Between her mother’s love for Motown and her father’s dedication to jazz, vocalist
Cassandra Wilson’s parents sparked her early interest in music. Although known as a jazz artist, the singer has expanded the playing field by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. Wilson learned a lot in the 1980s in the New York M-Base improvisation collective centering on saxophonist Steve Coleman. She found her musical identity in the years following in the many albums that she recorded. Through mostly acoustic works - including standards - she has developed an individual recognizable style that seems to reflect her soul. Her latest album,
Coming Forth By Day, a tribute to Billie Holiday, was released earlier this year. Wilson has won two Grammy Awards.
