The first time I heard Cecile McLorin Salvant was on February 24, 2013 , at the Apollo Theater. I had bought a ticket at the last minute for an evening called the “Apollo Club Harlem,” an original production on this legendary place created in 1934 in West Harlem. With Dee Dee Bridgewater on the program, it was a must-see evening of jazz.
Miss Bridgewater was not alone on stage. She shared the limelight with a 24-year-old woman named Cecile McLorin Salvant. The concert was a revelation, a musical shock.
On stage at the Apollo Theater, Cecile McLorin Salvant had an unforgettably radiant presence. In a duet with her elder, winner of three Grammys, performing I do not Mean a Thing, Miss McLorin Salvant, the Miami-raised French speaker with a Haitian father and Gaudeloupean mother, naturally found her place with her jazzy voice in the tradition of Harlem.
Visiting Paris last May, I was invited by a journalist friend to a jazz concert at the French radio station RTL. Every Friday, the station hosts a concert that is open to the public and broadcast on a Sunday-night show called l’Heure du Jazz with Jean-Yves Chaperon. In this small room, it was a pleasure to hear Miss McClorin Salvant interpret the “Le Front Cache sur Tes Genoux,” from her then new album WomanChild. Between songs, the journalist interviewed her in French. It was obvious to me: Cécile McClorin Salvant had to come to perform at the Lycée Français de York’s Cultural Center. I officially invited her backstage after the concert, and she agreed with great enthusiasm!
Cécile Mc Lorin Salvant – Le front caché sur… by rtl-fr
Each year, the musical program of the LFNY Cultural Center includes a classical music concert, a jazz concert and a concert of French songs or world music , to give our students a chance to discover different musical styles. Jazz isn’t always a choice they understand, but I am hopeful a few of them will discover this young musical prodigy who will play on Thursday, January 9 with three musicians including the exceptional pianist Aaron Diehl.
Back in New York last spring, I made contact with Miss McLorin Salvant’s agent. In just a few short months, Cecile McLorin Salvant has been propelled to the top if the jazz scene. We’ve seen an article in the New York Times, a concert at Lincoln Center, and above all, with WomanChild, a nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The Grammys will be held on January 26, 2014 and will be decisively Francophone: French pianist Helene Grimaud was nominated for her album Duo in the category Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance. (Her scheduled concert at the Lycee on October 24 was canceled due to injury ).
How lucky to have invited Cecile McLorin Salvant, before she became the darling of the jazz world and media! Nominated for a Grammy? Nothing is too good for our students and our community.
About the Author :
Pascale Richard joined the Lycée as director of the Cultural Center in 2011, where she aims to bring the best of French and American cultures through conferences, concerts, films and various events. In the fall of 2012, she launched the school’s Artist-in-Residence program. Pascale was previously Vice President of External Affairs at the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). Her background is in journalism and writing with a focus on lifestyle and fashion. She is a graduate of Sciences-po and holds a master’s in journalism from New York University.
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