Cécile McLorin Salvant Quintet at Berklee

The incomparable Cécile McLorin Salvant returns to the Celebrity Series fresh off the heels of becoming a 2020 MacArthur Genius and Doris Duke Artist Award recipient, two of the most coveted recognitions in art. She’ll be presenting brand-new songs and arrangements alongside an enviable group of young instrumentalists, each of them already a first-call player on the jazz circuit. Salvant is a must-see for jazz fans, but it’s hard to imagine anyone not connecting with the intimate and human concert experience she offers. Even in her original works (and they truly are original), you’ll hear subtle references to an entire lineage of great jazz vocalists, and, like the best of those icons, her non-verbal storytelling even when using lyrics is so convincing that it’s hard to not get sucked in.

When Salvant was originally scheduled to perform with us in 2020, ubiquitous Boston music writer Steve Elman told his ArtsFuse readers that, “Seeing and hearing CMS is an experience of the first rank… Go hear her, and be enlightened.” Two years is a long time in Salvant’s world, and she has since completely reimagined this program, but the sentiment holds as true as ever. Salvant’s music is an experience, and her performances are enlightening.