With each year, even in this early part of her career, vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant is becoming more and more of an artist who sings than simply a “jazz singer.” Instead of performing in her more usual trio format, Ms. Salvant bared her soul at the cozy Soraya Stage with the intimate accompaniment of pianist Sullivan Fortner to create an evening of musical art.
Ms. Salvant divided the evening into a pair of 50 minute sets reflecting two different moods of love, opening with “Romance” and finishing up with “The Darker Side,” (“Where I’m more comfortable!” she joked).
With a voice so strong and assured that she only used her microphone for emphasis, Salvant used her voice like a paint brush, creating both broad strokes as well as dots and dashes , stretching out lyrics like taffy as Fortner mixed reflective stride and Monk-like elliptical chords on “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” The two were able to get whimsical on a cozy “An Occassional Man” as Salvant used her voice to go from fluffy whisps to declatory hollars as the pianist used both saloon chords and intuitive obligatos in support and conversation.
On a piece like the whimsical “I’ve Got Just About Everything” and the emotionally vulnerable she could mix both melody and sharp corners, sometimes using the lyrics for personal interpretations, while immediately changing to use the notes like a horn player to toy with in terms of rhythm and cadence, going from 45rpm to a 78 and then a 33 1/3 as Fortner delivered Debussyesque support
For the more noir’d second half, she produced a series of songs that were “responses” and “options” for failed relationships. Going from nasal to chesty in tone she told a story while editorializing on “The Gentleman is a Dope,” creating a tension with Fortner as he created rapid single note ripples underneath her own long drawn out lyrics. She set you up for the punch line on “Guess Who I Saw Today” by melding both depression and anger, verbally acting out the role of a scorned wife, while whooping and hollering the blues with growls of defiance on “Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues.” Resigned as Fortner produced chiming wedding bells on “Never Will I Marry, she then went a cappella for the harrowing tale as if in a Mummer’s play on “Omey Wise” making the audience feel as if it were taking part in a one act show.
Closing with a delicate “Send in the Clowns” and encoring over bopping lines during “By Myself,” Ms. Salvant made the packed house at the acoustically adroit Soraya feel as if she were singing you interpretations of paintings at Monet’s Garden in Giverny. Impressive impressions, indeed!
Upcoming to the Soraya Stage is Terence Blanchard and the E Collective May 01/02. Subscriptions for the 2018-19 season (which includes Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves and Vijay Iyer) are on sale!
Photos by Luis Luque | Luque Photography