Cécile McLorin Salvant at TD Toronto Jazz Festival
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Cécile McLorin Salvant
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant has had a remarkable rise to stardom in her professional career, and she’s taking another big leap forward with Dreams and Daggers, her third album for Mack Avenue Records.
McLorin Salvant first made waves in the jazz world when, at the urging of her mother, she entered the most prestigious jazz vocal competition in the world. Having nearly missed the submission deadline, she made it to the finals as their youngest performer and was selected by an illustrious panel of judges – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Patti Austin, and Al Jarreau – as the 2010 Thelonious Monk Competition winner. While she had bypassed the traditional U.S. conservatories and jazz schools, McLorin Salvant studied at France’s Aix-en-Provence before returning for the competition’s semi-finals, the judges noted her remarkable voice and striking ability to inhabit the emotional space of every song she heard and turn it into a compelling statement.
In 2013, McLorin Salvant made her Mack Avenue Records debut with WomanChild, garnering a GRAMMY® Award-nomination, NPR Music’s pick for “Best Jazz Vocal Album of the Year,” and three placements in DownBeat’s critic’s poll as “Jazz Album of the Year,” “Top Female Vocalist,” and “Best Female Jazz Up and Coming Artist of the Year,” among many other accolades. Her 2015 follow up release, For One To Love, won the GRAMMY® Award for “Best Jazz Vocal Album.”
McLorin Salvant’s music has been featured in multiple Chanel “Chance” campaigns and is included in the soundtrack for HBO’s acclaimed film, Bessie. New York Times Magazine included her recording of “Trolley Song” as one of “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going,” The New Yorker profiled her at age 27, Vanity Fair featured her in their “Millennials That Are Shaking Up The Jazz World” piece, Essence Magazine noted her as one of “13 Emerging Black Women in Music,” and Gilles Peterson included her as an “Artist to Watch” in The Atlantic. Learn more about McLorin Salvant on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Fresh Air,” New York Times’ “Close at Hand,” or watch her perform on BBC’s “Later… with Jools Holland” and PBS’ “The Tavis Smiley Show.”
Sullivan Fortner
Lauded as one of the top jazz pianists of his generation, Sullivan Fortner is recognized for his virtuosic technique and captivating performances. The winner of three prestigious awards – a Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship from the American Pianists Association, and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists – Sullivan’s music embodies the essence of the blues and jazz as he connects music of all eras and genres through his improvisation.