I came across Melody about 10/11 years ago when her album "My One And Only Thrill" came out. Honestly I'm still surprised that she isn't more famous. What a shame... She's an amazing and exceptionally gifted musician and songwriter. What an incredible woman!
She has an intoxicating style and presentation. Knows where to put the drama and where to be soft. Excellent delivery with Latin jazz, particularly bossa nova, as well as this jazz style here.
She is amazing. My sister in law used to work at Ortliebs jazz house in Philly and booked Melody’s first gig there. One of Melody’s college professors was actually a customer at Ortliebs and told my sister in law about her and her story. I had the pleasure of seeing her also perform at Philly’s, Tin Angel as well and soon after she was signed under Universal of Paris label. My sister in law later ended up going on tour with her as her personal assistant. Melody was going to clothing design school and played at night in Piano bars. She was riding her bicycle home one evening and was hit by a drunk driver and was within centimeters of losing her life from hitting a parking meter. She shattered her pelvis and the head injury caused her to have a condition that causes light sensitivity and also sound sensitivity. So that’s why she is always in shades. She later said in rehab she had to learn to walk and talk all over again. The doctor asked her what she did before the accident and she told him music and he said you need to get back into music its healing. As she was learning to talk again that’s where the scatting started. She would just scat to the music. She spent months in the rehab and actually wrote her first album bedside. She truly is an inspiration and a beautiful soul thank you for highlighting her on your channel.
I've been a fan of Ms Gardot when I stumbled onto her first CD at a 2nd hand store years ago. I've been a fan of jazz, old and new artists and her voice, the mood she creates along with her fabulous bandmates, have captivated me ever since... I got to see her live finally in Toronto on her last tour and I've made sure to have each and every single, album, concert disk I can get my hands on. She is truly inspiring and wondrous.
Amazing I came across her by accident on here and spent hours listening and seeing her. She is dramatic classy international unique individualistic a true pro deep inventive but I keep coming back to dramatics and stylised. I get goose bumps. I know no performer who does what she does. Very special. I. Many ways it's almost a spiritual experience. WOW
Melody Gardot is one of the greats! I was introduced to her thru WNYC radio show host Jonathan Schwartz in 2009 when My Only and Only Thrill was released. One listen and I was hooked and went out and bought her CD. I would love to hear Melody perform in Paris. Glad you are sharing her with others. Another wonderful singer, mostly discovered after her passing, is Eva Cassidy - look for her if you don’t already know her.
Perhaps my favorite musical artist. I am pleased you share my appreciation for this transcendental musician and composer. I've never run across this particular track. Thanks
I started obsessing about this video years ago. Performance of a lifetime for everyone involded, glad to see others recognize the insane talent here. Cheers!
Melody Gardot is unbelievable! Her version of "Your heart is as black and night" is haunting, as is her original song "Preacherman." I could listen to her for weeks on end. If you love women singing jazz, Lalah Hathaway (with Snarky Puppy in this vid) sings scales & scats like Cory Henry plays organ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0SJIgTLe0hc.html
I’m 67 and I found her while listening to French songs not long ago, but jazz and bossa nova are to me a separate kind of experience. Just subscribed, thank you and best of luck
Your opening and closing monologues made me extremely happy. I fell in love with this style a few years ago myself. Melody was one I found early one and she blew me away. She is so ridiculously good.
Thanks for this, Michael. I have aspired to be able to learn (and hear/embody) enough theory that I could play with jazz cats on their playground. I play with a guy who’s a winds player at my church gig, and I feel inadequate to him most of the time unless it’s a country sounding song. That’s why I signed up at GG as a lifetime member - to learn again from the ground up. It’s taking some time as I’m gigging more, and my concentration is shot since my wife passed from Covid in March, but I’m going to do it. So thanks for what you do. You inspire me. Brian Alexander - partsman B.A.
Regardless of all that Apple may or may not do that pleases or aggravates me, I bless the day that “Worrisome Heart” was their free single! I have been in to a lot of music in my 60 years, but no one has ever captured me the way that Melody Gardot has! From those first sultry notes, she placed me squarely into some smoke filled club of the mind and I had to have everything she has ever done. Her story is amazing and inspirational, and a perfect example of good things coming from a terrible event. Melody is so much more than jazz, and what an incredible gift she shares with us, with each new album presenting a new and unique side of herself. I am thrilled that her newest offering is just a week away! I tell people about her every chance I get and I am happy to see that you shared her here because her talent should not be missed.
So glad you did this video. I stumbled upon "Worrisome Heart" album what feels like 13 years ago or so and fell in love with Gardot then. Great stuff. I wish/hope I could see her live at some point. Thanks again for sharing.
An incredible artist, with capital letters, and an incredible story of overcoming. I've known her since her third album, the second LP, "My One and Only Thrill". I was amazed the first time I heard her, that was in the OST of "An education", and the song was "Your Heart Is as Black as Night". Thanks for giving her visibility, in my environment (apart from my family), nobody knows her and it's a share.
