“She is a modern jazz marvel.” – Star Tribune
Cécile McLorin Salvant is a composer, singer, and visual artist. The Late Jessye Norman described Salvant as “a unique voice supported by an intelligence and full-fledged musicality, which light up every note she sings.” Here, Salvant has developed a passion for storytelling. She finds connections between vaudeville, blues, folk traditions from around the world, theater, jazz, and baroque music. Moreover, Salvant is an eclectic curator, unearthing rarely recorded songs with strong narratives, interesting power dynamics, unexpected twists, and humor.
Salvant won the Thelonius Monk competition in 2010. Also, she received Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for three consecutive albums. Here, these include 2018’s The Window, 2017’s Dreams and Daggers, and 2015’s For One To Love. Additionally, she earned a Grammy nomination for 2014’s WomanChild. Then, in 2020 Salvant received the MacArthur fellowship and the Doris Duke Artist Award. Her 2022 recording Ghost Song garnered two more Grammy nominations and wide critical acclaim.
Salvant released her latest album, Oh Snap, in 2025. Here, this album features twelve very personal songs by Salvant. Further, she mostly recorded it outside of a traditional studio environment and it showcases her genre-spanning tastes and influences.
For this album, Salvant wrote these short, intimate songs as part of a creative quest. Here, she sought to place spontaneity and joy at the center of her writing process. She originally recorded them alone, at home, never intending for them to be released. Moreover, the songs reflect Salvant’s wide-ranging musical influences from her 1990s childhood in Miami. There, sounds from boy bands to grunge to classical to folk are present. Additionally, there are party tracks with beats, samba grooves, and quiet folk songs.
Recommended for fans of Lizz Wright, Kandace Springs, Cassandra Wilson and Veronica Swift.
