Melody Gardot / Laura Anglade / Tiny Habits

The story of vocalist, guitarist, and pianist Melody Gardot is remarkable; she has persevered against abject adversity throughout her life. Blessed with a beautiful alto voice and grand insight as a songwriter, Gardot overcame a life-threatening bicycle accident early in her career. As amazing as her story is, what is more evident is that she possesses a blue, jazz-oriented style and dusky persona that reflect not only her afflictions, but conversely the hope and joy of making personalized music that marks her as an original. 

The release of the song “This Foolish Heart Could Love You” anticipates Gardot’s sixth studio album, Entre eux deux. Following the celebrated success of Sunset in the Blue, Gardot now joins forces with pianist and composer Phillipe Powell for her first-ever studio album in a duo format.

Entre eux deux showcases Gardot continuing her spirit of collaboration with fellow artist Powell. Offering a unique, minimalist approach, the ten-song album is a sparse architectural landscape filled exclusively by piano and voice (tuned to 432hz, which is also the tuning used in the album Currency of Man) Notably, it is also the first time that Gardot invited someone to take her usual place at the helm of the piano for the duration of the recording.

The backstory of the album resembles what one could envision as a brief stint at Warhol’s factory. Challenging themselves to create on the clock, these two artists joined forces for a period of two weeks, writing all hours of the day, sharing melodies, motifs, and lyrics. While original songs were the main objective, paying tribute was also part of the game. Revisiting the the legacy of Powell’s father (the Brazilian composer/guitarist Baden Powell) these two also proudly carry the Franco-Brazilian torch that was lit so many year ago by celebrated artists Pierre Barout, Vinicius DeMoraes, and Baden Powell. The nod to the past is clearly seen while interpreting the title, “Samba em Preludio (Un Jour sans toi),” with Powell and Gardot singing in duet.

Recognized by Radio Canada’s Ici Musique as one of the top five female jazz musicians to watch out for, French-American singer Laura Anglade is making a name for herself in the jazz world. Laura’s singing is reminiscent of the great traditional vocal stylists of the 20th century, including Anita O’Day, Shirley Horn, and Blossom Dearie; but her voice is uniquely her own. As she digs emotionally and eloquently into a lyric, her storytelling abilities portray a soul beyond her years. 

Her debut release, I’ve Got Just About Everything (Justin Time Records, 2019) saw the vocalist and her quintet fearlessly plunging headlong into a wide range of material drawn from both the Broadway stage and the Great American Songbook. On her sophomore recording, Venez Donc Chez Moi (Justin Time Records, 2022), Laura teamed up with Montreal guitarist Sam Kirmayer and New York-based accordionist Benjamin Rosenblum on two tracks. It is an homage of sorts—a nod to Laura’s beloved France. The record features French classics made famous by Barbara, Charles Trenet, Edith Piaf, and Michel Legrand, to name a few. Laura leads an active performing schedule all across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. She is currently based in Toronto.