For One to Love, Cecile McLoren Salvant review by John McBeath. Originally published by The Australian
US vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant burst onto the jazz scene winning the 2010 Thelonius Monk Competition. She has a varied background: born and raised in Miami, Florida of a French mother and Haitian father, she moved to France in 2007 to study law as well as classical and baroque voice.
This is her third album and as in Woman Child in 2013 – a Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal – backing is led by the brilliant pianist Aaron Diehl. She’s appeared at various festivals and performed with a great many top jazz names. All this at just 25 years of age.
McLorin Salvant specialises in unique interpretations of lesser-known and scarcely recorded jazz and blues compositions plus her own originals, often utilising jazz inflected theatrical portrayals.
Five of the current twelve tracks are originals, including the opener Fog in a breathy vocal style perfectly depicting a misty scene ornamented by a suitably murky piano.
Of the better known songs Stephen Sondheim’s Something’s Coming receives lengthy variegated vocal treatment with a compositional piano solo, a bass interlude from Paul Sikivie, and energetic support from drummer Lawrence Leathers. Judy Garland’s 1947 hit The Trolley Song gets a clever modernistic makeover, but also contains a salute to the original.
What’s The Matter Now could easily slip into bluesy satire, but doesn’t because of McLorin’s superbly swinging phrasing and Diehl’s post-modern barrelhouse piano. Underling is a standout original with its multi-hued vocal expression and soft, high register leaps.
Another very impressive album from a worthy successor to the Holiday/Vaughan/Fitzgerald lineage.
