GABRIELLE CAVASSA

The Story

In 2023, a relatively unknown singer made a guest appearance on saxophonist Joshua Redman’s highly acclaimed Blue Note album, where we are, winning over critics with her luminous, Billie Holiday-inspired interpretations of everything from “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” to “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and “Stars Fell on Alabama.” Hailing from Escondido, California, and currently living in New Orleans, Cavassa was a contestant on the 11th season of American Idol in 2012, where she performed in the Hollywood rounds before being eliminated. After releasing her self-titled debut album in 2020, Cavassa won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and performed at the Exit Zero Jazz Festival Spring 2021. Following her highly touted appearance on Redman’s album, Cavassa was signed by Blue Note Records in August of 2024 and is now awaiting the release of her own debut on that prestigious jazz label.

The Sound 

Downbeat called Gabrielle “a star in the making” while labeling her singing style as “seductive.” Writer Frank Alkyer also underscored how “her deep, rich, fragile voice, beautifully serves the lyrics penned by Redman.” Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Jazzwise called her singing “beguiling” while writer Tom Spargo called her “a singer who is rapidly making a name for herself for exquisite phrasing and rich tone.” Of her singing style, Cavassa said, “I think honesty has a way of moving beyond the lyrics. If I was singing a song that lyrically wasn’t true, it could still have something that was real to me.”