By Nancy Plum

Princeton University Concerts combined the 16th century with the very contemporary world last week with a presentation by a jazz singer who draws inspiration from all periods of history and all forms of music. French singer, composer, and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant first appeared on the University Concerts series in 2023 with a program commissioned to create a work inspired by the writings of Princeton University Professor Toni Morrison. Salvant brought her diverse talents back to Richardson Auditorium last Wednesday night as part of this year’s series to demonstrate her unique fusion of vaudeville, blues, theater, jazz and the baroque era, with a particularly new take on a traditional vocal form.

English Renaissance composer and lutenist John Dowland initially published Book of Ayres in 1597. Clearly very popular, this collection of “lute songs” for solo voice was reprinted several times in his lifetime. In Wednesday night’s performance, Salvant brought the expected harpsichord, lute and theorbo to sing her version of “Book of Ayres,” but Dowland surely would never have expected his delicate madrigals and love songs to be complemented by a 20th century synthesizer and percussion.

Although anchored in the music of Dowland, Salvant also ventured into her own compositions and 20th-century torch songs. Her songs set a wide range of texts, from Creole writings to letters from friends, and were primarily accompanied by the modern instruments onstage. Yasushi Nakamura’s bass playing was clearly rooted in jazz, and despite the modern approach to the concert, baroque flutist Emi Ferguson and theorbo/lute player Dušan Balarin found their places in the instrumental texture. Sullivan Fortner was kept very busy throughout playing piano, harpsichord and electronic keyboard. Winner of several Grammy awards, percussionist Keita Ogawa showed that he was a veritable rhythm machine, also providing electronic effects.

Against a backdrop of ancient manuscripts and contemporary art, Salvant brought the Shakespearean era to life in her interpretation of John Dowland’s music. Her first song, Dowland’s “Say love if ever thou didst find,” showed off Salvant’s light and clear voice, especially in the upper register. Although her use of a microphone occasionally detracted from her vocal purity, Salvant consistently sang with a clean tone and an imaginative storytelling quality. No matter what the origins of the music, there was a story behind every song.

Salvant transported Dowland into our very “techno” times with very inventive effects. Her performance of Dowland’s “Ayres,” including “Flow not too fast, ye fountains,” often featured gospel vocal runs as melodic ornamentation, with an equally as ornamented keyboard accompaniment. Adding a jazz twist were Ogawa’s percussion and Ferguson’s flute playing.

As is common in jazz, several numbers in the program included extended solos by each of the instrumentalists. These soliloquies, such as in Salvant’s reflective song describing a friendship, created an atmosphere of being in an intimate jazz club. Keyboardist Fortner in particular was able to both execute Baroque performance practice on a harpsichord and create a glass-organ effect from the synthesizer, as musical ideas morphed into other creative effects from past centuries.

The other composer on which Salvant focused was 18th-century musician English Henry Purcell. Salvant’s presentation of Purcell’s lyrical music was historically precise, often joined by Ferguson’s expressive flute obbligato and Fortner’s adept harpsichord playing. Salvant’s interpretation of Purcell’s style was particularly evident in her encore, “Dido’s Lament” from the opera Dido and Aeneas. Accompanied by Balarin’s delicate theorbo playing, Salvant well brought out the pathos and chromaticism of Purcell’s aria of grief with especially dramatic upper register singing.

Costumed in Elizabethan collar and apparel, Salvant’s intent was clearly to take the audience back to another musical time, and then just as abruptly return to the 21st century. Her personable stage presence, combined with a scholarly approach to the music and inherent expressiveness, created an entertaining and educational concert which the audience may not see anything like for a while.

Princeton University Concerts continues its 2024-25 series with classical performances, family programs and collaborations with Princeton area organizations. Event and ticket information can be found at concerts.princeton.edu.