Vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant is as bright a star as they come in the jazz universe. She exploded onto the scene in 2010, after taking first place in that year’s Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition, where her unique blend of blues singer attitude, Broadway stage presence and modern jazz aesthetic made her an immediate sensation.
Since then, she has ascended quickly into the circle of jazz celebrity. In 2013, she released her breakout album WomanChild to high critical acclaim, receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album the following year. Honors like the Jazz Journalist Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year award would follow, and in 2016, her album For One To Love would finally bring the Grammy home. Then, in 2018, she’d do it all again, receiving another Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her two-disc smash hit, Dreams and Daggers.
Salvant is just one of seven incredible artists who make up Artemis: Great Women in Jazz, an exciting new supergroup founded by pianist Renee Rosnes and including trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, clarinetist Anat Cohen, bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Allison Miller. The group will perform at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Salvant’s hometown of Miami, Florida, on December 7 as part of the venue’s JAZZ ROOTS series.
JAZZIZ spoke with Salvant over the phone about the formation of the new group and its purpose as a vehicle for change. We also talked about Ogresse, her new song-story about a female ogre who falls in love with a human. Listen via the streaming player below.