Cécile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers '2017

Tracks list

The juxtaposition of dualistic concepts like love and anger, joy and heartache,
and the way these emotions are inextricably linked in our romantic psyches
inform all of Cecile McLorin Salvants virtuosic, urbanely produced fourth album,
2017s Dreams and Daggers. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard (yes, you can
sometimes hear the enthusiastic audience) and in studio at New Yorks DiMenna
Center, the double-disc set features Salvant on a thoughtfully curated selection
of standards and several originals, all touching upon the themes of romance and
heartbreak. Along with her regular trio of pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul
Sikivie, and drummer Lawrence Leathers, Salvant is joined at various times by
the classical string ensemble the Catalyst Quartet, who supply a cinematic layer
of orchestration (via Sikivies gorgeously refined arrangements) to Salvants
already emotive style. Also making an appearance on a delightfully earthy
rendition of the Bessie Smith number Youve Got to Give Me Some is pianist
Sullivan Fortner, whose lively chemistry with Salvant brings to mind Oscar
Petersons work with Ella Fitzgerald. Since winning the 2010 Thelonious Monk Jazz
Vocal Competition, the Miami-born Salvant has built a formidable career around
her dynamic, sophisticated brand of vocal jazz. Marked by her highly resonant
voice and deft sense of phrasing, its a style that recalls the swinging
virtuosity of Fitzgerald, as well as the more idiosyncratic approach of Betty
Carter. Cuts here, like her soulfully lithe take on Frank Loessers Never Will I
Marry, and her swaggeringly cheeky turn on Ida Coxs Wild Women Dont Have the
Blues, are breathtaking in their sophistication and interpretive nuance. The
thing about Salvant, is that while her titanic abilities draw easy and
well-earned comparisons, she never comes off as a mimic, remaining instead
confidant, and firmly self-aware in her own ability to put a song over to a
crowd. Whether she takes on a warhorse here like I Didnt Know What Time It Was,
or reveals her impeccable flair for picking lesser performed songs as on her wry
reading of Noel Cowards Mad About the Boy, she imbues each track with her own
distinctive point of view. The few original compositions included here
especially reveal her to be a literate, deeply poetic artist with a strong sense
of personal identity -- as heard on the short chamber piece Red Instead, in
which she sings, I cant really change the way I am/I can be bolder/Sharpen my
dagger/Cut through the multitudes and make it bright red instead. Ultimately, on
Dreams and Daggers, with its balanced framework of live and studio recordings,
happy and sad romantic songs, small group and classical chamber pieces, Salvant
remains as bold and as sharp as ever.

Tracklist:
01. Cécile McLorin Salvant - And Yet (1:06)
02. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Devil May Care (6:56)
03. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Mad About The Boy (6:53)
04. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Sam Jones’ Blues (3:00)
05. Cécile McLorin Salvant - More (3:33)
06. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Never Will I Marry (4:03)
07. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Somehow I Never Could Believe (9:56)
08. Cécile McLorin Salvant - If A Girl Isn’t Pretty (2:55)
09. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Red Instead (0:35)
10. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Runnin’ Wild (1:39)
11. Cécile McLorin Salvant - The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me) (7:13)
12. Cécile McLorin Salvant - You’re My Thrill (4:34)
13. Cécile McLorin Salvant - I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (6:30)
14. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Tell Me What They’re Saying Can’t
Be True (5:29)
15. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Nothing Like You (3:50)
16. Cécile McLorin Salvant - You’ve Got To Give Me Some (6:11)
17. Cécile McLorin Salvant - The Worm (1:03)
18. Cécile McLorin Salvant - My Man’s Gone Now (6:27)
19. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Let’s Face The Music And Dance (6:55)
20. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Si J’étais Blanche (5:15)
21. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Fascination (1:28)
22. Cécile McLorin Salvant - Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues (6:51)
23. Cécile McLorin Salvant - You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me
(9:53)

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