“This new recording is just extraordinary. It’s so engaging,” saxophonist David Sanborn says of Mélusine, the new album from Cécile McLorin Salvant, the guest on his new WBGO podcast, As We Speak. “I think the gravitational pull of the way you ordered the music and how you paced it was really powerful,” he tells Salvant. “And then when I read the story of Mélusine and how that was the organizing principle for all of it, it made it even more astounding to me … Just brilliant.” You can hear their conversation here.

Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, who has won the Edison Jazz Award in the Netherlands for International Vocalist for her new album, Mélusine. Salvant won the same award last year for her Nonesuch debut album, Ghost Song. Her label mate Julia Bullock won the Edison Klassiek Award for Solo Vocalist earlier this month for her Nonesuch debut album, Walking in the Dark. The ceremony for both awards takes place on October 9 in Leusden, Netherlands.

The 71st DownBeat Critics Poll results are in, and among the winners are Mary Halvorson, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Rhiannon Giddens. Halvorson’s Nonesuch debut albums, Amaryllis & Belladonna, have been named Jazz Album of the Year, and Halvorson herself Guitarist of the Year; Salvant is Female Vocalist of the Year; and Giddens has won in the Beyond Artist or Group field.

The nominations for the Edison Klassiek and Jazz Awards in the Netherlands have been announced, including four Nonesuch recordings: Julia Bullock’s Walking in the Dark for Solo Vocal in the Klassiek awards; Mary Halvorson’s Belladonna and Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade’s LongGone for Jazz International Instrumental; and Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Mélusine for Jazz International Vocal—the award she won last year for her Nonesuch debut album, Ghost Song.

Cécile McLorin Salvant stopped by Amoeba Music in San Francisco for a shopping trip and a chat for Amoeba’s What’s in My Bag? series, in which she picks up an expectedly eclectic selection of music by Puccini, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Charlie Parker, Abbey Lincoln, Björk (“I love her. She inspires me deeply.”), Patty Waters, Love, El Camarón De La Isla with Paco De Lucía, MF Doom, Chaka Khan, and Meat Puppets. You can take a look inside and hear what she has to say about her picks here.

Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, who received an honorary degree from The New School at its commencement ceremonies in New York City this morning. "Through your fearless explorations, you embody the New School's belief in the power of the artist to change the world for the better," said faculty member Reggie Workman upon presenting her with the degree. 

Cécile McLorin Salvant's new album, Mélusine, released last month on CD and digitally, is now available on vinyl worldwide here. The album 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. "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."

Congratulations to the Jazz Journalists Association's 2023 JJA Jazz Awards nominees, including Mary Halvorson for Jazz Musician of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Guitarist of the Year, as well as Album Art of the Year for Amaryllis and Belladonna; Cécile McLorin Salvant for Female Vocalist of the Year and Record of the Year for Ghost Song; Brad Mehldau for Pianist of the Year; and the LongGone quartet of Joshua Redman, Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade for Midsize Ensemble of the Year. Winners will be announced on May 17.

"She is, without a doubt, her generation’s most accomplished jazz vocalist, and easily could have continued along the trajectory of performing and recording standards, punctuated by her own and other compositions both within and outside the borders of the genre," Angela Y. Davis writes in this appreciation of Cécile McLorin Salvant. "But given the immensity—the breadth and depth—of her artistic vision, that would have been equivalent to aesthetic perjury. Mélusine, Salvant’s most recent album, is a bold declaration that she is willing to answer the call of her expansive imagination, especially when it urges her to transgress borders based on language, genre, cultural tradition, and historical time." You can read Davis's essay here.

Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, Makaya McCraven, and Jeff Parker, each of whom has won the Deutscher Jazzpreis in Germany. Salvant won for International Vocal Album for her Nonesuch debut album, Ghost Song; McCraven for International Drums/Percussion; and Parker for International String Instrument. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony in Bremen today.

Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced its 2023–24 concert season, including performances by Brad Mehldau (both solo and with his Trio), Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kronos Quartet, Rhiannon Giddens with Silkroad Ensemble, and Attacca Quartet.

“One of the most majestic and stunning singers on the current scene,” TSF Jazz host Jean-Charles Doukhan says of Cécile McLorin Salvant, his guest on Deli Express, in translation from the French. “Each of her albums is a masterstroke. And each of her concerts is a powerful and unforgettable experience.” Of her new album, Mélusine, he exclaims: “As always, brilliant!” You can watch Salvant’s performance of the album track “Le temps est assassin” in the TSF Jazz studio with Glenn Zaleski on piano and Keita Ogawa on percussion here.