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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Jazz Legend Cassandra Wilson Dies at 70: Five Songs to Hear

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer, has died at 70 in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi.
  • Wilson earned acclaim for a genre-crossing voice and won Grammys for “New Moon Daughter” and “Loverly.”
  • She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022, and the article highlights five songs from her career.

Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy-winning jazz singer whose unmistakable voice moved between blues-rooted jazz, folk, pop, R&B and country, has died at 70. She died Tuesday morning at home in Jackson, Mississippi, according to Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard.

Her manager, Robert Torry, said Wilson died peacefully surrounded by family, close friends and her manager. No cause of death was immediately disclosed. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist. Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager,” Torry said in a statement to WBGO.

Time magazine named Wilson “America’s Best Singer” in 2001. Her voice and phrasing pushed beyond traditional blues-based jazz, while her recordings with Blue Note established her as one of the genre’s most distinctive artists. “Blue Light ’Til Dawn,” released in 1993, sold more than 400,000 copies, while “New Moon Daughter” surpassed 650,000. Both reached No. 1 on Billboard’s jazz albums chart.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist. Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager.

· Robert TorryWilson’s manager confirmed her death in a statement to jazz radio station WBGO.

Wilson was born and raised in Jackson and developed an early interest in music. She studied piano, played clarinet, performed with bands and appeared at coffeehouses. After working with jazz musicians in New Orleans, she moved to New York and became lead vocalist of Steve Coleman’s M-Base Collective.

She won Grammys for “New Moon Daughter” in 1997 and “Loverly” in 2009. In 2015, she honored Billie Holiday at the Apollo Theater and released “Coming Forth by Day,” her final album. The National Endowment for the Arts named her a Jazz Master in 2022. Five recordings highlighted for listeners are “Death Letter,” “Strange Fruit,” “Solomon Sang,” “Tupelo Honey” and “Time After Time.”

a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack

· Gary GiddinsThe critic praised Wilson’s distinctive vocal sound.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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