Cécile is a 3 time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer and her music shows off her passion for storytelling and finding the connections between vaudeville, blues, jazz, baroque and folkloric music. She spoke to Jess ahead of her show at London Jazz Festival 2023 and picked some of her favourite voices from Maria Callas singing Puccini to flamenco star Camarón de la Isla and an air de cour by Gabriel Bataille.

Jess brought along a string quartet by Caroline Shaw, a Hollywood inflected Concerto by Korngold and the most beautiful of songs by Aretha Franklin

PLAYLIST:

GABRIEL BATAILLE: Sortés soupirs témoins de mon mártire [Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, Annie Dufresne (soprano)]

CAROLINE SHAW: Plan & Elevation – v. The Beech Tree [Attacca Quartet]

WANDA JACKSON: Funnel of Love

KORNGOLD: Violin Concerto, op.35 – 1st mvt [James Ehnes (violin), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey (cond)]

ARETHA FRANKLIN: Ain’t No Way

PUCCINI: La bohème, Act 4 “Sono andati” [Maria Callas (soprano), Giuseppe di Stefano (tenor), La Scala Milan Chorus & Orchestra, Antonino Votto (cond)]

POULENC: Stabat Mater – i. Stabat Mater dolorosa [Cappella Amsterdam, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National SO, Daniel Reuss (cond)]

CAMARON DE LA ISLA: Yo vivo enamorao (Tangos) [Camaron De La Isla (singer), Paco De Lucía (guitar)]