Wilson has had a varied career, frequently changing her style and sound to explore new avenues in her music, in an attempt to avoid stagnation in her career. As well as jazz, she has brought in elements of blues, country, folk music and even hip hop to keep pushing musical boundaries, whilst also composing music herself. Her continuos exploration has made her one of the most exciting and innovative jazz vocalists of the contemporary period.
With a music teacher as a father and a mother who had a deep passion for Motown, Wilson was always surrounded by music, sparking her early interest. Learning piano, guitar and clarinet, she developed a strong musical talent, whilst also developing her powerful voice. Alongside her university studies, Wilson performed in various R&B, funk and pop bands, as well as becoming involved with the 'Black Arts Music Society,' providing her with her first opportunity to perform bebop. She moved to New orleans briefly in 1981, where she met Ellis Marsalis and Alvin Batiste, who influenced her decision to pursue a career in jazz performance.
Moving to New York, Wilson focused on developing her improvisational talents, influenced by Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter, training her ear and developing her scat phrasing. Through frequent jam sessions with fellow musicians Sadik Hakim and Steve Coleman, she helped form the M-Base collective, a group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). They began to create original music that fused the rhythmic grooves of soul and funk with avant-garde jazz. She also performed in the New Air trio alongside lauded composer Henry Threadgill.
Wilson released solo albums initially on German label JMT although these failed to have any significant impact. It was after her signing with Blue Note Records that Wilson's career began to take a turning point, with her acoustic-blues oriented record, "Blue Light 'Till Dawn," finding wide critical acclaim and new audiences, incorporating early country blues alongside folk music into her eclectic style. Through these albums, Wilson reconnected vocal jazz with its folk blues roots, creating music that was fresh and exciting, selling hundreds of thousands of records in this period.
In 1996, Wilson won a Grammy award for "New Moon Daughter," receiving the award for 'Best Vocal Performance.' She then featured on a Pulitzer Prize winning composition, "Blood on the Fields," in 1997, through her work with Wynton Marsalis. "Travelling Miles," a tribute album to Miles Davis later followed in 1999.
Wilson continued to push her music to new sonic levels, fusing blues, country, soul and rock into her 2002 record, "Belly of the Sun," which had a distinct roots feel to it. She also explored hip hop sampling techniques in 2006's "Thunderbird," again reshaping her style. She was to be awarded with another Grammy Award in 2009 for 'Best Vocal Jazz Album' with her record, "Loverly." In 2012, she composed an album of original tunes, "Another Country," alongside electric guitarist Fabrizio Sotti, displaying her songwriting talents.
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Charli XCX
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