Diavola Gabrielle Cavassa

• 1 Heaven Sighs 00:54
• 2 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head 04:32
• 3 Prisoner of Love 02:23
• 4 Bossy Nova 03:52
• 5 To Say Goodbye 03:00
• 6 Angelo 04:21
• 7 Be My Love 03:42
• 8 Diavola 05:31
• 9 Could It Be Magic 06:54
• 10 La notte dell’addio 02:27
• Total Runtime 37:36

Info for Diavola

Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa makes her artistic arrival with the May 1 release of her Blue Note debut, Diavola, an album that unveils her range as a band leader, a songwriter, and a fearless song interpreter who treats each gesture with subtlety and reverence. Co-produced by Joshua Redman and Don Was, Diavola is a collection of original songs and luminous arrangements that features an extraordinary cast of collaborators with Jeff Parker on guitar, Larry Grenadier on bass, Brian Blade on drums, Paul Cornish on piano, and Redman on tenor saxophone.

“I really respect songs and I really want to honor them in the best way,” says Cavassa. Admittedly a “huge” Billy Eckstine fan, Cavassa swings slow and steady on the album’s lead single “Prisoner of Love.” Each lyric she charms with deliberate long tones and thoughtful dynamics. “Modernity is important to me,” she says, “but the truth is I really am coming from a tradition. And I really love singing those songs.”

At once intimate and anthemic, Diavola subverts the self-portrait. The album explores coexistences of the angel and the devil — a dynamic central to Cavassa’s artistry and personal identity — engaging a dualism of possession and surrender, of urgency and repose. “I’m not willing to let go of either,” says Cavassa, “or I haven’t been able to.”

The album also spotlights Cavassa’s pivotal association with Redman, who invited her into the studio and on the road as a collaborator for his own Blue Note debut where are we, released in 2023. “It’s kind of a Cinderella Story,” says Cavassa, who began working with Redman after his manager heard her perform at a wedding in New Orleans. “That was such a shocking life change,” she says. “It was such a rare opportunity as a singer to be able to tour on that level as a sideman. And in jazz, it’s a rite of passage.”

Was and Redman worked in concert with Cavassa from the album’s inception. While Redman focused on production details, Was worked listener impact. Together, the artists set the pace for each section as Cavassa’s interpretations developed their tones and colors. “Josh was with me every step of the way,” she says. “He was the comfort and the trust through the whole process. And Don was bringing this wisdom of absolutely one-in-a-million experience.”

Gabrielle Cavassa, vocals
Paul Cornish, piano
Jeff Parker, guitar
Larry Grenadier, bass
Brian Blade, drums
Joshua Redman, tenor saxophone (tracks 2, 9)

Recorded by Ariel Shafir at Dreamland Recording Studios, New York
Produced by Joshua Redman & Don Was

Gabrielle Cavassa
Born in Escondido, California of Italian descent, Gabrielle Cavassa began “obsessively listening” to records from a young age. Largely self-taught, she developed a unique approach to singing that would later characterize her artistry. Cavassa received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from San Francisco State University, but credits the Bay Area music scene for her “real education.” She moved to New Orleans in 2017, where she continued her education in local clubs. In 2020, Cavassa independently released an eponymous debut record produced by collaborator Jamison Ross. In 2021, she was crowned a winner of the prestigious International Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition. Cavassa’s feature appearance on Joshua Redman’s 2023 Blue Note album where are we prompted DownBeat to declare her “a star in the making.” Stereophile wrote that “For many, the revelation of this album will be Cavassa. Her voice gets under your skin. It is idiosyncratic, but it is trustworthy in its clarity and almost physical in its intimacy… her intuitive interpretations and riveting voice make you sit very still in your chair.”

This album contains no booklet.