CD Review: Cecile McLorin Salvant – Woman Child

Cecile McLorin Salvant – vocals, piano (track 10); Aaron Diehl – piano; Rodney Whitaker – double bass; Herlin Riley – drums; James Chirillo – guitar, banjo.

(Review by Debra M.)

Cecile McLorin Salvant  first  made an impression in the jazz world  in 2010, when she unexpectedly won  the  Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Her distinct musical identity was forged growing up in Miami with French & Haitian parents, and by the study of classical and baroque music as well as vocal jazz in Aix-en-Provence, where she began  performing with reed player Jean-Francois Bonnel.

The breadth of material in this début album reflects her interest in the entire canon of vocal jazz, as well as older vocal traditions. In the opening guitar duet ‘St Louis Gal’,  recorded by Bessie Smith around 90 years ago, McLorin Salvant’s  rounded, warm and expressive voice makes an immediate impact. This is followed by the  exquisitely arranged ‘I Didn't Know What Time It Was’,  where the  melodic  vocal  is  supported sparingly by rhythmic  brushes  & piano stabs, and a swinging ensemble, including a fine double bass solo by Rodney Whitaker. 

‘Nobody’, a  song  about discrimination, associated with the early 20^th Century African American comedian Bert Williams, is delivered with humour and sensitivity, and is the most traditional arranged piece, with a  ragtime  feel.  Yet the racial stereo types are shrugged off in Sam Caslow’s ‘You Bring Out The Savage In Me’, which is transformed into a jungle inspired, percussion driven love  song  with a splendidly uninhibited vocal. 

There is an extended arrangement of ‘What A Little Moonlight Can Do’, initially as a night time soundscape overlaid by McLorin Salvant’s ethereal vocal tones, which develops into a superfast, swinging  romp. Diehl and Whitaker deliver impeccable solos, abetted by the swift brushwork of Herlin Riley, before  reverting  to the  atmospherics, and a rare  vocal grandstand finish. 

The group’s fresh, contemporary approach is particularly effective in the traditional folk song ‘John Henry’, where the insistent drums and bass line  are almost funky, and which also features one of several masterful solos on the album by pianist Aaron Diehl. There  are a few original pieces,  the most effective  being  the title track ‘Womanchild’, in which Whitaker’s  double bass beats pulse-like throughout, alternating with swinging sections.  McLorin Salvant also shows herself to be an accomplished pianist in the playful ‘Jitterbug Waltz’, delivered with great dynamics, harmonic and rhythmic variation.

Cecile McLorin  Salvant may be just 23, but she not only possesses a beautifully rounded, versatile voice, but  has the poise and maturity to interpret ballads such as ‘There’s A Lull In My Life’ with great sensitivity.  Her style of phrasing and note bending , and the playfulness of her interpretations is reminiscent of Betty Carter, and the timbre and delivery in her lower register  is sometimes suggestive of Sarah Vaughan. These and other artists are surely influences, but her voice is her own. Combined with this ensemble of outstanding  musicians, her début album is irresistible.
Disc details.

Debra M.

Cecile can be heard at the Customs House, South Shields on Thursday October 31 and at the Whitley Bay Jazz Party over this weekend (November 1-3).