melody gardot uk tour 2022

The Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces are currently being refurbished, as we work to bring you a brand new cafe, bar, shop and Ticket Office. Find out more

Saved events

Melody gardot, + laura anglade.

Channelling hushed, blue jazz, Melody Gardot captures love and loss with her tender vocals.

The singer has drawn comparisons to Laura Nyro, Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy.

In 2020, she worked with award-winning producer, Larry Klein (known for his work with Joni Mitchell) for Sunset in the Blue , which featured an all-star cast of studio contributors including Till Brönner, António Zambujo and arranger Vince Mendoza.

Sunset in the Blue showcases Gardot’s grand insight as an original songwriter and her beautiful alto voice. This is her first performance of the album in Lo.

Developing a career in music after a life-threatening bicycle accident, Gardot reached critical acclaim following the release of her debut album, Worrisome Heart , which was reissued in 2007 by the Verve label.

Recognised by Radio Canada's Ici Musique as one of the top five female jazz musicians to watch, Toronto-based French/American jazz singer Laura Anglade is making a name for herself in the jazz world.

Her debut release, I've Got Just About Everything , saw the vocalist and composer, along with her quintet, fearlessly plunging into a range of top-notch material, drawn from both the Broadway stage as well as the Great American Songbook.

Need to know

Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult

Schedule 7pm: Doors open 7.30pm: Laura Anglade 8pm: Interval 8.20pm: Melody Gardot 10.20pm: Estimated end time

Dates & times

• Standard entry From £35*
• Concessions 25%**

Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.

** Limited availability. Read about concessions.

Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. You can return your tickets to the Southbank Centre for a credit voucher up to 48 hours before the event. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.

Get presale tickets

Members get the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.

• Royal Festival Hall

Our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff. 

Check here for our current guidance

The Royal Festival Hall is open to all for access to the Level 2 foyers and toilets, Level 1 and Changing Places toilets, the National Poetry Library, Skylon, Riverside Terrace Cafe, Southbank Centre Shop and Members' Lounge at the following times:

*The Royal Festival Hall is open Mon & Tue, 10am – 6pm**; Wed – Sun, 10am – 11pm. **On event days, the Royal Festival Hall building remains open until the end of the event.

See the opening times for all our venues

Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5  – 7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2 – 5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river, see below.

Visit our Getting here page

Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.

Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.

If you don't receive your e-ticket

Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected] . If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch. 

More information

Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.

Frequently asked questions

Toilets, including accessible toilets, are open on Level 2 of the Royal Festival Hall. 

There's a cloakroom in the Blue Side Foyer, Level 4, Royal Festival Hall. It’s £1 per item, card only. The cloakroom opens about an hour before ticketed events, and closes around 15 minutes after the performance ends. It can be accessed via Lifts 4 & 5, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall.

Any sized item can be left in our cloakroom, including fold-away bicycles. We don’t accept non-folding bicycles. Items must be collected on the same day they are stored. From time to time, the cloakroom may not be available. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall, or into the Hayward Gallery, so please leave large bags at home.

Items are left in our cloakrooms at the owner’s risk, and we cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage, from any cause, to these items.

We're cash-free

Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site. 

Booking wheelchair positions

When booking a wheelchair position in the Royal Festival Hall for large motorised wheelchairs (more than 65cm wide), please book in the rear stalls or side stalls. Boxes aren't able to accommodate larger wheelchairs due to limited space. If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or call 020 3879 9555.

Entering the hall

For level access to the Royal Festival Hall from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road, please use the Southbank Centre Square Doors. The JCB Glass Lift is situated at this entrance and will take you to all floors.  All floors are accessible from the main foyer on Level 2. If you need further assistance, our Visitor Assistants are here to help you.

You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2. 

We welcome wheelchair users and guide companion dogs. 

Download step-free access map

More about Access & facilities

Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).

There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free to use. You must display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.

Blue Badge parking at National Theatre

Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the gallery foyer for validation before you leave.

Please note: when the National Theatre building is closed (on Sundays, and on days without performances) there is no step-free access from the car park. Please contact the National Theatre directly to check before travelling. Call 020 7452 3961 or email [email protected]

Alternative parking is available nearby at the APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.

Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road

Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.

A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.

Our Access Scheme

If you have any access requirements, please sign up to our Access Scheme for discounts, wheelchair spaces, dedicated seats and free companion tickets. You can also join our mailing list to get news about accessible events and exhibitions.

More about our Access Scheme

From a snack with coffee to cocktails and fine dining, plus some of London's best street food – it's all here on the Southbank Centre site.

