with five original songs on her 2015 album. With Dreams And Dagger the French-American, who now lives in Harlem, is releasing a third album recorded live at Village Vanguard, theNew York Mecca of jazz, and at the DiMenna Center, supported by her faithful trio (pianist Aaron Diehl, bass player Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers) and some guests on a few tracks, such as Quatuor Catalyst and pianist Sullivan Fortner. A real choice for the artist, who wishes she could only record live albums, the context in which her band’s sound is most faithfully presented. More classic in its form than her two previous works, Dreams And Dagger is proof of her fluency no matter the repertoire. For a classic like My Man’s Gone Now, for which thousands of versions already exist, she embarks with her voice on unique paths, to astounding effect! Furthermore, Cecile McLorin Salvant fully bonds with her trio, which isn’t just a simple stooge for her amazing voice, but an essential part of her musical world. Once again, she blazes an even deeper trail, far from the Billie/Sarah/Ella Holy Trinity, because as Wynton Marsalis put it: “You only get a singer like this once in a generation or two…”.

Tracklist:
01 – And Yet
02 – Devil May Care
03 – Mad About the Boy
04 – Sam Jones’ Blues
05 – More
06 – Never Will I Marry
07 – Somehow I Never Could Believe
08 – If a Girl Isn’t Pretty
09 – Red Instead
10 – Runnin’ Wild
11 – The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)
12 – You’re My Thrill
13 – I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
14 – Tell Me What They’re Saying Can’t Be True
15 – Nothing Like You
16 – You’ve Got to Give Me Some
17 – The Worm
18 – My Man’s Gone Now
19 – Let’s Face the Music and Dance
20 – Si j’étais blanche
21 – Fascination
22 – Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues
23 – You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me