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Cassandra Wilson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cassandra Wilson
Wilson in 2008
Wilson in 2008
Background information
Born
Cassandra Fowlkes[1]

(1955-12-04)December 4, 1955
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 2026(2026-09-01) (aged 70)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
EducationMillsaps College;
Jackson State University
GenreJazz
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • vocals
  • guitar
Years active1985–2026
Labels
Spouses
  • Anthony Wilson
    ​
    (1981⁠–⁠1983)​
  • ​
    ​
    (2000⁠–⁠2003)​
Websitecassandrawilson.com
Children1 son
FatherHerman Fowlkes Jr.

Cassandra Wilson (née Fowlkes; December 4, 1955 – September 1, 2026) was an American jazz singer, songwriter and producer from Jackson, Mississippi.[2] She was one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins[3] as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. She won numerous awards, including two Grammys,[4] and was named "America's Best Singer" by Time magazine in 2001.[5]

Early life and career

[edit]

Wilson was the third and youngest child of Herman Fowlkes Jr., a guitarist, bassist, and music teacher,[6] and Mary McDaniel, an elementary school teacher who earned her PhD in education. Her ancestry included Fon, Yoruba, Irish, and Welsh. Between her mother's love for Motown and her father's dedication to jazz, Wilson's parents sparked her early interest in music.[7]

Her earliest formal musical education consisted of classical lessons; she studied piano from the age of six to thirteen and played clarinet in her middle school concert and marching bands.[7] When she was tired of this training, she asked her father to teach her the guitar. Instead, he gave her a lesson in self-reliance, suggesting she study Mel Bay method books. Wilson explored guitar on her own, developing what she described as an "intuitive" approach. During this time, she began writing her own songs, adopting a folk style. She also appeared in musical theater productions, including The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy, crossing racial lines in a recently desegregated school system.

Wilson attended Millsaps College and Jackson State University. She graduated with a degree in mass communications from Jackson State. Outside of the classroom, she spent her nights working with R&B, funk, and pop cover bands, also singing in local coffeehouses.[8] The Black Arts Music Society, founded by John Reese and Alvin Fielder, provided her with her first opportunities to perform bebop.[8] In 2007, Wilson received an honorary doctorate in Arts from Millsaps College.

In 1981, she moved to New Orleans to take up a position as assistant public affairs director for the local television station, WDSU. She did not stay long. Working with mentors who included elder statesmen Earl Turbinton,[8] Alvin Batiste, and Ellis Marsalis, Wilson found encouragement to seriously pursue jazz performance and moved to New York City the following year.[8]

Wilson in 1987

Musical association with M-Base

[edit]

In New York, Wilson's focus turned towards improvisation. Heavily influenced by singers Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter, she fine-tuned her vocal phrasing and scat while studying ear training with trombonist Grachan Moncur III. Frequenting jam sessions under the tutelage of pianist Sadik Hakim, a Charlie Parker alumnus, she met alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, who encouraged her to look beyond the standard jazz repertoire in favor of developing original material. She would become the vocalist and one of the founding members of the M-Base collective in which Coleman was the leading figure, a stylistic outgrowth of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and Black Artists Group (BAG), that re-imagined the grooves of funk and soul within the context of traditional and avant-garde jazz. Peter Watrous in an article for The New York Times states:

The M-Base group in Brooklyn, working with both jazz and pop forms, makes music that at first sounds like funk from the 1970s. Like the music played by Mr. Marsalis (and his brother Wynton) the music made by M-Base – Steve Coleman, with Greg Osby, Cassandra Wilson and Geri Allen – is, at its best, filled with subtle ideas working behind the mask of popular music. In Mr. Coleman's group a singer is supported by an electric bass, guitar, drums and electric keyboards, a shiny musical mix that has familiar rock and funk references; yet, because of all its rhythmic and metric manipulations, sounds new.[9]

Although the voice – typically treated as the focal point of any arrangement in which it is included – was not an obvious choice for M-Base's complex textures or harmonically elaborated melodies, Wilson wove herself into the fabric of these settings with wordless improv and lyrics. She can be heard on Coleman's debut as a leader, Motherland Pulse (1985),[8] then as member of his "Five Elements" on On the Edge of Tomorrow (1986), World Expansion (1986), Sine Die (1987), and on M-Base Collective's sole recording as a large ensemble Anatomy of a Groove (1992).

At the same time, Wilson toured with avant-garde trio New Air, featuring alto saxophonist Henry Threadgill, and recorded Air Show No. 1 (1987) in Italy. A decade her senior and an AACM member, Threadgill has been lauded as a composer for his ability to transcend stylistic boundaries, a trait he and Wilson shared.

