Gabrielle Cavassa Preps For Her Blue Note Debut, ‘Diavola’
The album is a collection of original songs and unique reinterpretations.
Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa is set to release her Blue Note debut, Diavola, on May 1st. The album promises to showcase Cavassa’s talents as a vocalist, songwriter, and song interpreter.
Co-produced by Joshua Redman and Don Was, Diavola is a collection of original songs and unique arrangements. Cassava is joined by a talented 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. The album’s lead single is Cavassa’s interpretation of “Prisoner of Love,” the 1946 hit for Billy Eckstine. As a “huge” Eckstine fan, reinterpreting his hit was a balancing act. “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.”
Diavola’s title comes from the album’s exploration of the angel and the devil, and the ways in which they coexist. Cavassa considers this dynamic integral to her artistry: “I’m not willing to let go of either,” she shares, “or I haven’t been able to.”
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Cavassa’s collaboration with Redman follows their work in the studio and on tour 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. “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.”
