Gabrielle Cavassa Makes Her Artistic Arrival with Blue Note Debut Diavola

Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa announces her official artistic arrival with the May 1 release of her Blue Note debut, Diavola. The album is a captivating blend of original songs and luminous reinterpretations of standards, showcasing Cavassa’s extraordinary range as a bandleader, songwriter, and fearless interpreter of song.

Co-produced by jazz luminaries Joshua Redman and Don Was, Diavola features an extraordinary ensemble of collaborators, including Jeff Parker on guitar, Larry Grenadier on bass, Brian Blade on drums, Paul Cornish on piano, and Redman on tenor saxophone. The album’s lead single, “Prisoner of Love,” reveals Cavassa’s remarkable ability to inhabit a song, delivering every lyric with deliberate long tones, subtle dynamics, and reverence for the tradition she comes from.

“I really respect songs, and I really want to honor them in the best way,” Cavassa says. “Modernity is important to me, but the truth is I really am coming from a tradition. And I really love singing those songs.”

Diavola explores dualities central to Cavassa’s artistry: the angel and the devil, urgency and repose, possession and surrender. “I’m not willing to let go of either, or I haven’t been able to,” she notes, a tension that resonates throughout the album’s intimate and anthemic moments.

Her collaboration with Redman began after his manager heard her perform at a wedding in New Orleans, propelling her into professional tours and studio work. Redman and Was worked closely with Cavassa during the recording process, guiding production, tone, and listener impact. “Josh was with me every step of the way,” she recalls. “He was the comfort and the trust through the whole process. And Don brought the wisdom of absolutely one-in-a-million experience.”

Born in Escondido, California, of Italian descent, Cavassa began “obsessively listening” to records from a young age. Largely self-taught, she developed a distinctive approach to singing that blends technical precision, emotional clarity, and interpretive depth. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music from San Francisco State University, Cavassa credits the Bay Area music scene for her “real education.” Relocating to New Orleans in 2017, she immersed herself in the city’s jazz community, further refining her craft in local clubs. Her independent 2020 debut, produced with collaborator Jamison Ross, and her 2021 win at the International Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition established her as a rising force in jazz.

DownBeat called her feature on Redman’s 2023 Blue Note album where are we “a star in the making,” while Stereophile praised her voice as “idiosyncratic, but trustworthy in its clarity and almost physical in its intimacy… her intuitive interpretations and riveting voice make you sit very still in your chair.”

Diavola Track Listing

Side A

1. Heaven Sighs (Jeff Parker)
2. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)
3. Prisoner of Love (Russ Columbo, Clarence Gaskill, Leo Robin)
4. Bossy Nova (Gabrielle Cavassa)
5. To Say Goodbye (Eduardo Lobo, Torquato Neto, Lani Hall)
6. Angelo (Luigi Tenco)

Side B

1. Be My Love (Nikolaus Brodszky, Sammy Cahn)
2. Diavola (Gabrielle Cavassa, Alexander Warshawsky)
3. Could It Be Magic (Barry Manilow, Adrienne Anderson)
4. La notte dell’addio (Arrigo Amadesi, Giuseppe Diverio, Emmidio Regimi, Alberto Testa)

Diavola is available now for pre-order through the Blue Note Store, including exclusive signed color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital formats. This debut marks a defining moment for Cavassa, whose voice, range, and interpretive insight promise to make her a lasting presence in contemporary jazz.