Cécile McLorin Salvant

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Salvant
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Biography (Excerpt)

Cécile McLorin Salvant’s album Mélusine is a mix of five originals and interpretations of nine songs, dating as far back as the 12th century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. They tell the folk tale of Mélusine, a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday after a childhood curse by her mother. Mélusine agrees to marry Raymondin on the condition that he never see her on Saturdays. He agrees but is later convinced by his brother to break his promise, piercing his wife’s door with a sword and finding her naked in the bath, half snake, half woman. When she catches him spying on her, she turns into a dragon and flies away, only to reappear every time one of her descendants is on their deathbed.

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Cécile McLorin Salvant’s new album, Mélusine, is due March 24, 2023, on Nonesuch Records; vinyl is due May 19. Mélusine features a mix of five originals and interpretations of nine songs, dating as far back as the twelfth century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. The album track “D’un feu secret,” Michel Lambert’s 1660 air de cour, is available today, along with an animated video by Amanda Bonaiuto that may be seen below. Mélusine follows last year’s label debut, Ghost Song, which has received two Grammy nominations and tremendous critical praise, including spots on best albums of 2022 lists from the New York Times and NPR, among others. 

The new album’s songs tell the story of the European folkloric legend of Mélusine, a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday as a result of a childhood curse by her mother. Mélusine later agrees to marry Raymondin on the condition that he never see her on Saturdays. He agrees but is ultimately convinced by his brother to break his promise, piercing his wife’s door with his sword and finding her naked in the bath, half snake, half woman. When she catches him spying on her, she turns into a dragon and flies out the window, only to reappear every time one of her descendants is on their deathbed.

“I think what I try to do is more akin to revealing secrets than telling stories,” Salvant says. “Revealing secrets is also the snake’s role in the Garden [of Eden]. The snake brings secrets, knowledge, pain, and mayhem.”

She continues, “The story of Mélusine is also the story of the destructive power of the gaze. Raymondin’s sword pierces a hole into her iron door. His gaze does too. The gaze is transformative and combustible. She sees that he is secretly seeing her. Her secret is revealed. This double gaze turns her into a dragon. She can now breathe fire.”

Salvant, whose parents are French and Haitian, says Mélusine is also “partly about that feeling of being a hybrid, a mixture of different cultures, which I’ve experienced not only as the American-born child of two first generation immigrants, but as someone raised in a family that is racially mixed, from several different countries, with different languages spoken in the home.”

“‘Dame Iseut,’ the last song of the album, was translated into Haitian Kreyòl with my dad from the Occitan, which is an ancient language spoken in the south of France. My grandmother spoke a little, and her brother used to teach it,” Salvant says. “This album combines elements from French mythology, Haitian Vaudoo, and apocrypha.”

Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is a singer and composer bringing historical perspective, a renewed sense of drama, and an enlightened musical understanding to both jazz standards and her own original compositions. Classically trained, steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, and drawing from musical theater and vaudeville, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire that broadens the possibilities for live performance.

Salvant’s performances range from spare duets for voice and piano to instrumental trios to orchestral ensembles. Her unreleased work Ogresse is an ambitious long-form musical fable based on oral fairy tales from the nineteenth century that explores the nature of freedom and desire in a racialized, patriarchal world. Salvant studied at the Université Pierre Mendès-France. She has performed at national and international venues and festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, and the Kennedy Center. Salvant is also a visual artist.

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Latest Release

  • March 24, 2023

    Cécile McLorin Salvant’s album Mélusine is a mix of originals and interpretations of songs dating as far back as the 12th century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. They tell the folk tale of Mélusine, a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday after a childhood curse by her mother. "Anyone who thinks they already know the full extent of Cécile McLorin Salvant's artistry should listen to Mélusine without further delay," exclaims Jazzwise. "It's a remarkable recording in several respects. Beautifully recorded, Salvant continues to confound and delight at every turn." Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album; Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals ("Fenestra").

News

  • February 7, 2024

    Cécile McLorin Salvant, who has just been nominated for the Deutscher Jazzpreis for International Live Act of the Year, has been named a Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist for the 2024–25 concert season. She will lead four performances: a small-group show, a duo set with Sullivan Fortner, a full-orchestra concert with The Knights featuring new arrangements by Darcy James Argue, and her multimedia theatrical piece Ogresse conducted by Argue. 

  • January 25, 2024

    Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, who has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album for Mélusine (which is also up for two Grammy Awards). Winners will be chosen by public vote, which begins today and closes at 9pm ET on March 10. To have your say, visit naacpimageawards.net and vote for your favorites now. The 55th NAACP Image Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 16, broadcast on BET and CBS.

