Page 30 - Minister Alex Schwengle

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PEOPLE & ARTSSaturday 26 September

American actor Johnny Depp, right, poses for a photo with a In this May 1, 2015 file photo, Cecile McLorin Salvant performs at the New Orleans Jazz &
woman that is receiving hearing devices in Rio de Janeiro, Heritage Festival in New Orleans, La.
Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
Associated Press
Associated Press
Jazz singer Salvant proves
Musicians help give breakout success is no fluke
hearing devices to Rio
de Janeiro residents CHARLES J. GANS and Lovers,” which advises content.”
Associated Press that wives need to stay at- Salvant says her unconven-
The Associated Press like Mendes’ songs. NEW YORK (AP) — Cecile tractive and attentive to tional repertoire reflects her
Johnny Depp, Alice Coo- Ana Maria Marques, who McLorin Salvant vaulted their husbands lest they background. The daugh-
per and Joe Perry helped hadn’t heard a single noise into the top ranks of fe- have an affair with “girls ter of a Haitian father and
give people the gift of for years, said she was eu- male jazz vocalists with her at the office.” On “Wom- French-Guadeloupean
hearing while in Rio de Ja- phoric with her new hear- Grammy-nominated 2013 anChild,” she covered a mother, she grew up in
neiro for the Rock in Rio ing device and spoke U.S. debut, “WomanChild,” 1930s racial tune “You Bring Miami, where she took
music festival. clearly about the way she displaying impressive vocal Out the Savage in Me” by classical voice and piano
The artists, members of the felt. chops as she put her own singer Valaida Snow. lessons. After high school,
Hollywood Vampires rock Yet for the children who spin on obscure old jazz “Those songs may seem she headed to France to
group, together with the were born deaf, they will and blues compositions. outdated and absurd on study political science and
Starkey Hearing Founda- now have the opportu- Her new album, “For One first listen, but actually a law, and also took classical
tion and other celebrities, nity to learn how to speak, to Love,” proves her break- lot of those things still ex- voice lessons at a conser-
helped fit customized hear- explained William F. Aus- out success was no fluke. ist,” said Salvant. “When I vatory.
ing devices on Thursday tin, founder of the Starkey Although the 26-year-old sing ‘Wives and Lovers,’ I’m Her mother suggested that
on 218 Rio residents of all Hearing Technologies and Salvant still considers her- posing a question about she take some jazz classes
ages, some of whom had Foundation. self “first and foremost an how much are we subject for fun, and her teacher,
lived in silence for most of “Children don’t develop interpreter of songs,” the to upholding a certain saxophonist-clarinetist
their lives. speech because the hear- project reflects her evolu- standard of beauty to be Jean-Francois Bonnel, im-
Depp who was accom- ing must come first,” Austin tion as a songwriter with acceptable in society and mediately saw her poten-
panied by his wife, Amber said. five originals among the 12 our jobs.” Salvant says her tial. Bonnel introduced her
Heard, described the ex- Perry, who helped set up a tracks. new album has a more de- to old jazz and blues vocal
perience as “moving.” hearing device for one of Salvant showcases her vo- veloped band sound after recordings, and soon she
Also present was Brazilian those children, said he had cal range as she deftly touring for 2 1/2 years with was singing with his group
bossa nova legend Sergio no words to describe the shifts tempos and changes pianist Aaron Diehl’s trio, at European festivals. She
Mendes. experience. dynamics — going from evident in the intricate nu- released her first CD, “Ce-
Though a handful of resi- “The impact is astounding,” breathless feathery highs to anced arrangements of cile,” in 2010. That same
dents with new hearing he said. “So to make that full-voiced soulful lows — to “Something’s Coming” year, she won the pres-
devices were to attend the available to kids whether spin out tales of unrequited from “West Side Story” and tigious Thelonious Monk
Hollywood Vampires show they end up liking music or love. “The Trolley Song” from International Jazz Vocals
Friday night, Cooper joked not doesn’t matter, it’s just “The songs I wrote are di- “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Competition.
they should start by listen- the fact that they can hear rectly about situations that “Much of my admiration “Cecile is like manna from
ing to something softer — again.”q I’ve been in — in terms of for Cecile comes from her heaven,” said Wynton Mar-
love — the times that it choice in repertoire, where salis, who first presented
hasn’t worked out and the there are no limitations in the singer with his Jazz at
times that it was beautiful,” origin or period,” said Diehl, Lincoln Center Orchestra
Salvant said in a recent in- a rising jazz piano star, in an in 2012. “Cecile has great
terview. “There’s definitely email. “Whether it’s a blues pitch, a unique style that
a feminist bent to the whole from the 1920s, an art song encompasses many sing-
thing.” by Leonard Bernstein, or ers and she’s extremely
But Salvant provocatively her own original composi- humble and studious. She
includes a sexist song from tion, she’s simply interested has an original vision ... and
the ‘60s — Burt Bacharach in finding material rich in I have tremendous respect
and Hal David’s “Wives both lyrical and musical for her.”q