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"I'm very much aware of the blues that have passed... and the blues which are to come!" says singer Cassandra Wilson. Her laugh is like her voice, cloaked in smoke, languor and mystery, its timbre grave and resonant. When I ask about her greatest asset, she says only that "as you mature you put experiences in your voice." It was her desire to create an instrumentation "as a bed for my voice," which gave rise to what could be called the Cassandra Wilson sound. Different combinations of instruments and contrasting arrangements are linked by the presence of guitars, such as pedal steel, resophonic or steel string. She sees her just-released CD, "Traveling Miles," as both a continuation and a culmination of her previous work. Conceived as a tribute to Miles Davis, the numbers on the album are either associated with him ("Someday My Prince Will Come") or written by Wilson in homage to him. The opening song, "Voodoo Down," laces Wilson's lyrics through a funky, textured web of sound and is based upon "Miles Runs The Voodoo Down" from Davis' "Bitches Brew" album. Was the voodoo that Miles wanted to run down slavery? "Slavery is definitely a part of why the voodoo is run down. We have never as a people let that part of our lives go because of the necessity of recalling it and using it and the Diaspora as a point of reference. But to 'run something down' in the dialect means to 'drop the knowledge,' to explain something; letting people know what this is about. 'To kick the science' is what the hip hop kids would say today." In songs such as "Voodoo Down," "When You Call Them Out" and her earlier, superb rendition of "Children of the Night," Wilson creates an ambiance which evokes a world of mystic and magic. Is that an important part of her life? "Very much so. The 'conjure women' referred to in 'Voodoo Down,' were the women of knowledge in our communities who collected the herbs and gave advice. You have to understand that the African American culture of the southern United States is very much steeped in that tradition. But it's something that's not always discussed, the role of these people in the community." What is often discussed is whether Wilson is really a jazz, country-blues or popular singer. "I use the word 'jazz' but in a much larger sense. We are a jazz culture, but we don't want to admit it! There is so much of jazz in American life: the language, the literature, the customs, dancing... they're all directly related to the advent of jazz. With that definition, I think I fit squarely within the tradition. To those who disagree, I say this music is alive, it's evolving, it is dynamic and you constantly have to feed it." But what's the emotional toll of constantly feeding it? "That's a good question. It is very demanding, but it gives back more than it takes." Her previous CD, "Rendezvous," a joint effort with dazzling Franco-American pianist, Jacky Terrasson, was also for Blue Note. On April 2, to celebrate that label's 60th anniversary, Terrasson will be joined by another Blue Note artist, saxophonist Stefano Di Battista, as part of the Banlieues Bleues Festival. Blue Note 60th Anniversary Concert, Apr 2, 8:30pm, Salle André Malraux, 25, cours de la République, Bondy, SNCF Bondy, 95F/75F. |
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