Cecile McLorin Savant Archive

Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers – Mack Avenue Records 

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 20, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Cécile McLorin Salvant – Dreams And Daggers – Mack Avenue Records MAC1120 – 2CDs 112:05**** It is hard to imagine a more satisfying outcome from this ambitious project ( Aaron Diehl – piano; Paul Sikivie – double bass; Lawrence Leathers – drums; guests – The Catalyst Quartet;  Sullivan Fortner – piano) Those iconic female jazz singers who are known singularly by their first names, Ella, Billie, and Sarah are not about to be dislodged easily from their lofty perch. However Cécile McLorin Salvant is certainly giving them a nudge, as her latest 2-CD set Dreams And Daggers will attest. Combining two New York City sessions, one recorded at the Village Vanguard in September 2016, with a studio outing at Di Menna Center for Classical Music in December 2016, Salvant has delivered a disparate selection of original and other material that tell stories that may be released in dreams and guarded in life. This high-concept release is filled with interesting interpretations of the material by Salvant backed by her usual trio of sharp instrumentalists namely pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Lawrence Leathers. On the studio tracks, the classical string ensemble The Catalyst Quartet adds a fascinating new dynamic […]