Whatever happened to Cassandra Wilson?

[tranemonk]

She was everywhere in the 90s. The only info I can track down about her is her website. From what I can gather she opened up a jazz club and maybe a record label. I tried looking at her Twitter account. The only thing there is an odd, cryptic like about Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign. I haven't seen her perform live in a long time. Does anybody have any other info?

[jazzbo]

No other info. Politically she's been way right of center the last ten years or so it seems. She did that Billie Holiday tribute album, an Austin City Limits show (loved them both) and then. . . crickets. I wish her well, we're nearly the same age and I've always loved her work.

[mjazzg]

14 minutes ago, jazzbo said:

we're nearly the same age and I've always loved her work

Me too. A big fan, waiting for some new work at some point

I've even forgiven her for her non-appearance on the evening of a London Jazz Festival gig on my birthday, about 10 years ago. A subsequent Ronnie Scott's gig was very very special.

[JSngry]

Seemed like her voice was weak on the ACL show to me, enough that it worried me. 

[danasgoodstuff]

This is from 2014, last released music appears to be the Billie Holiday tribute from 2015.  Hope she's well.

[AllenLowe]

I have heard various things about an extremely difficult personality. That may be relevant.

[danasgoodstuff]

This is from 2014, last released music appears to be the Billie Holiday tribute from 2015.  Hope she's well.  I also read elsewhere on the web that she was the St Paddy's Day parade Marshall in Jackson Mississippi this year, so perhaps she's sticking close to home.

Didn't intend to quote my previous post, but I couldn't make it go away.

[Eric]

Wikipedia saying she received an honorary doctorate from Berklee in 2020:

 

[JSngry]

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56 minutes ago, AllenLowe said:

I have heard various things about an extremely difficult personality. That may be relevant.

Specifics? 

[medjuck]

I worked with her on a film many years ago and she was no more difficult than almost any of us are. 

[jazzbo]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

Seemed like her voice was weak on the ACL show to me, enough that it worried me. 

Didn't really seem that way to me.

[JSngry]

I'd have to revisit, but it really concerned me at the time. Seemed like her scope/power was greatly reduced.

But I remain a fan. 

[AllenLowe]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

0

Specifics? 

from a musician who worked with her, said she was very difficult and Diva-ish.

[JSngry]

If everybody's diva-ish then nobody's diva-ish LOL!!!

And in my experience, more are than aren't.

Got anything else? 

[adh1907]

Looking on from the disfunctional UK, I found  the general thrust of her comments on Twitter depressing and weird. On the music,  the Steve Coleman years, Jump world, were good, the later slower scratchy bang on a can stuff became a cliche. 

[bertrand]

She did get an NEA Jazz Master a couple of years ago but did not show up in person. My understanding is that she alienated a lot of people with her extreme politics. She is not very active musically, that is true.

[mikeweil]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:52 AM, AllenLowe said:

from a musician who worked with her, said she was very difficult and Diva-ish.

That was the impression I got from watching some live shows on TV.

[Rabshakeh]

I've always wanted to like her music but never did. I find the studio slickness* of her treatment of the blues tradition very off-putting. It reminds me of John Martyn for some reason.

*Edit: To avoid misunderstanding, by "studio slickness" I am talking about production choices and her phrasing, not criticising the idea of delivering the blues with slick urbanity or high polish, which is good with me.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Rabshakeh

[mjazzg]

23 minutes ago, Rabshakeh said:

I've always wanted to like her music but never did. I find the studio slickness* of her treatment of the blues tradition very off-putting. It reminds me of John Martyn for some reason.

*Edit: To avoid misunderstanding, by "studio slickness" I am talking about production choices and her phrasing, not criticising the idea of delivering the blues with slick urbanity or high polish, which is good with me.

But sounding like John Martyn's a good thing surely...?

Not that I hear the comparison 

[jazzbo]

1 hour ago, Rabshakeh said:

I've always wanted to like her music but never did. I find the studio slickness* of her treatment of the blues tradition very off-putting. It reminds me of John Martyn for some reason.

*Edit: To avoid misunderstanding, by "studio slickness" I am talking about production choices and her phrasing, not criticising the idea of delivering the blues with slick urbanity or high polish, which is good with me.

Cool. I differ strongly, I love her signing and her evolving production choices. Her politics not so much, but it's hardly in the music if at all.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by jazzbo

[kh1958]

I saw her at about the time of New Moon Daughter at a small club in Deep Ellum, with an outstanding group (I recall Charlie Burnham, Brandon Ross, Lonnie Plaxico) and got to meet her; she was very nice. A few years later I heard her when she played at the Caravan of Dreams. And many years later I saw her at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, playing her Billie Holiday tribute material. All three concerts were terrific, and there was no trace of diva behavior or any mention of politics.

Edited December 22, 2023 by kh1958

[mjazzg]

I think she kept the politics for her online posts, thankfully. I'm not sure I'd stomach it in person.

She's never made any overtly political statements in her music as far as I've detected in the years I've been listening to her.

I suspect I saw that same group in 1994 at the Jazz Café, I'm pretty sure I recall Burnham.  I remember it was packed to the rafters and she had to make her way through the parting crowd to get to the stage

[BFrank]

On 12/21/2023 at 3:09 PM, bertrand said:

She did get an NEA Jazz Master a couple of years ago but did not show up in person. My understanding is that she alienated a lot of people with her extreme politics. She is not very active musically, that is true.

That NEA Jazz Master event was at SFJAZZ and I was fortunate to be able to see it in person.

Yes, Cassandra wasn't there, but sent in a video that was shown.

[felser]

On 12/22/2023 at 7:33 AM, mjazzg said:

But sounding like John Martyn's a good thing surely...

Depends.  Martyn's 'Bless The Weather'/'Solid Air'/'Inside Out'/'Sundays Child'/'Live at Leeds' era was amazing, and the earlier folky stuff was excellent, but to me he then artistically fell off a cliff with 'One World' and never recovered, even though he kept cranking out album after album.

[mjazzg]

2 hours ago, felser said:

Depends.  Martyn's 'Bless The Weather'/'Solid Air'/'Inside Out'/'Sundays Child'/'Live at Leeds' era was amazing, and the earlier folky stuff was excellent, but to me he then artistically fell off a cliff with 'One World' and never recovered, even though he kept cranking out album after album.

I have always loved 'One World' as it was my entry point. I agree the earlier recordings are the strong run but I now find lots to like in some of the later albums too