 Although her recording career has been
somewhat erratic,
Cassandra Wilson became one of the top jazz singers of
the '90s, a vocalist blessed with a distinctive and
flexible voice who is not afraid to take chances. She began
playing piano and guitar when she was nine and was working
as a vocalist by the mid-'70s, singing a wide variety of
material. Following a year in New Orleans,
Cassandra Wilson moved to New York in 1982 and began working with
Dave Holland and
Abbey Lincoln. After meeting
Steve Coleman, she became the main vocalist with the
M-Base Collective. Although there was really no room for
a singer in the overcrowded free funk ensembles,
Cassandra Wilson did as good a job of fitting in as was possible.
She worked with
New Air and recorded her first album as a leader in
1985. By her third record, a standards date, she was
sounding quite a bit like
Betty Carter.
After a few more albums in which she mostly performed
original and rather inferior material,
Cassandra Wilson changed directions and performed an
acoustic blues-oriented program for Blue Note called Blue
Light 'Til Dawn. By going back in time, she had found
herself, and
Cassandra Wilson has continued interpreting in fresh and creative
ways vintage country blues and folk music up until the
present day. During 1997 she toured as part of
Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields production.
Traveling Miles, her tribute to
Miles Davis, followed two years later. For 2002's Belly
of the Sun, she drew on an array of roots musics -- blues,
country, soul, rock -- to fashion a record that furthered
her artistic career while still aligning well with trends in
popular music. Glamoured, released in 2003, posed a
different kind of challenge; half the material was composed
by
Cassandra Wilson herself. Unwilling to stand still,
Cassandra Wilson gently explored sampling and other hip-hop
techniques for 2006's Thunderbird. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music
Guide Contact Grabow for more information
or to book
Cassandra Wilson for your next corporate or private event.
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