Monthly Livestream #61 with Cecile McLorin Salvant!
Thank you for tuning in to today's livestream - here's the recording!
This was a really special one - Cecile was extremely generous and insightful! We really had no plan, just started off with a tune ("My Old Flame"), then kind of went off in all sorts of directions.
As you know, usually with these livestreams I make a little summary of what we talked about, but actually we went so many places in this 90 minutes that I can't really summarize it. You would really need to watch the whole thing to get everything! I'll just mention a few of the broad talking points:
About keys of tunes, finding the right keys. And whether keys are "brighter" or "darker" than each other.
Repertoire - I asked Cecile about her massive repertoire and how she learned it all. Then somehow we went into a Kurt Weill songbook and read through "My Ship", and then the next song in the book called "My Week". (Cecile said she wasn't a good sight reader but actually read the song perfectly. Also she said she didn't know My Ship but actually basically knew it perfectly.)
About pursuing interests - finding what is interesting to you and going towards it. Also the importance of note-taking.
A broad question about what Cecile strives for when she sings a melody, and also what she looks for in a piano player while playing duo.
About the power of the melody: how if the melody is strong, the harmony can be quite flexible.
About rubato - really just about what rubato is.
About band arrangements - how much to arrange vs. how much not to arrange. This led to an interesting discussion about spontaneity, and finding the right balance between being in control and "out-of control". Also the importance of trust within a band.
Then closed things with a take of "Speak Low"
Also a few of the recordings mentioned:
This was played in the background before the livestream started - Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - "Ethiopiques, Vol. 21": https://music.apple.com/us/album/%C3%A9thiopiques-vol-21-piano-solo/113757995
And Cecile mentioned this Abbey Lincoln recording of "Lonely House" while we were on Kurt Weill: Abbey Lincoln - "Lonely House" (from Abbey is Blue): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbPmq_18lR0
We had a blast! Hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Thank you again for tuning in, and see you next month!
Glenn
