Cécile McLorin Salvant (born August 28, 1989) Kaplan, Fred
"Cécile McLorin Salvant's Timeless Jazz"
''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', May 22, 2017. is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

vocalist. She was the winner of the first prize in the

Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock. The i ...

in 2010, releasing her first album, ''Cécile'', shortly thereafter. Her second album, ''WomanChild'', was released in 2013 on

Mack Avenue Records Mack Avenue Records is an independent record label in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. Background Mack Avenue was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Carhartt Valade, a jazz fan and Chairperson, chair of the American apparel company Carhartt. The company ...

, receiving a 2014

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for

Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz ...

. Salvant won four categories in the 2014 ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' Critics Poll: Jazz Album of the Year, Female Vocalist, Rising Star–Jazz Artist, and Rising Star–Female Vocalist. Her third album, '' For One to Love'', was released on September 5, 2015, to critical acclaim from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', and ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. It won her the

for

in 2016.

Early years

Cécile Sophie McLorin Salvant was born in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Her father, who is Haitian, is a doctor and her mother, who is French, is the founder and president of a

French immersion French immersion is a form of bilingual education in which students who do not speak French as a first language will receive instruction in French. In most French-immersion schools, students will learn to speak French and learn most subjects s ...

school in Miami. Salvant began studies in classical piano at the age of five, and began singing in the Miami Choral Society when she was eight. She subsequently developed an interest in classical voice and began studying with private instructors, and later with Edward Walker, vocal teacher at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

. She said in 2015: "I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where we listened to all kinds of music. We listened to Haitian, hip hop, soul, classical jazz, gospel and Cuban music, to name a few. When you have access to that as a child, it just opens up your world." In 2007, Salvant moved to Aix-en-Provence, France, to study law as well as classical and

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

voice at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory. It was in Aix-en-Provence, with reedist and teacher , that she studied improvisation, instrumental and vocal repertoire, and sang with her first band. In a four-star review of her sold-out engagement at

Ronnie Scott's Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

in London in June 2015,

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

wrote in ''

'': "She brings ideas from unexpected angles to the familiar art of standards-singing, and she applies a mischievous intelligence to well-worn lyrics in ways that transform them."

Musical career

Salvant began studying voice at the age of eight with an interest in classical music. She began her transition into jazz while studying at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in 2007, and also studied composition and music theory at The New School. Salvant says that her main jazz influence is

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

, recalling childhood memories of listening to her songs repeatedly. While strongly influenced by Sarah Vaughan, she is also heavily influenced by vocalists such as

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

, and

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

. She describes her sound as jazz, blues, with elements of folk and musical theatre. She composes music and lyrics which she also sings in French, her native language, as well as in Spanish. She enjoys popularity in Europe and in the United States, performing in clubs, concert halls, and festivals accompanied by renowned musicians. Salvant has performed at jazz venues and festivals including

Ronnie Scott's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

, the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and the ''

Village Vanguard The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jazz ...

''. In 2010, Salvant released her first self-titled album, '' Cécile & the Jean-François Bonnel Paris Quintet''. Soon thereafter, at the age of 21, she went on to win the

for vocalists. Her first-prize win included a recording contract with the label

, with whom she released her next two albums. Writing in ''

'' in 2012,

Ben Ratliff Ben Ratliff (born 1968 in New York City) is an American journalist, music critic and author. Ratliff is the son of an English mother and an American father, growing up in London and in Rockland County, New York. From 1996 to 2016, he wrote abo ...

said: "In front of a trio led by the pianist

Aaron Diehl Aaron Diehl (born September 22, 1985) is an American jazz pianist. Diehl is considered a jazz virtuoso and composer. He is the 2014 Monterey Jazz Festival Commission Artist, becoming one of the youngest artists to receive this honor, and compos ...

she sings clearly, with her full pitch range, from a pronounced low end to full and distinct high notes, used sparingly ..Her voice clamps into each song, performing careful variations on pitch, stretching words but generally not scatting; her face conveys meaning, representing sorrow or serenity like a silent-movie actor." In 2013 she released her second album ''WomanChild'', which was nominated for a 2014

in the category of Best Vocal Jazz Album. The songs chosen for ''WomanChild'' include original compositions, as well as compositions that date back to the 19th century and progress into the 21st. Salvant chose the songs for this album based on songs she felt had a personal connection to her life. In September 2015, Salvant released her second album with Mack Avenue Records, titled ''For One to Love''. On this album, she chose songs that focus attention on strong women and independence. The album contains five original works and

jazz standards Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list ...

. In 2016, the album won a Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album. Two years later, her third album with Mack Avenue, ''Dreams and Daggers'', won a Grammy in the same category. She has toured with the

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is an American big band and jazz orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. The Orchestra is part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, a performing arts organization in New York City. History In 1988 the Orchestra was formed a ...

, whose music director

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

was quoted in a 2017 ''New Yorker'' article as saying of Salvant: "You get a singer like this once in a generation or two." Salvant has sung in advertisements for

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

's "Chance" brand of products.

Awards and honors

* Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (2010) * Jazz Album of the Year, ''DownBeat'' Critics Poll, ''WomanChild'' (2014) * Best Vocal Jazz Album, Grammy Award nomination, ''WomanChild'' (2014) * Top Vocal Album,

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

Jazz Critics Poll 2014, ''WomanChild'', * Female Vocalist of the Year, 2015,

Jazz Journalists Association The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) is an international organization of all types of media professionals who document, promulgate, or appreciate jazz. As of 2016, it has approximately 250 members, including professional journalists, students, ind ...

* Top Vocal Album, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll 2015, '' For One to Love'' *

Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz ...

2016, ''For One to Love'' * Paul Acket Award 2016 * Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2018, ''

Dreams and Daggers ''Dreams and Daggers'' is an album by American jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant that includes songs recorded both during live performance and in the studio. The album was released as a set of two Compact disc, CDs or three LP record, LPs on Ma ...

'' * Jazz Album of the Year, ''DownBeat'' Critics Poll, ''Dreams and Daggers'' (2018) * Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album 2019, ''The Window'' * Glenn Gould Protege Prize Recipient, awarded by Jessye Norman at the Twelfth

Glenn Gould Prize The Glenn Gould Prize is an international award bestowed by the Glenn Gould Foundation in memory of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould. It is awarded every second year to a living individual for contributions that have enriched the human condition thro ...

Gala (2019) * Macarthur Genius Grant Winner (2020) *

's Jazz Award for Female Vocalist of the Year (2022)

Discography

As lead artist * '' Cécile & the Jean-François Bonnel Paris Quintet'' (2010) * ''WomanChild'' (2013) * '' For One to Love'' (2015) * ''

'' (2017) * '' The Window'' (2018) * ''Ghost Song'' (2022) Collaborations *

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

, " Je te veux" and "

Oh My Love "Oh My Love" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that appeared on Lennon's '' Imagine'' album in 1971. Information The song was originally written with different lyrics and demoed in 1968 after sessions for the album ''The Beatles''. Th ...

" on ''

Gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache h ...

'' (2012) * ''It's Christmas on Mack Avenue'' (2014) * ''Federico Britos Presents Hot Club of the Americas'' (2015) *

, ''

Big Band Holidays ''Big Band Holidays'' is a 2015 Christmas album by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Ce ...

'' (2015) *

Fred Nardin Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

Jon Boutellier Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".1989 births Living people American jazz singers American women jazz singers American musicians of Haitian descent American people of French descent Grammy Award winners Musicians from Miami 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Mack Avenue Records artists MacArthur Fellows