Wilson at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, New York City, 2007

Solo career

[edit]

Her first recording was Newyorker in a Sentimental Mood, recorded in 1985 in Japan for the Label JAL Strato Sound.[10] Like fellow M-Base artists, Wilson signed to the Munich-based, independent label JMT. She released her first recording as a leader, Point of View, in 1986.[8] Like the majority of her JMT albums that followed, originals by Wilson in keeping with M-Base dominated these sessions; she would also record material by and co-written with Coleman, Jean-Paul Bourelly, and James Weidman, as well as a few standards. Her throaty contralto gradually emerges over the course of these recordings, making its way to the foreground. She developed an ability to stretch and bend pitches, elongate syllables, manipulate tone and timbre from dusky to hollow.[11]

While these recordings established her as a serious musician, Wilson received her first broad critical acclaim for the album of standards recorded in the middle of this period, Blue Skies (1988).[8] Her signing with Blue Note Records in 1993 marked a crucial turning point in her career and a major breakthrough to audiences beyond jazz, with albums selling in the hundreds of thousands of copies.

Beginning with Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993), her repertoire moved towards a broad synthesis of blues, pop, jazz, world music, and country. Although she continued to perform originals and standards, she adopted songs as diverse as Robert Johnson's "Come On in My Kitchen", Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow", The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville", and Hank Williams's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry".

Wilson's 1996 album New Moon Daughter won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.[4] In 1997, she recorded and toured as a featured vocalist with Wynton Marsalis's Pulitzer Prize-winning composition "Blood on the Fields".

Miles Davis was one of Wilson's greatest influences. In 1989, Wilson performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999, she produced the album Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she had performed at the Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor. It includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, from which Wilson adapted the original themes.

Personal life and death

[edit]

Wilson was married to Anthony Wilson from 1981 to 1983.[12]

She had a son, Jeris, born in the late 1980s. Her song "Out Loud (Jeris' Blues)" on the 1991 album She Who Weeps is dedicated to him. For many years, Wilson and her son lived in New York City's Sugar Hill, in an apartment that had once belonged to Count Basie, Lena Horne, and the boxer Joe Louis.[13]

From 2000 to 2003, Wilson was married to actor Isaach de Bankolé, who directed her in the concert film Traveling Miles: Cassandra Wilson (2000).[14]

Wilson and her mother were members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.[15][16]

Wilson died in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 70. Her date of death is reported variously as having occurred on September 1[17] or September 2,[18] 2026.

Awards and honors

[edit]

Discography

[edit]

As leader

[edit]

Compilations

As guest

[edit]
Song(s) (composers) Main artist Album title Release date Label Notes
"No Good Time Fairies" (Steve Coleman)Steve ColemanMotherland Pulse1985JMT
[throughout] (Steve Coleman a. o.)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsOn the Edge of Tomorrow1986JMT
"Don't Drink That Corner My Life Is in the Bush", "Apricots on Their Wings" (Henry Threadgill, C. Wilson)New AirAir Show No. 11986Black Saint
"Mad Monkey" (Steve Coleman), "Dream State" (Geri Allen), "Just a Funky Old Song" (Graham Haynes)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsWorld Expansion1987JMT
[throughout] (Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsSine Die1988Pangaea
"Armageddon (Cold-Blood-Ed)" (Steve Coleman)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsRhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization)1990RCA
"Season of Renewal", "Word", "Spirit Hour" (Greg Osby)Greg OsbySeason of Renewal1990JMT
"The X Format", "Beyond All We Know", "A Vial of Calm" (Steve Coleman)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsBlack Science1991Novus
"Resolution of Love" (Robin Eubanks, Nan Saville)Robin EubanksKarma1991JMT
"The Journeyman" (Steve Coleman)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsDrop Kick1992Novus
[throughout] (lyrics by C. Wilson for "Non-Fiction", "Cycle of Change" and "One Bright Morning")M-Base CollectiveAnatomy of a Groove1992Columbia
"Honor the Example" (Greg Osby, Are Em)Greg Osby3-D Lifestyles1993Blue Note
"Swept Away", "Silent Treatment" (The Roots)The RootsDo You Want More?!!!??!1994DGCfeatured together with Steve Coleman
"Crazy Love" (Van Morrison)various artistsNo Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison1994
"Equality" (Dave Holland, Maya Angelou)Dave HollandDream of the Elders1995ECM
"Don't 'Xplain" (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday),
"I've Known Rivers" (Gary Bartz)		Courtney PineModern Day Jazz Stories1995AntillesRemixes of both on Another Story, 1998
"Drifting – Villanova Junction" (Jimi Hendrix)Vernon Reid, Jack Bruce, Trilok Gurtu, Wilson a.  o.Voodoo Chile: The Music of Jimi Hendrix1995Vap Video, Japan [laserdisc]Live at Jazz Open, Stuttgart, Germany
"Killing Me Softly" (Roberta Flack, arranged by C. Wilson and Lonnie Plaxico)various artistsSpirit of '73: Rock for Choice1995
"The Little Drummer Boy" (Kath. Kennicott Davis)various artistsJazz to the World1995A&M
"Come Together" (Lennon/McCartney)Bob BeldenStrawberry Fields1996Blue Noteduet with Dianne Reeves
"Country Girl" (Muddy Waters)Javon JacksonA Look Within1996Blue Note
"Dee Like a Breeze" (David Sanchez)David SanchezStreet Scenes1996Columbia
"One Shine" (The Roots)The RootsIlladelph Halflife1996DGC
"Time of the Season" (Rod Argent [The Zombies])Kurt EllingThe Messenger1997Blue Note
"Move Over" (Wynton Marsalis)Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz OrchestraBlood on the Fields1997Columbia
"In a Sentimental Mood" (Duke Ellington, arranged by Turre)Steve TurreSteve Turre1997Verve
"The Good Life" (Jack Reardon, Sacha Distel)various artistsLounge-a-Palooza1997Hollywood
"You Move Me" (Cassandra Wilson)various artistsOST Love Jones1997Columbia
"Days of Wine & Roses" (Andy Williams)various artistsOST Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil1997Malpaso/Warner
"Never Know" (A. Kidjo, Robbie Nevil, Jean Hebrail)Angelique KidjoOremi1998Island
"I'm Only Human" (L. Vandross, Marcus Miller)Luther VandrossI Know1998EMIduet
"Papa Was a Rolling Stone" (Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong)Regina CarterRhythms of the Heart1999Verve
"The 42 Assessors" (Steve Coleman)Steve Coleman and Five ElementsThe Ascension to Light1999BMG France
"Painted from Memory", "I Still Have That Other Girl" (E. Costello, B. Bacharach, arranged by B. Frisell)Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach, Bill FrisellThe Sweetest Punch1999Deccaduet on the second song
"Rosewood" 1 & 2 (Wynton Marsalis)Wynton MarsalisReeltime1999Sony
"The Ladies Who Lunch" (Stephen Sondheim)Don ByronA Fine Line: Arias & Lieder2000Blue Note
"Don't Blame Me", "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields)Terence BlanchardLet's Get Lost2001Sony
"Used to Be" (Ah-Keisha McCants, O. Dara)Olu DaraNeighborhoods2001Atlantic
"Leaves" (Tom Harrell)Tom HarrellWise Children2003Bluebird
"The Chosen" (Meshell Ndegeocello)Meshell NdegeocelloThe Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel2005Shanachie
"Sacred Ground", "The Prophet of Doom"
(D. Murray, Ishmael Reed)		David Murray Black Saint QuartetSacred Ground2007Justin Time
"Enough" (J. Owen, Sean Hurley)Judith OwenHappy This Way2007Courgettebonus track, also as Quantic Remix
"For the Roses" (Joni Mitchell)various artistsA Tribute to Joni Mitchell2007Reprise
"My Love and I" (Johnny Mercer, David Raksin)Charlie Haden Quartet WestSophisticated Ladies2010EmArcy
"You Take Me Places I've Never Been Before" (N. Payton)Nicholas PaytonBitches2011In+Out
"Cry Me a River" (Arthur Hamilton)Count Basie OrchestraElla 100: Live at the Apollo!2020ConcordElla Fitzgerald tribute

