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Cassandra Wilson
Jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson performing at the "Charlie Parker Jazz Festival" in Tompkins Square Park, New York City on Sunday, August 26, 2007.
Jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson performing at the "Charlie Parker Jazz Festival" in Tompkins Square Park, New York City on Sunday, August 26, 2007. In August 2007 the 15th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York City drew its largest crowds ever Tompkins Square Park is a 105 acre (42000 m² public Park in the Alphabet City section of the East Village neighborhood in the borough of The City of New York
Background information
Born December 4, 1955 (1955-12-04) (age 52)
Jackson,

Mississippi, United States
Genre(s) Jazz, Blues,
Occupation(s) vocalist, songwriter, producer, arranger
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 1985—present
Label(s) JMT, Winter & Winter, Polygram, DIW, Columbia, Blue Note, EMI
Associated acts M-Base Collective
Website http://www.cassandrawilson.com

Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music JMT Records was a Record label that specialised in contemporary Jazz. Winter & Winter is a Munich -based Record label that specializes in Jazz and Improvised music. PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in M-Base (short for " m acro' -b' asic a rray of s tructured e xtemporization" is a concept of how to create modern Music "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States

Contents

Family and Early Life

Cassandra Wilson is the third and youngest child of Herman Fowlkes, Jr., a guitarist, bassist and music teacher; and Mary McDaniel, an elementary school teacher who eventually earned her Ph.D. in education. Herman Fowlkes Jr ( September 21, 1919 – April 3, 1993) was an American Jazz musician and educator from "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Between her mother’s love for Motown and her father’s dedication to jazz, Wilson’s parents sparked her early interest in music. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan.

Musical Beginnings

Like many jazz musicians Wilson’s formal musical education consisted of classical lessons; she studied piano from the age of six to thirteen and played clarinet in the middle school concert and marching bands. A marching band is in the broadest terms a group of performers that consist of instrumental Musicians and sometimes dance teams / color guard who generally perform When she tired of this training, she asked her father to teach her the guitar. Instead, he gave her a lesson in self-reliance—some Mel Bay method books. Mel Bay Publications is an American publisher of materials for musical instrument playing particularly instructional books that teach a particular instrument or style She explored the instrument on her own, developing what she has described as an “intuitive” approach. During this time she began writing her own songs, adopting a folk style. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous She sang and played guitar in a folk trio with fellow students David Clark and Jack Ritter during high school. She also appeared in the musical theater productions, including The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy , crossing racial lines in a recently desegregated school system.

For college, Wilson attended Millsaps College and Jackson State University. Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson Mississippi, supported by the United Methodist Church. Jackson State University (also known as Jackson State or JSU) is a historically black university located in Jackson Mississippi founded in 1877 She graduated with a degree in mass communications. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Outside of the classroom, the busy student spent her nights working with R&B, funk, and pop cover bands, also singing in local coffeehouses. A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. The Black Arts Music Society, founded by John Reese and Alvin Fielder, provided her with her first opportunities to perform bebop. Alvin Fielder (b November 23 1935 Meridian Mississippi) is an American Jazz drummer Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody

In 1981, she moved to New Orleans for a position as assistant public affairs director for the local television station, WDSU. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana She did not stay long. Working with mentors who included elder statesmen Earl Turbinton, Alvin Batiste, and Ellis Marsalis, Wilson found encouragement to seriously pursue jazz performance and moved to the New York City area the following year. Alvin Batiste ( November 7, 1932 &ndash May 6, 2007) was an Avant garde Jazz Clarinetist born in New Orleans Ellis Marsalis (born November 14, 1934, New Orleans LA) is an American Musician.

Musical Association with M-Base

There her focus turned towards improvisation. Heavily influenced by singers Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter, she fine-tuned her vocal phrasing and scat while studying ear training with trombonist Grachan Moncur, III. Abbey Lincoln (born Anna Marie Wooldridge on August 6 1930 in Chicago Illinois) is a Jazz Vocalist, Songwriter, and Actress Betty Carter ( May 16, 1929 &ndash September 26, 1998) was an American Jazz Singer who was renowned for her In Vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with random vocables and syllables or without words at all Ear training or aural skills is a process by which Musicians learn to identify intervals chords Rhythms and other basic elements of Grachan Moncur III (born June 3, 1937) is an American Jazz Trombonist. Frequenting jam sessions under the tutelage of pianist Sadik Hakim, a Charlie Parker alumnus, she met alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, who encouraged her to look beyond the standard jazz repertoire in favor of developing original material. Sadik Hakim (born Argonne Thornton on July 15 1919 in Duluth, Minnesota; died in New York in June 1983 was an American Jazz pianist Steve Coleman, born, is an American Saxophone player Spontaneous composer, Composer and band leader She would become the vocalist and one of the founding members of the M-Base collective in which Coleman was the leading figure, a stylistic outgrowth of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and Black Artists Group (BAG) that re-imagined the grooves of funk and soul within the context of traditional and avant-garde jazz. M-Base (short for " m acro' -b' asic a rray of s tructured e xtemporization" is a concept of how to create modern Music The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians ( AACM) is a Non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States by The Black Artists Group ( BAG) was a multidisciplinary arts collective that existed in St Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz) is a style of music and Improvisation that combines Avant-garde Art music and composition with

Although the voice – typically treated as the focal point of any arrangement in which it is included – was not an obvious choice for M-base’s complex textures or dissonant free melodies, Wilson wove herself into the fabric of these settings with wordless improv and lyrics. She can be heard on Coleman’s Motherland Pulse (1985); On the Edge of Tomorrow (1986); World Expansion (1986); and Sine Die (1987). Adjournment sine die (from the Latin, " without day " occurs when an organized body's existence terminates

At the same time, Wilson recorded and toured with alto saxophonist Henry Threadgill in the avant-garde trio New Air. Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Composer, Saxophonist and A decade her senior and an AACM member, Threadgill has been lauded as a composer for his ability to transcend stylistic boundaries, a trait he and Wilson share.

