CASSANDRA WILSON
Country: USA
Cassandra Wilson – vocals
Marvin Sewell – guitar, musical dir.
Brandon Ross - guitar
Reginald Veal – bass
John Davis – drums
Gregoire Maret – harmonicas
Cassandra Wilson is one of the brightest jazz singers of our time, composer, producer, prizewinner of two Grammy awards.
Wilson began to learn piano playing since nine years old, and at 12 she wrote and sang her own songs accompanying herself on guitar. By 19 she was already on tour in Mississippi and Arkansas states, performing mainly folk material, but little by little she got a mash on jazz. After finishing of study in college Cassandra Wilson received a diploma of specialist in mass media, moved to New Orleans and started a career at local TV station, not forgetting about music. This time she discovered for herself such great jazz singers as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Wohen, Betty Carter. In 80s future star moves to New York, where she is engaged exclusively in music.
Cassandra Wilson recorded joint works with great number of groups and soloists, among which there are the following ones: Steve Coleman & Five Elements, M-Base collective, New Air, Robin Eubanks, Dave Holland, Courtney Pine, Javon Jackson, David S?nchez, Steve Turre, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Don Byron, Charlie Haden.
However the records of Cassandra Wilson in the role of leader made her the star of modern music. The first CD of the singer Point of View was released in 1986, since then more than 20 CDs of the singer were released. The majority of these works can’t be called merely jazz ones, Cassandra Wilson combines improvised music with elements of blues, country music, pop and world-music successfully. The singer was recognized in 1993, when she became the star of Blue Note record company. With each next album the number of admirers of her music grew. Two times (in 1996 and in 2009) she was awarded Grammy, many times she was recognized the best jazz vocalist according to the conclusions of annual review of DownBeat magazine. However, Cassandra Wilson is not the person who reposes on her laurels. She cultivates her abilities and her voice, which gets deeper and deeper coloration year by year. Cassandra continues to break stereotypes and implement the unusual ideas. She adds to her singing tone articulations, rhythmic shifting, and the main thing is that she juggles words leaving the content of the text. Singing the old songs of famous singers in a new way, she does not leave practically anything from old intention.
