Cassandra Wilson

Cassandra Wilson (vocals), Lonnie Plaxico (bass), Marvin Sewell (guitar), Jeffery Haynes (percussion), Herlin Riley (drums), Brandon Ross (guitar), Gregoire Maret (mouth organ)

Cassandra Wilson has become one of the leading jazz divas of the last 20 years. Still, she likes to interpret  pop songs ranging from The Monkees to U2 and from the blues book,  Robert Johnson to Son House. Her main weapon is her shady, catchy and smoky contralto voice. Within this voice, her roots, in the musically rich soil of the Mississippi delta always shine through.
 
Born in 1955 in Jackson, Mississippi, both of Cassandra Wilson’s parents were teachers and musically active. She started a classical piano education when she was six years old and later began playing clarinet to participate in school marching bands. Later on, she would interpret Joni Mitchell song  appearing in several blues and funk bands.  Moving to New Orleans, she made music with local stars such as Earl Turbinton and Ellis Marsalis. Then she tried her luck on the New York scene. First she formed part of the M-Base movement in Brooklyn, with like-minded musicians such as Steve Coleman. This collective explored new ways of improvising. Around this time Cassandra’s first solo album as a leader was released. The style ranged from avant-garde to funk. In 1988 she also released ‘Blue Skies’, an album featuring standards. During this era she still worked on gaining confidence and was had a role more like a group member than a jazz diva.
 
Cassandra Wilson had a breakthrough  with her first album for the Blue Note label,  ‘Blue Light ‘Till Dawn’. On the album listeners hear her version of blues songs and pop songs yet her voice is  embedded in the smooth  minimalist arrangements. Her characteristics as a singer have become distinct: clearly audible, a smoky timbre with a preference for the low register and a great  preference for  melodic ornamentation. The striking delivery is completed with sighs and groans and a lively rhythmic attack. After this success,  Cassandra Wilson continued releasing albums regularly. These included the Grammy winning ‘New Moon Daughter’, the excellent album 'Traveling Miles' a homage to Miles Davis, the varied 'Belly of The Sun' and more recently 'Loverly'.
 
The years of leaning towards blues and pop taught her that her signature smoky voice and catchy grooves are her main arms. Cassandra Wilson is at her best when she puts in new melodic, harmonic and rhythmic nuances into compositions. Well known songs are then converted into her personal reflections, often with an ironic or erotic touch.