Cassandra Wilson In Perspective

ROOTED in avant-garde, blues, funk and perhaps free form, eclecticism appears to be the formula for Cassandra Wilson’s success as a singer. Her voice is distinctive. Her approach is flexible. She is the star of the moment.
   And while we continue to appreciate the enduring contributions of notable singers such as Bessie Smith, Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McCray, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Lena Horne—who all inspired her, Cassandra should be saluted for stepping into the spotlight. She has introduced something fresh, something new and different to female jazz singing.
   My first encounter with Cassandra Wilson was in 2004, at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town, South Africa. The country was celebrating 10 years of democratic rule and, more than ever before, the festival was studded with artistes of varying categories and dimensions. Cassandra’s stand witnessed a large crowd, an enthusiastic audience that gave vent to varying emotions, in reaction to what they heard. While some stood still in awe and amazement, others screamed and yelled at the impact of Cassandra’s voice. Still, others, who could not control their emotions danced even as the surging crowd impeded them.
   Perhaps, the biggest challenge for any musician is live performance, which can be described as a true test of his or her ability. Only a few artistes are able to match their live performance with studio recordings. And Cassandra is one of them.
   I heard Cassandra in live setting before I was exposed to her recorded materials. The first one was Loverly, the Grammy award-winning album that has shot her to the top, as perhaps the most stunning and dynamic female singer on the current jazz scene.
   In Loverly, Cassandra is singing standards and classics that were cosmopolitan popular songs in the days of Billy Holiday; and transforming them with dramatic swoops that compel you to listen ... standards such as Lover Come Back Home, Gone With The Wind, St. James’ Infirmary, The Very Thought Of You and others are deconstructed and constructed at the same time- as they experience a refreshing revitalization. She has done so by the slant of her voice, the curve of her phrasing. Her method is perhaps to reduce the melody of a song to its basic elements, then reconstruct it, moulding the line to suit her own interpretation of the lyric, by way of improvisation.
    Perhaps, the most striking performance is Caravan, another classic, from the productive pen of Tizol, who wrote the song in those days, for the famous Duke Ellington Orchestra. And the best way to appreciate Cassandra’s musicianship here is to compare her version with Ella Fitzgerald’s interpretation of the same song, from the Duke Ellington Songbook, While Ella’s exuberant, optimistic voice moves through the song rather as a jazzman would do, sometimes indulging in swoops and dives, Cassandra maintains a certain detachment in her singing. This makes the listener much more conscious of the melodic line she is creating, of the daring intervals and implied harmonies, than of the song as an entity in itself. Her dynamics create suspense and release, a technique, which compels you to listen.
   The two styles are unique, but it sounds as though Cassandra has combined the traits of Ella, Sarah and Holiday to forge a unique direction for herself. And, in addition, things seem to be working out perfectly well for her, especially in live setting, on account of her poise, beauty, charm and elegance.
   Cassandra Wilson’s more recent album is Silver Pony. All the songs here, including Steve Wonder’s If It’s Magic written in the 70s, are standards. And, Cassandra has succeeded in bringing a poignant involvement to the interpretation of these songs. If Loverly won a Grammy, then Silver Pony, its follow-up is capable of earning a double award because of the extra values added to the session: Lekan Babalola, who has become a regular member, is heard on Went Down To St. James Infirmary, Saddle Up My Pony, Forty Days And Forty Nights and Black Bird. And on all these songs, his percussion provides the compelling force on which the rhythm is anchored. John Legend, the Grammy Award-winning star, a great composer and singer, is heard on vocals and piano while Ravi Coltrane, one of the new breed saxophonists whose surname rings a bell in jazz is featured on Beneath A Silver Moon. As a result of these collaborations, the ensemble sound, the instrumental session over which Cassandra’s voice rides, is tight, cohesive.
  Cassandra Wilson is one of the top jazz singers on the scene today. A vocalist blessed with the distinctive and flexible voice, she has endeared herself to numerous jazz lovers; and has continued to play the top of the bill roles at jazz festivals. Classically trained on piano, which she started playing, along with the guitar at the age of nine, she also received further musical instructions as a clarinetist for the concert and marching bands of her secondary school.
 She began her singing career in the 70s, doing a wide variety of materials. Following a year in New Orleans, 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.
   CASSANDRA first made her own record as leader in 1985. Her initial efforts were inspired by Betty Carter, one of the early influences, but she soon came into her own after a few more sessions, and began to sound like herself in terms of originality and uniqueness.
A renowned vocalist, songwriter and producer, she enjoys an extraordinary following, but at heart, she is still a Mississippi girl whose art reflects her deep musical and cultural roots, anchored in the fertile Mississippi soil.
   Cassandra Wilson’s success story can be seen through her recording efforts, which have reached restlessly out to varying levels of creativity. From the standard of Blue skies to the Grammy -winning projects New Moon Daughter and Loverly to the combination of originals and interpretations played by a collection of Mississippi and New York musicians, Wilson has registered a wonderful impression.
  But add Silver Pony, her recent release to her series of accomplishments; and she becomes consolidated as today’s top female jazz singer, the star of the moment.
 benidoni@yahoo.com