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Black Greekdom Mourns the Death of Grammy-Winning Jazz Vocalist and Alpha Kappa Alpha Member Cassandra Wilson
  2. ↑ Collar, Matt. "Cassandra Wilson Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  3. ↑ Giddins, Gary. (2000). Visions of Jazz: The First Century. Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-513241-0, p. 643.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "All GRAMMY Awards and Nominations for Cassandra Wilson". Grammy.com. July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ Crouch, Stanley (July 9, 2001). "Cassandra Wilson". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ Litweiler, John. "Cassandra Wilson". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Leland, John (March 7, 2002). "GOING HOME WITH: Cassandra Wilson; Jazz Diva Follows Sound of Her Roots". The New York Times.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 495/6. ISBN 0-85112-674-X.
  9. ↑ Watrous, Peter (December 31, 1989). "POP VIEW: Private Codes Enliven Jazz". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Discogs
  11. ↑ Brian Priestley, Digby Fairweather, Ian Carr. Jazz, The Rough Guide, Second Edition March 2000.
  12. ↑ Jones, Charisse (September 29, 1994). "In the Studio with: Cassandra Wilson; Singing a Song of the South". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ Lewis, John (November 22, 2010). "The Big Interview Cassandra Wilson". The Metro.
  14. ↑ De Bankolé, Isaach (2000), Traveling Miles: Cassandra Wilson (Documentary, Music), Cassandra Wilson, Regina Carter, Isaach De Bankolé, retrieved July 28, 2023
  15. ↑ "Cassandra Wilson, Mississippi Musician and Singer of Jazz, Blues, and Popular Music". Mswritersandmusicians.com. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Famous Alpha Kappa Alpha Members - Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority - Pi Nu Omega Chapter". Pinuomegaaka.org. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ Wade, Maggie (September 2, 2026). "Jackson-born Grammy winner Cassandra Wilson dies at 70". WLBT. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ Friedwald, Will; Bernstein, Adam (September 2, 2026). "Cassandra Wilson, Star Jazz Singer, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Cassandra Wilson". Mississippi Blues Trail. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ Japanese 1985 release of Wilson with a trio singing standards. Newyorker – In a Sentimental Mood at Discogs
  21. ↑ Tamarkin, Jeff (March 26, 2012). "Cassandra Wilson Signs to eOne Music". JazzTimes. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  22. ↑ Tamarkin, Jeff (November 20, 2014). "Legacy Recordings Signs Cassandra Wilson". jazztimes.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
[edit]
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