Grammy Award winning jazz sensation Cécile McLorin Salvant will be returning to the Sheldon Concert Hall’s stage next Saturday (Nov. 18). In the early morning hours of May 3, 2015, I thought the same thing as plenty of other people who are perhaps just now hearing that she will be in town: Who is Cécile McLorin Salvant?
Two-and-a-half years ago, she popped up in the suggested videos after I watched one of my favorite YouTube clips of all time, Gregory Porter’s live studio version of his song “On My Way To Harlem” for WNYC’s “Soundcheck.” Porter’s buttery vocals, his gifted musicians – including St. Louis’ own Emanuel Harrold on drums – proclaim that jazz is alive and well in the hands of the next generation.
After the video ended, a still image of young woman with dramatic white framed glasses and a closely cropped afro was among the possible selections. The look of her was intriguing enough for me to press on her “Soundcheck” contribution instead of hitting repeat on Porter as I usually do.
“A secret, a secret…I’ve got a little secret,” Salvant sang as she began “If This Isn’t Love” to the tempo of the drum. “A secret, a secret … a secret kind of secret.”
By the second line – when the rest of her trio of musicians chimed in –she revealed the full tone and charisma of her voice, I was in awe. After Aaron Diehl’s piano solo halfway through the selection, Porter and company would be forced to share the distinction of my favorite “Soundcheck” performance. I watched that clip over and over.
This baby face had a voice with the rich lows of Sarah Vaughan, the crisp highs of Ella Fitzgerald and the charm of Billie Holiday rolled into one. How is this even possible? I finally gathered my thoughts enough to realize that she might have more videos. The most popular was her rendition of the jazz standard “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.”
The song has been covered by Holiday, Fitzgerald, Vaughan – and plenty of others. Salvant’s cover paid homage to them all, but in a way that felt fresh and original. On the strength of those two clips, she had become the future of jazz music in my opinion. I mean, she can actually hold a stick to Sarah Vaughan. When has that ever happened?
Hearing “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” compelled me to Google her beyond audio clips. Who was this woman? Where did she come from? How can she sing like this?
She’s a native of Miami. Her father is Haitian, and her mother is French.
She studied classical voice at University of Miami. In 2007, Salvant moved to Aix-en-Provence, France to study law as well as classical and baroque voice at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory.
Salvant captured the jazz scene’s attention in 2010 when she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.
For years Salvant was praised by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Downbeat Magazine and just about every other subject matter expert as the new voice of jazz. She had barely reached her mid-20s at the time – and has yet to hit 30.
Salvant released her debut album “Womanchild” in 2013. I downloaded the album and listened as I continued my research.
“What A Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Le Front Caché Sur Tes Genoux” were particularly breathtaking.
I learned that in 2014, “Womanchild” lost “Best Jazz Vocal Album” to Porter’s “Liquid Spirit.”
I read that Salvant had an album slated to be released in the fall. A new album means a tour. “Could she possibly come to St. Louis?” I dared asked myself. In a matter of hours, stumbling upon a video had turned into a full-on obsession.
By this point, the sun was coming up on Sunday, May 3.
“David Steward is obsessed with jazz,” I thought with excitement and a hint of relief. “If she has a tour and he knows who she is – or has heard how good she is – he will bring her to St. Louis. He keeps counsel with Wynton Marsalis. He knows who she is for sure. Mr. Steward will bring her to St. Louis.”
With zeal and confidence, I had already visualized myself basking in that voice in premium seating. “Should I check Jazz St. Louis or The Sheldon?”
I figured typing in “Cécile McLorin Salvant St. Louis 2015” on Google might kill two birds with one stone. It did. Turns out, she had performed at The Sheldon on May 2, 2015 – about eight hours before I found out she existed.
Her sophomore album “For One to Love” was released on September 4, 2015 and earned her a “Best Jazz Vocal Album” Grammy Award in 2016.
The Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Blvd.) will present Cécile McLorin Salvant at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 18. The concert is sponsored by The Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology, Inc. For more information, call (314) 533-9900 or visit www.sheldonconcerthall.org.