Solo career

Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson

Like fellow M-base artists, Wilson signed to the Munich-based, independent label JMT. JMT Records was a Record label that specialised in contemporary Jazz. She released her first recording as a leader Point of View in 1986. Point of View is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the JMT label in 1985 Like the majority of her JMT albums that followed, originals by Wilson in keeping with M-base dominated these sessions; she would also record material by and co-written with Coleman, Jean-Paul Bourelly, and James Weidman as well as a few standards. Jean-Paul Bourelly (b November 23 1960 is an American Jazz fusion guitarist Her throaty contralto gradually emerges over the course of these recordings, making its way to the foreground. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. She developed a remarkable ability to stretch and bend pitches, elongate syllables, manipulate tone and timbre from dusky to hollow.

While these recordings established her as a serious musician , Wilson received her first broad critical acclaim for the album of standards recorded in the middle of this period, Blue Skies (1988). Her signing with Blue Note records in 1993 marked a crucial turning point in her career and major breakthrough to audiences beyond jazz with albums selling in the hundreds of thousands of copies.

Beginning with Blue Light 'Til Dawn (1993) her repertoire moved towards a broad synthesis of blues, pop, jazz, world music, and country. Blue Light 'til Dawn is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 1993. Although she continued to perform originals and standards, she adopted songs as diverse as Robert Johnson’s “Come On in My Kitchen”, Joni Mitchell’s “Black Crow”, The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville”, and Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7 1943) is a Canadian Musician, Songwriter, and For the group's self-titled album see The Monkees (album. For the TV series see The Monkees (TV series. " Last Train to Clarksville " is the debut and number-one single by The Monkees, included on the group's 1966 self-titled album, that was released two months Hank Williams ( September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who has

Not only did Wilson effectively reconnect vocal jazz with its blues roots, she was arguably the first to convincingly fashion post-British Invasion pop into jazz, trailblazing a path that many have since followed. Furthermore, producer Craig Street drew from pop production techniques to create a rich ambient environment around her voice, magnifying it and giving sonic depth to Brandon Ross’ sparse but incredibly vivid arrangements, which used steel guitar, violin, accordion, and percussion. Craig Street, born in Oakland California, is a noted Record producer.

Wilson’s 1996 album New Moon Daughter won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. New Moon Daughter is a Jazz Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 1995. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album has been presented since 1977 In 1997, she recorded and toured as a featured vocalist with Wynton Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize winning composition, Blood on the Fields. Wynton Learson Marsalis (b October 18, 1961) is an American Trumpeter and Composer. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, Blood on the Fields is a three and half hour jazz " Oratorio," although he did not use this term by Wynton Marsalis.

The late Miles Davis was one of Wilson's greatest influences. Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26 1926 &ndash September 28 1991 was an American Jazz Trumpeter, Bandleader, and Composer. In 1989 Wilson performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. Traveling Miles is the thirteenth overall Album by American jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November of 1997 in Davis' honor and includes three selections based on Davis' own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.

Personal life

Wilson was married to Anthony Wilson from 1981 to 1983. [1]

She has a son, Jeris, born in the late 1980s. Her song "Out Loud (Jeris' Blues)" is from the album She Who Weeps. For many years she and her son lived in Harlem, New York, in an apartment that once belonged to jazz great Duke Ellington. Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 &ndash May 24 1974 was an American Composer, Pianist, and Bandleader. [2]

In 2000, Wilson married actor Isaach de Bankolé, who directed her in the concert film Traveling Miles: Cassandra Wilson (2000). Isaach De Bankolé (born August 13, 1957) is an Ivorian actor

Wilson and her mother are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Kappa Alpha ( ΆΚΆ) is the first Greek-lettered Sorority established and incorporated by African American college women

Honors

Albums

Solo

With Steve Coleman

With M-Base

Soundtracks

Soundtracks featuring Cassandra Wilson. An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson Mississippi, supported by the United Methodist Church. Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Down Beat is an American Magazine devoted to "jazz blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively Point of View is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the JMT label in 1985 Days Aweigh is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Winter & Winter label in 1987 Blue Skies is a Jazz Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the JMT label in 1988 Blue Light 'til Dawn is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 1993. New Moon Daughter is a Jazz Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 1995. Jacques-Laurent Terrasson ( November 27, 1966 in Berlin) is a Jazz pianist better known as Jacky Terrasson Traveling Miles is the thirteenth overall Album by American jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. Belly of the Sun is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 2002. Glamoured is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 2003 Thunderbird is an Album by Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 2006.

Filmography

Cassandra Wilson features as a singer in the following films. Passions is an American television Soap opera created by " Time after Time " was a single by singer Cyndi Lauper, the second from her She's So Unusual album and it reached #1 on the U The Score is a 2001 Crime Drama. The film's cast includes Robert De Niro as Nick Wells a professional safe cracker from Brown Sugar is a 2002 Romantic drama Film, written by Michael Elliott and Rick Famuyiwa, and directed by Rick Don't Come Knocking is a 2005 Film, a comedy-drama Road movie directed by German director Wim Wenders and written by Wenders and actor/playwright

External links

Junior, released in 1994, is a Comedy film, starring Emma Thompson and Twins ' Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito The Score is a 2001 Crime Drama. The film's cast includes Robert De Niro as Nick Wells a professional safe cracker from
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