Jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant continues her exploration of the American and French songbooks with her latest project, With Every Breath I Take, released via Nonesuch Records. The artist pivots from her typical jazz arrangements to incorporate orchestral textures, focusing on compositions by Michel Legrand and Stephen Sondheim.
Expanding the Repertoire: From Sondheim to Legrand
While her 2023 album Mélusine drew heavily from French chanson—including a notable interpretation of "Petite Musique terrienne" from the musical Starmania—With Every Breath I Take dives deeper into the cinematic and stage-bound works of the 20th century.
The album features significant contributions from arranger Darcy James Argue. His orchestration moves the music beyond the traditional small-group jazz format, providing a lush, cinematic backdrop for Salvant’s vocal performance. The tracklist includes:
- Michel Legrand: "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg"
- Stephen Sondheim: "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music) and "Being Alive" (Company)
Artistic Evolution and Vocal Technique
Salvant remains known for her vocal range and her ability to manipulate her timbre, shifting between velvet-toned warmth and sharp, childlike clarity. Her approach to these songs prioritizes the lyrical narrative, as she emphasizes individual syllables to uncover nuances within the text.
This stylistic choice often polarizes listeners. Some critics and fans embrace her decision to stretch tempos and apply jazz-inflected ornamentation to theater staples, viewing it as a transformative act of artistic ownership. Conversely, others argue that such embellishments can obscure the original simplicity and spontaneity of Sondheim’s compositions.
Contextualizing the Performance
Salvant’s career has consistently been defined by her ability to reinterpret iconic works through a personal lens. Her previous projects, such as the stripped-back, Celtic-inspired take on Kate Bush’s "Wuthering Heights," demonstrate her willingness to dismantle familiar melodies.
Her performance of "Somehow I Never Could Believe," originally from Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, serves as a primary example of her ability to balance intimate, hushed delivery with the technical demands of a complex score. By selecting songs that she describes as "crucial" rather than merely "beautiful," Salvant frames her latest recordings as a culmination of a long-standing personal ambition to merge the worlds of jazz improvisation and musical theater.
Key Takeaways
- Orchestral Shift: The album utilizes an orchestra arranged by Darcy James Argue, moving away from Salvant’s standard jazz instrumentation.
- Theater Focus: The selection prioritizes songs by Stephen Sondheim and Michel Legrand, marking a deliberate move toward musical theater and film scores.
- Interpretive Style: Salvant’s technique involves significant rhythmic and melodic variation, which has become a hallmark of her discography.
- Label: The project is distributed by Nonesuch Records.
Related reading