The Artistry of… series is sponsored by the Alzheimer Society Music Project.
Everything about the way her foundation was laid out for her sounds as right as her last name, and it has just continued to get better and better. She is one of three children of a church minister and the same church’s musical director. The beginnings sound like a familiar story for so many jazz musicians: She started singing and playing piano in the church as a child. The interests expanded into blues and jazz. The grounding of the church music influences can be heard in her sound to this day. You can find her voice spiriting projects of artists like Danilo Perez, Joe Sample, Regina Carter, David Sanborn and the late Toots Thielemans. Dreaming Wide Awake is one of my favourite Lizz Wright albums; for me, it’s the adventurous image the phrase conjures. Subtlety and grace — that’s the artistry.
