Jazz to Warm the Soul: Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Silky Smooth San Francisco Set

With the rainier days of September on the way, curl up and enjoy a warming, soulful performance by Cécile McLorin Salvant recorded last year at the iconic SFJazz Center in San Francisco. A relaxed yet professional atmosphere is established on stage, where the globally acclaimed French-American jazz singer and her three ultra-talented band members—pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Kyle Poole—guide us through a silky smooth set, infused with Cécile’s humor and contagious positive energy. Here are a few of my personal highlights…

After opening with three gems by fellow American jazz artists, Cécile sings one of her own compositions, “Second Guessing,” a groovy piece full of beautiful lyrics and affirmations, complete with a funky keyboard solo, head-bopping drum rhythms, and Salvant’s honeyed tones.

As well as her charismatic stage presence, the magnetic pull of Cécile’s performances also lies in her innovation on stage. In “Oh Snap,” an ode to staying true to oneself in love, Cécile’s imaginative, embellished melodies dance across twinkling piano lines and an energetic rhythm section. The musicians keep us guessing, not giving away what’s coming next, yet we know we’re in safe hands with these pros in the driving seat…

One of the funkiest moments of the set is Cécile’s version of jazz icon Dianne Reeves’s “Mista,” an impossibly groovy standard that brings the rhythm section into the spotlight. In the middle of the song, watch bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Kyle Poole in their element, grooving out and showing off their sensational talent with no hint of ego, neither of them overpowering the stage, both remaining completely dedicated to the overall sound. The band enters full flow when Cécile joins back in, as the keyboardist intersperses Reeves’s lyrics with funky electronic micro-melodies… Pure magic!

As with many SFJazz performances, this one really is a set full of surprises and unique moments, each song allowing Cécile and her band to bring a new energy to the stage. This dynamic is on full display in Tito Curet Alonso’s Spanish-language song “Puro Teatro” (made famous by Cuban singer La Lupe), which Cécile dedicates to the Spanish speakers “in the audience, in the country, [and] in [her] family.” Suddenly, we are no longer in San Francisco but transported to a Puerto Rican jazz club, Cécile’s beguiling voice lifting into the air above bolero-salsa-style rhythms you can’t help shimmying to!

If there were still any doubt as to the boundlessness of Cécile’s talents, watch as she injects her singular, jazzy flair into Léo Ferré’s “Est-ce ainsi que les hommes vivent,” an enchanting French song that will whisk you away to yet another time and place, perhaps now a sixties jazz bar in Paris…

It is easy to see, over the course of just this hour-long performance, why Cécile McLorin Salvant is considered one of the most talented vocalists of her generation. If you had never heard of Salvant and have just found a new favorite jazz singer, check out more of her unforgettable performances on medici.tv, including her 2015 set at the Jazz à la Villette Festival!