I love her. I have loved her for years. There are few that captivate me like she does. Heart is as black as night is an all time great. There a crapton of songs of hers that do it for me. She learned music after getting friggin crushed by a car, and comes to sing like that?!
Have 5 of her albums and have seen her perform at a Concert with Diana Krall and Madeleine Peyroux....she was stunning...vocally, performance wise and in originality....have never forgotten it....can't wait to be able to see her again. Doesn't surprise me at all to learn she lives in Paris...
What a revelation. She is totally new to me. Got to know her through a cover of Jaques Brel "La chanson des vieux amants". Whatever she did with incredible strength and tenderness. A mega talent. Love your music Melody
Can't say I listen much to her music specifically but she's been a classic of Jazz radio programming in France for a decade if not more. Probably one of the most popular living Jazz artists out there.
I am in love with her !!! I discover her listening to Sophie Milman! I thank Spotify and RU-vid red for the suggestion on my Playlist. Omg she is a goddess for real!!!!
I just discovered her on a RU-vid channel called "Gadgetary Tech". He was raving about some Alta Audiophile speakers..... And he played a excellent record track by her, and I was blown away, absolutely... And you tell me her story I'm wasted... Absolutely wasted.... Why is no one stamping her name on anything.... She is a GODDESS!!
She is easily one of my favorites!! It seems like she has no limits to her vocal range and power not to mention the musical arrangements themselves seem to play emotional tug-of-war with her singing. Everything always spot on, I love it!
Clicked on this video as soon as I could. Love Melody Gardot. Someday hope to see her live, just watching the videos of the live concerts are just transfixing. BTW, she just came out with a single she did with Sting. Another one of the "female jazz singers" I really enjoy is Esperanza Spaulding. Anyone who can do the complicated vocal lines at the same time as the absolute nuts bass lines she does is pure genius. Any live performance will do, but I like this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aZ4uarjLsKg.html
It helps tremendously to have perfect recording to hear every nuance, and Ace musicians who are on the same page as you are and then some..this is sonic artistry.. I wonder if she produces these pieces and/or does she just let them do their thing.? I can only imagine what it sounds like with the cans..
Michael - Thank you. I’ve had this feeling when I heard Dave Brubeck, Miles, Charlie and a few others... it’s a feeling of instant connection. This had that same feeling for me. Forever thankful for this introduction. Dang dude.
Dude just recently discovered you and love your videos. This one most clearly captures the awe, emotion, and almost transcendent rapture that music of any style can evoke when played by someone so deeply in the zone of the mystery of that non verbal vibrational language we call music that takes the blueprints those of us educated know so well and weaves them into living electric silk.
I just fell into Melody Gardot this week! And am AMAZED! You have articulated of how I would describe her, but so much more ! I would add, she is Liquid Sex-Appeal in Song!
Her ability to relax and wear the lyric like a second skin sets her apart. In this sense (vocally) she reminds me of Holly Cole. But to my knowledge Ms. Cole doesn't play piano, which levels this artist well above her.
The name intrigued me, so I popped it into Spotify search. Texas Sun turned up on my liked songs. So it had caught my ear before. Thanks for helping me to re-find it.
Love Miss Gardot. The dark glasses are due to light sensitivity due to injuries from her accident. There’s a vid somewhere of Herbie Hancock playing with her in a studio.
At L'Olympia! I'll bet that was marvelous. Europe embraced Melody very early on, and Paris has taken her as one of their own. It seems like, as a society, theres an edge....a creative razor thats just not really nurtured or even occupied in America these days. More likely found abroad.
Thank you very much for that Michael. I had not heard of her before today. You may or may not have heard of the late great Eva Cassidy. Her live CD is pretty damn good. She can straddle jazz, rock and traditional tunes with ease. She was an incredible voice. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bzLd2MDAHK8.html
Just listened to Moonbeam by Willy Porter, little known songwriter from WI. Plays a custom 9-string guitar, complex chord shapes, sings over the top. Worth a listen
I love melody so much.. She is amazing! Totally different vibe but also the real stuff you're talking about.. do you know of juliaplaysgroove? She will amaze you too. Self taught bassist... She adds great basslines to pop songs and makes them actually good😅😬 I'd love to see a react video on her. If you love to hear the best of the best... She's one for sure!
Take a little Nina Simone, add a little Joni Mitchell, a sprinkling of Billie Holiday, then add a whole lot of soul, bossa nova, jazz, and bad ass attitude, backed up with originality and a ton of musical talent, and style, and you may start to get close to Melody Gardot's awesomeness.
I have to admit I have tried but cannot get into jazz. I guess I am content to crawl through the filthy filthy gutters of music with GnR, Zep, Janes, AIC, Tool .... however I was watching a documentary about math one evening and they started explaining a concept using musical intervals on a standup bass and thereby discovered Esmerelda Spaulding. But even so, try as I might, I could not shed my hunch back and gargoyle wings.
I love that you did a video on Melody Gardot. She's so amazing. I suggested this one in another post- please check out 'I will Not be Fine' by Justin Taylor. Such awesome phrasings: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FzCk8jjbLYE.html