Where to eat & drink

What's on

• Festivals & series
• Art & exhibitions
• Classical music
• Literature & poetry
• Performance & dance
• Talks & debates
• Access events
• Courses & workshops
• Online events
• Hayward Gallery
• Queen Elizabeth Hall
• Purcell Room
• Archive Studio
• National Poetry Library
• Access & facilities
• Cafes & restaurants
• Getting here & around
• Southbank Centre Food Market
• Gift vouchers
• Join or renew
• Members need to know
• Presale tickets
• Gift Membership
• Name a seat
• Join our Supporters Circles
• Join as a Patron
• Leave a legacy
• Trusts & foundations
• Corporate support
• Our Resident Orchestras
• Hayward Gallery Touring
• Touring programme
• Work with us
• Website policies
• Environmental sustainability

Creative Engagement

• Arts & wellbeing
• Talent & artist development
• Archives & collections
• Busking and street performance
• Hire auditoria
• Meetings & receptions
• Brand activation
• Location filming & photography
• Catering & tech production
• Artistic hire
• Mandela Walk Shop
• Royal Festival Hall Shop
• Hayward Gallery Shop
• Online Shop
• Accessibility

© Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre is a charity registered in England and Wales No.298909

See you soon

• Photo Gallery
• Support & Sponsorship
• Headline Partner
• Festival partners
• Serious Trust
• Corporate Partnerships

Melody Gardot

Sat 19 November 2022

Stage time / 7:30pm

Doors / 7:00pm

Developing a career in music after a life-threatening bicycle accident, the American songstress has drawn comparisons to Laura Nyro, Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy.

Melody Gardot reached critical acclaim following the release of her debut album ‘Worrisome Heart’, which was reissued in 2007 by the Verve label.  In 2020, she worked with award winning producer, Larry Klein (known for his work with Joni Mitchell) for ‘Sunset in the Blue’, which featured an all-star cast of studio contributors including Till Bronner, Antonio Zambujo and arranger Vince Mendoza. 

'Sunset in the Blue’ is yet another benchmark record in the tradition of jazz music, showcasing Gardot’s grand insight as an original songwriter and her beautiful alto voice. She will be performing this album for the first time in London, for the Festival audiences.

Support for Melody Gardot comes from Toronto-based French/American Jazz singer Laura Anglade.  Making a name for herself in the jazz world, Laura’s singing is reminiscent of many of the great vocal stylists of the 20th century including Anita O’Day, Shirley Horn, and Blossom Dearie, but her voice is uniquely her own. She digs emotionally and eloquently into a standard, her story-telling abilities portray a soul beyond her years.

The EFG Elements Series returns with 4 shows hand-picked in collaboration with our title sponsors, EFG, representing the richness and diversity of the Festival. The series reinforces our shared commitment to the next generation of emerging talent as well as the creation of new music.

Jazz FM’s Nigel Williams says: 'Melody Gardot performs her Sunset in the Blue album in the UK for the first time. The album that got me through Lockdown! Especially the line from ‘From Paris with Love,’ they fall in love like falling out of bed!'

That astonishing voice had a way of flaring into a sultry rasp, blending sexiness, defiance and vulnerability that evoked French singers of old ★★★★ Telegraph

When you rouse yourself from Gardot’s dream, it can be hard to recall any individual song, but the reverie is beautiful. ★★★★ The Telegraph

From our sponsors, the EFG Elements Series will reveal a range of handpicked shows from EFG.

Directions to the venue

The EFG London Jazz Festival is produced by Serious

Melody Gardot

Pull down your shades and light some candles. A simple, yet poignant blend of jazz and folk is headed your way. At twenty-two, singer-songwriter more...

Follow Melody Gardot on Ents24 to receive updates on any new tour dates the moment they are announced...

• Be the first to know about new tour dates
• Alerts are free and always will be
• We hate spam and will never share your email address with anyone else
• More than a million fans already rely on Ents24 to follow their favourite artists and venues

Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Melody Gardot. Were you there?

• Nov 19 2022 London, Royal Festival Hall Melody Gardot
• Nov 25 2018 London, Royal Festival Hall Melody Gardot
• 2016 Jul 01 Jul 03 2016 Glynde Place Love Supreme Jazz Festival Grace Jones, Burt Bacharach, Melody Gardot, Lianne La Havas, Caro Emerald…
• Mar 19 2016 London Palladium Melody Gardot, Bumi Thomas
• Mar 18 2016 Bristol Beacon Melody Gardot
• Nov 18 2015 Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre Melody Gardot, The Soil
• Nov 17 2015 London, Royal Festival Hall Melody Gardot
• Aug 04 2015 London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Melody Gardot
• Aug 03 2015 London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Melody Gardot
• 2013 Jul 05 Jul 07 2013 Glynde Place Jazz FM: Love Supreme Jazz Festival Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Michael Kiwanuka, Charles Bradley, Soul Rebels, Naturally7…

Fans who like Melody Gardot also like

Diana Krall

Stacey Kent

Beth Rowley

Claire Martin OBE

Gregory Porter

Liane Carroll

Melody Gardot

We're currently processing your order; this may take several minutes.

London Jazz News

News, reviews, features and comment from the london jazz scene and beyond, join the ljn newsletter.

Sign up to receive our Wednesday Breakfast Headlines

Recent Comments

Melody gardot (2022 efg ljf).

