Melody Gardot feat. Philippe PowellA Passionate Fusion of Jazz and Blues
This event is in the past.
Melody Gardot is like a chameleon, with a mild yet yearning look that would melt the iciest of hearts. Few singers can capture moods and feelings quite as well as the singer, guitarist and piano player from Philadelphia.
This event is in the past.
Melody Gardot is like a chameleon, with a mild yet yearning look that would melt the iciest of hearts. Few singers can capture moods and feelings quite as well as the singer, guitarist and piano player from Philadelphia.
The fascination of fragility is explored by Melody Gardot, who is viewed as one of the most exciting musical discoveries of our time. She looks as if she has stepped out of a Cinema Noir classic as an enigmatic nightclub diva. With uncertain steps, she makes her way to the stage, where she sings songs of passion, desire and disappointment, love, anguish and lust that entrance her audience.
Her previous albums – her remarkable debut “Worrisome Heart”, the superior “My One And Only Thrill”, the eclectic voyage of discovery “The Absence”, the nostalgic CD “Currency Of Man”, the live concert recording “Live in Europe” and most recently her jazz milestone “Sunset in the Blue” – reveal a uniquely expressive style.
The spotlight illuminates a dazzling vision – a blonde, sophisticated beauty wearing dark glasses and carrying a cane. Melody Gardot breathes notes into the microphone that enchant listeners with a haunting blend of jazz, blues, swing and folk. The emotion and passion in her voice evoke memories of legendary singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Peggy Lee. Her subtle humour and storytelling talent only give her appearance greater impact, while her performance oozes thrills and sensuality. It feels as if the songs are almost experiences of a mature life, even though the singer is still relatively young. Fingerclicking blues, Brazilian rhythms and jazz ballads present an unbelievable level of maturity.
Melody’s music is rooted in the trauma of a serious accident she suffered at the age of 19, when she suffered significant head and pelvic injuries. Since then she has used a cane to walk and wears dark glasses to protect her eyes against strong light. While she was bedbound in hospital, her doctor recommended music therapy, as he was convinced that it would dramatically improve her cognitive skills after the trauma she had suffered. And he was right!
Melody recorded her first EP while she was still in hospital: “Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions“. Since then, she has fought hard to overcome her disabilities. How she turned the tragic events into something positive provoked public attention and recognition for her unique talent.
Today, Melody Gardot is seen as a “singer-songwriter phenomenon” and one of the most amazing performers of recent years. Experts rave about her provocative yet intimate vocal skills.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised her “songs that are stripped back to the essentials”, which are among “the most beautiful that we have heard for a long time when it comes to what is referred to as light music”. Melody Gardot is “a singer the like of which you are unlikely to see on the concert stage again.” According to Der Spiegel, “Melody Gardot sings with one of today’s most beautiful and erotic vibrato voices”, while Die Welt described her performance with the headline “Melody Gardot has a delicate touch.”
