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Cécile McLorin Salvant’s Breathtaking Orchestral Album
Jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant has released a new orchestral album, *With Every Breath I Take*, made in collaboration with composer Darcy James Argue, who arranged ten ballads for her trio alongside the 48-piece Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley. In an interview, Salvant discusses why she resists being labelled simply a "jazz singer," pointing to her wide-ranging output, which has spanned string-quartet performances, a theatrical song cycle and an electronic art-pop record, and to her dramatic, almost operatic approach to interpreting lyrics.
The album's ten tracks, described as long-time favourites and "desert island songs," are performed by Salvant's regular trio of pianist Sullivan Fortner, bassist David Wong and drummer Kush Abadey, backed by the orchestra. Many of the songs originate from musicals and are delivered in character, including a particularly intense rendition of Brecht and Weill's "Barbara Song," while Salvant identifies Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive" as the emotional centre of the record and Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" as one of its earliest building blocks. She and Argue previously worked together on her song cycle Ogresse, and Salvant reflects on how her childhood fascination with opera and musical theatre continues to shape her singing as a form of acting.
In short
- Cécile McLorin Salvant releases orchestral album with Darcy James Argue
- Features her trio plus the 48-piece Metropole Orkest
- Ten ballads, drawn largely from musicals, explored as dramatic monologues
Explained simply
Cécile McLorin Salvant is an acclaimed vocalist known for her dramatic, operatic approach to singing, with a career spanning jazz, string-quartet performances, theatrical works and electronic music. She resists being labelled simply a "jazz singer," instead describing herself as an interpreter of song across diverse musical contexts.
She has released a new orchestral album called With Every Breath I Take, featuring arrangements by composer Darcy James Argue of ten beloved songs, performed with her regular trio alongside the 48-piece Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley. The album draws on songs from musicals and classic songwriting traditions, including works by Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, Brecht and Duke Ellington.
The album embodies Salvant's understanding of singing as dramatic interpretation, rooted in her childhood fascination with opera and musical theatre. She has previously collaborated with Argue on the song cycle Ogresse, and this orchestral project deepens their creative partnership.