Grammy-winning jazz musician Cassandra Wilson dead at 70

Wilson twice won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album, in 1997 for New Moon Daughter and 2009's Loverly.

Grammy-winning jazz musician Cassandra Wilson dead at 70

TL;DR

  • Cassandra Wilson, a Grammy-winning jazz musician, died on Wednesday at her home in Jackson, Mississippi, at the age of 70.
  • She won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album twice: in 1997 for 'New Moon Daughter' and in 2009 for 'Loverly'.
  • Wilson collaborated with artists like The Roots, Elvis Costello, and Wynton Marsalis.
  • Her musical journey began in childhood, learning piano at six and guitar at twelve.
  • She co-founded the M-Base Collective in New York City in the early 1980s and later signed with Blue Note Records.
  • Her album 'Blue Light 'Til Dawn' influenced a new generation of jazz singers.
  • She released 'Coming Forth By Day' in 2015 as a tribute to Billie Holiday.
  • Tributes from fellow musicians like Jon Batiste highlighted her unique sound and the impact of her Mississippi heritage on her music.
  • Jackson Mayor John Horhn noted that Wilson carried the sound, spirit, and history of Mississippi with her globally.