Cassandra Wilson singing Little Wing.

This singer is fantastic

Cassandra Wilson - Silver Pony 2010

Guardian

Silver Pony has an autobiographical spin, mixes the singer's familiar fascination for the blues with Lennon/McCartney, Stevie Wonder and three originals, and includes a duet with John Legend as the finale.

BBC

Wilson’s vein of excellent form continues with this fine live set.

I haven't found any videos yet but her voice is sublime

Cassandra Wilson - Vietnam Blues

Good book

When Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded the assassinated President Kennedy he was hailed enthusiastically by the blues and gospel singers, most of whom had been born in the southern states and saw an ally in the new Texas president. Johnson’s acute political skills ensured that the 1964 Civil Rights Bill was approved by Congress. However, the President was not allowed to reap the benefits of the Act for long. The violent clash in Selma, Alabama, sped up the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Next, the plight of the black ghettoes led to nationwide riots and the president and Rev. King drifted apart. Military build-up in Vietnam rose dramatically in the Johnson era. Proportionally there were not more African Americans in Vietnam, but their death rate was thirty percent higher. Johnson was forced to launch operation “Rolling Thunder” to intensify air attacks, but felt trapped by the consequences of his decisions and became severely depressed. People began burning their draft cards, and criticism of the once popular president became quite outspoken in blues and gospel lyrics. When Martin Luther King lashed out against the war in 1967, the president felt betrayed by his former civil rights ally. After the 1968 Tet offensive, Johnson’s approval rating dropped to 36%.

Cassandra Wilson (vocal); Kevin Breit, Marvin Sewall (guitar); Calvin Jones (bass); Jeffrey Haynes (percussion).

I get goosebumps when Cassandra sings - anything - she could do the telephone directory for me.


This has very evocative pictures for those of us who remember

Cassandra Wilson - Slow Down

The Soul of a Man 2003 - A film by Wim Wenders

In "The Soul of A Man," director Wim Wenders looks at the dramatic tension in the blues between the sacred and the profane by exploring the music and lives of three of his favorite blues artists: Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.

It doesn't get particularly good reviews but the soundtrack is pretty impressive. Cassandra does well here



With the original here


The Soul Of A Man - A Film By Wim Wenders

Cassandra Wilson: Jazz Grammy Winner

Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer-songwriter and two-time Grammy Award winner from Jackson, Mississippi. Two of her albums, Blue Skies (1988) and New Moon Daughter (1996), have topped the US jazz charts, and the latter also won her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1997. More recently, Wilson’s latest album Loverly (2008) also won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album

I love this version of Neil Young's Harvest Moon including the couple of minutes orchestral at the beginning



and Fragile

Cassandra Wilson doing Son House - Death Letter