Feb 3, 2025 10:49 PM
The Essence of Emily
In the April 1982 issue of People magazine, under the heading “Lookout: A Guide To The Up and Coming,” jazz…
“In terms of what a singer is capable of making you feel, she is as good as it gets,” Cavassa said of Mahalia Jackson during a live Blindfold Test with DB’s Frank Alkyer.
(Photo: Mark Sheldon)At the end of last summer, over the Labor Day weekend, vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa took time out from preparing for her concert with Joshua Redman at the Detroit Jazz Festival to take a real chance: her first Blindfold Test, in front of a live audience. Silky smooth in her vocal delivery, Cavassa proved to be adept at this musical guessing game, too. She recently signed a deal with Blue Note Records, with a new album expected to drop later this year.
Nina Simone
“Mood Indigo” (Little Girl Blue, Bethlehem, 1959)
Simone, piano, vocals; Jimmy Bond, bass; Albert “Tootie” Heath, drums.
Nina! First of all, I thought you’d play me vocalists, but then [with that intro], I thought, “What piano player is this?” She had that classical sound. It’s amazing.
Frank Alkyer: How many stars would you give that?
Cavassa: Out of how many?
Alkyer: It’s usually out of five, but you can give as many as you want.
Cavassa: Five!
Billie Holiday
“Lady Sings The Blues” (Lady Sings The Blues, Verve, 1956)
Holiday, vocals; Paul Quinichette, tenor saxophone; Charlie Shavers, trumpet; Wynton Kelly, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; orchestra.
[immediately] Billie Holiday. [lets the entire song play] Billie Holiday is my favorite singer in the world. She was the first singer I really connected to as a kid and really understood when I listened to her. She makes me feel so sad and so tender, and also so human. Yeah, I feel the same way. I always listen to Billie now if I’m on my way to a gig and I’m nervous, if I just need to calm down. If I’m sad … yeah, she’s my girl.
Gregory Porter
“Illusion” (Water, Motéma, 2010)
Porter, vocals; Chip Crawford, piano.
My first guess was Kurt Elling. And I definitely think this person is close to Kurt Elling. A rich voice. My second guess was a bad guess. We’re not going to talk about that one. [laughs]
Alkyer: That guess was “off the record.”
Cavassa: I don’t know. [afterwards] I thought about it. You know why I didn’t think it was Gregory Porter? Because it was so simple. I guess I’m used to him taking more liberties. It’s so nice to hear him just sing this song. I’m sorry, Gregory!
Cécile McLorin Salvant
“Optimistic Voices/No Love Dying” (Ghost Song, Nonesuch, 2022)
McLorin Salvant, vocals; James Chirillo, banjo; Sullivan Fortner, piano; Alexa Tarantino, flute; Keita Ogawa, percussion.
This is Cécile, but I don’t know this song. The beginning threw me, too. I’m like, “Whoa!” I hesitate to say that she’s my favorite modern singer … but, yeah, she is. [laughs]
Alkyer: In the audience, we have Ashley Kahn, who did a live Blindfold Test with Cécile, and you later told me a story about that. Tell the story.
Cavassa: Ashley played Cécile my vocal on “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” with Joshua Redman, and she got it! It was a super proud moment for me.
Alkyer: Do you know her?
Cavassa: I do. Before I ever met her, a good friend of mine, Jamison Ross, gave me her number. I was maybe 24 years old, and I was making my first record, and I wanted help. We talked on the phone for three hours.
Dianne Reeves
“Straighten Up And Fly Right” (Good Night, And Good Luck, Concord, 2005)
Reeves, vocals; Matt Catingub, tenor saxophone; Peter Martin, piano; Christoph Luty, bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums.
It’s Dianne. A very recognizable instrument. That is the slowest that I’ve ever heard that song. She handled the song so beautifully.
Alkyer: What was your introduction to Dianne Reeves?
Cavassa: I think I saw her in an interview when I was much younger. She was extremely eloquent, and I really trusted her when she was talking, so I looked her up. Her voice is so rich and she has really clear diction. So, she’s always going to deliver words in a very recognizable way.
John Hollenbeck
“Wichita Lineman” (Songs I Like A Lot, Sunnyside, 2015)
Hollenbeck, drums, arrangement; Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, vocals; Gary Versace, piano; Frankfurt Radio Big Band.
Very interesting. I don’t know. It almost sounds like it could be from a play. I guess it’s that male/female vocals thing. It’s pretty modern, which was throwing me a little bit. The female voice, I feel I recognize. It’s got a kind of Joni Mitchell vibe, but more modern.
Alkyer: [afterwards] I wanted to play that for you because on Joshua’s record, you do another Jimmy Webb tune, “By The Time I Get To Phoenix.” What do you think about the music of Jimmy Webb?
Cavassa: All of Jimmy Webb’s songs have very storytelling vibes, which I love. … This is sort of an epic version of “Wichita Lineman.”
Jose James
“Fine & Mellow” (Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music Of Billie Holiday, Blue Note, 2015)
James, vocals; Jason Moran, piano; John Patitucci, bass; Eric Harland, drums.
This is José James, the Billie Holiday record he did. I like the record, and I really like José James. He’s one of the only people who does backbeat standards in a way that I really like. I fell in love with his song “Save Your Love For Me” in college. I can see why he loves Billie. He’s so relaxed.
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
“Part IV [a.k.a. Come Sunday]” (Black, Brown And Beige Featuring Mahalia Jackson, Columbia, 1958)
Mahalia Jackson, vocals; Duke Ellington, composer; orchestra.
[sighs and smiles] Mahalia Jackson. “Come Sunday.” Duke Ellington. I just love her. I love her songs. I love that record. In terms of what a singer is capable of making you feel, she is as good as it gets. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
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