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Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Cassandra Wilson at the Dakota, October 14-15

Written by Ronaldo Oregano

Sunday, 14 October 2012

Cassandra Wilson

One of the most celebrated jazz vocalists on the scene today, genre-bending Cassandra Wilson will perform four sets over two nights at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis October 14-15.

Cassandra Wilson--vocalist, songwriter, and producer—is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack who has expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country and folk music into her work, Wilson's low-register sound has often been compared to Nina Simone. Her father was a bassist, her mother an educator, abd between the two she was immersed in Motown and jazz from early childhood. She began playing piano at six, clarinet in elementary school, and guitar by the age of twelve. Soon she began writing her own songs and performing in musical theater. Wilson earned a degree in communications at Jacksonville State University, working nights singing in coffee houses and covering folk, funk and bebop.

Cassandra Wilson

After working a few years in New Orleans, she moved to New York City in the early 80’s, where she joined Steve Coleman to become one of the founding members of the acclaimed M-Base Collective. Establishing her solo career in the mid 80s, she released several albums, including Blue Skies which brought her critical attention as an interpreter of standards. She signed with Blue Note Records in 1992, releasing the more eclectic fusion of jazz, folk and country, “Blue Light ‘Til Dawn” setting her on a path to redefining the jazz vocal genre. She has since won two Grammys ( New Moon Daughter won in 1996; Loverly won the award in 2009), the Django D’Or, The Edison Music Award, a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail, and the 2012 Echo Award for Jazz. She also performed one of the leading roles in Wynton Marsalis' Blood on the Fields, the first jazz work to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Her most recent recording, Another Country (2012), was recored in Italy with guitarist/producer Fabrizio Sotti.

Wilson will be accompanied by an all-star band including French hamonica master Gregoire Maret; bass ace Lonnie Plaxico; and French-born percussionist Minu Cinelo.

Cassandra Wilson performs 2 sets each night, October 14-15. The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com or 612-332-5299.

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