Cécile McLorin Salvant, Woman Child (Mack Avenue)
In this November post, I observed that it was going to take a while to catch up with Cécile McLorin Salvant. It will take a while longer because she is moving fast, but her first CD portrays a singer who has emerged in her early twenties full of talent, versatility, taste and rare artistic judgment. With pianist Aaron Diehl’s trio, Salvant is unfailingly on target interpreting a collection of 12 dissimilar songs. She is equally affecting in her moody “Woman Child†the felicities of Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz†and the dramatic folk ballad “John Henry.†Diehl, bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Herlin Riley are ideal in support and solo.