Tour

Sat, Apr 13
New York, NY
Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92NY
Sat, Apr 13
New York, NY
Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92NY
Sat, Apr 20
Paris,
Salle des concerts, Cité de la musique
Sat, Apr 20
Paris,
Salle des concerts, Cité de la musique
Tue, Apr 23
Créteil,
Maison des Arts
Tue, Apr 23
Créteil,
Maison des Arts
Fri, Apr 26
Montigny-Le-Bretonneux,
La Grange, Ferme du Manet
Fri, Apr 26
Montigny-Le-Bretonneux,
La Grange, Ferme du Manet
Sat, Apr 27
Sarcelles,
Salle André-Malraux
Sat, Apr 27
Sarcelles,
Salle André-Malraux
Sun, Apr 28
Montrouge,
Beffroi de Montrouge
Sun, Apr 28
Montrouge,
Beffroi de Montrouge
Thu, May 02
Vitry-sur-Seine,
Théâtre Jean-Vilar
Thu, May 02
Vitry-sur-Seine,
Théâtre Jean-Vilar
Fri, May 03
Le Perreux-sur-Marne,
Centre des bords de Marne
Fri, May 03
Le Perreux-sur-Marne,
Centre des bords de Marne
Sat, May 04
Avignon,
Confluence Spectacles
Sat, May 04
Avignon,
Confluence Spectacles
Sun, May 05
Martigues,
Théâtre des Salins
Sun, May 05
Martigues,
Théâtre des Salins

Photos

About Cécile McLorin Salvant

  • Cécile McLorin Salvant’s new album, Mélusine, is due March 24, 2023, on Nonesuch Records; vinyl is due May 19. Mélusine features a mix of five originals and interpretations of nine songs, dating as far back as the twelfth century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. The album track “D’un feu secret,” Michel Lambert’s 1660 air de cour, is available today, along with an animated video by Amanda Bonaiuto that may be seen below. Mélusine follows last year’s label debut, Ghost Song, which has received two Grammy nominations and tremendous critical praise, including spots on best albums of 2022 lists from the New York Times and NPR, among others. 

    The new album’s songs tell the story of the European folkloric legend of Mélusine, a woman who turns into a half-snake each Saturday as a result of a childhood curse by her mother. Mélusine later agrees to marry Raymondin on the condition that he never see her on Saturdays. He agrees but is ultimately convinced by his brother to break his promise, piercing his wife’s door with his sword and finding her naked in the bath, half snake, half woman. When she catches him spying on her, she turns into a dragon and flies out the window, only to reappear every time one of her descendants is on their deathbed.

    “I think what I try to do is more akin to revealing secrets than telling stories,” Salvant says. “Revealing secrets is also the snake’s role in the Garden [of Eden]. The snake brings secrets, knowledge, pain, and mayhem.”

    She continues, “The story of Mélusine is also the story of the destructive power of the gaze. Raymondin’s sword pierces a hole into her iron door. His gaze does too. The gaze is transformative and combustible. She sees that he is secretly seeing her. Her secret is revealed. This double gaze turns her into a dragon. She can now breathe fire.”

    Salvant, whose parents are French and Haitian, says Mélusine is also “partly about that feeling of being a hybrid, a mixture of different cultures, which I’ve experienced not only as the American-born child of two first generation immigrants, but as someone raised in a family that is racially mixed, from several different countries, with different languages spoken in the home.”

    “‘Dame Iseut,’ the last song of the album, was translated into Haitian Kreyòl with my dad from the Occitan, which is an ancient language spoken in the south of France. My grandmother spoke a little, and her brother used to teach it,” Salvant says. “This album combines elements from French mythology, Haitian Vaudoo, and apocrypha.”

    Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is a singer and composer bringing historical perspective, a renewed sense of drama, and an enlightened musical understanding to both jazz standards and her own original compositions. Classically trained, steeped in jazz, blues, and folk, and drawing from musical theater and vaudeville, Salvant embraces a wide-ranging repertoire that broadens the possibilities for live performance.

    Salvant’s performances range from spare duets for voice and piano to instrumental trios to orchestral ensembles. Her unreleased work Ogresse is an ambitious long-form musical fable based on oral fairy tales from the nineteenth century that explores the nature of freedom and desire in a racialized, patriarchal world. Salvant studied at the Université Pierre Mendès-France. She has performed at national and international venues and festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Village Vanguard, and the Kennedy Center. Salvant is also a visual artist.

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