Melody Gardot

(Royal Festival Hall. 19 November 2022. London Jazz Festival. Review by Andrew Cartmel)

When Melody Gardot last performed at the Royal Festival Hall, in 2018 (*), Guy Barker was up on stage with her. This year he’s two seats in front of us, part of the enthusiastic audience welcoming this fabulous singer back to London. During the pandemic Gardot found herself becalmed in Paris — great place for it — and as a result of her prolonged and unexpected stopover there she has radically reconfigured her touring band. Paris is where she met three core members of her new unit, drummer and percussionist Jorge Bezerra, contrabass player Christophe Thomas and, crucially, pianist Philippe Powell, who it transpires is the son of Brazilian music legend Baden Powell.

The rest of the musicians in this flexible and distinctive line up consisted of Gardot stalwart Irwin Hall on sax and flute, and her regular string section, plucked from the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, cellist Artyom Manukyan with Astghik Vardanyan and Gohar Papoyan on violins and Astghik Gazhoyan on viola.

The evening began with singer Laura Anglade accompanied by guitarist Sam Kirmayer , both from the thriving Montreal jazz scene. Kirmayer’s playing was outstanding and he proved a worthy and sympathetic foil for Anglade, who is clearly a vocalist we’ll be hearing more about — and from, I hope. Her pleasurable set was distinguished by terrific song choices, from Burke and Van Heusen to Michel Legrand, and some fine, fluent scat singing.

Not yet a subscriber of our Wednesday Breakfast Headlines? Join the mailing list for a weekly roundup of Jazz News.

Next it was time for the main act, with Jumoké Fashola gamely providing an introduction despite a dead mic, and then we were into an eerie, minimalist and melancholic rendition of Wayfaring Stranger sung by Melody Gardot accompanied just by plucked double bass from Christophe Thomas and some cool percussion by Jorge Bezerra and then sour, sparse, sawing cello from Artyom Manukyan.

Irwin Hall’s sweetly swinging flute and Philippe Powell’s adroitly sparing piano were added for C’est Magnifique . Then on Love Song the piano turned into raindrops falling and Hall, now on sax, was positively ecstatic while Artyom Manukyan plucked plangent staccato pulses from the cello. Melody Gardot looked on with approval as he segued into stuttering high-speed bowing, an intoxicating, toe-tapping effect that built to a psychedelic frenzy. At this moment Ms Gardot seemed less a star vocalist than a Duke Ellington calibre bandleader watching with parental fondness as she unleashed her virtuoso soloists, with Christophe Thomas’s virile, sinewy bass coming in next.

Powell played tumbling chords and Melody Gardot’s vocals slid down the textures created by the angular strings like a skateboarder on a slope. This was an avant-garde ensemble with super-hip Melody presiding over it. The melancholy soundscape conjured by the strings transformed into honeyed, soulful R&B, and as they shimmered Melody Gardot sang a love song over them ( From Paris with Love ) in a voice as sweet and smoky as single malt whisky. Irwin Hall was her willing accomplice, providing lyrical clamour from his tenor sax.

On Our Love is Easy , Hall’s sax keened like an air raid warning in the midst of an erotic reverie as the strings provided rich texture and context. The clarity and power of Melody Gardot’s singing is easy to underestimate thanks to the subtlety and delicacy of her delivery. She is a great storyteller, a weaver of tales of love. This Foolish Heart Could Love You was a duet with Philippe Powell on chiming piano. Then they performed Fleurs du Dimanche and the string section joined in, lifting the song like a mother lifting a baby in her arms.

On Morning Sun Melody Gardot briefly reclaimed her place behind the piano and the influence of Carole King shone through clearly in her playing and writing — but she also called to mind Shirley Horn. Irwin Hall’s sax was dreamily beautiful and the ecstatic rising strings were played with an exquisite folk music feel.

The Seine-side composition Les Etoiles was performed in a highly appropriate Hot Club of Paris style with a spectacular rhapsodic gypsy contribution from Astghik Vardanyan on solo violin. Powell’s piano was like silver coins spilling and Jorge Bezerra’s hand drum added an excited heartbeat.

This is a vastly and rewardingly configurable line-up and there was something like genius in the kaleidoscope rearrangements of these musicians throughout the evening. Melody Gardot, who was already at the vanguard, is breaking new ground.

LINKS: John Bungey’s review of the Deluxe Edition of Sunset in the Blue from 2021

(*) Andrew Cartmel’s review of the 2018 RFH concert

Share this:

Categories: Live reviews

Tagged as: Andrew Cartmel , Melody Gardot

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Stacey kent, jakub klimiuk quintet, the remi harris hot club trio.

The Brass Monkeys

Equal spirits, charlie pyne quartet.

Simon Lasky

Raestar Jazz Promotions

Emily saunders.

Learn To Play Jazz

Discover more from london jazz news.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

• Privacy Policy
• Breaking News
• South London
• North London
• West London
• East London

Melody Gardot (2022 EFG LJF) – London Jazz News

Melody Gardot

(Royal Festival Hall. 19 November 2022. London Jazz Festival. Review by Andrew Cartmel)

When Melody Gardot last performed at the Royal Festival Hall, in 2018 (*), Guy Barker was up on stage with her. This year he’s two seats in front of us, part of the enthusiastic audience welcoming this fabulous singer back to London. During the pandemic Gardot found herself becalmed in Paris — great place for it — and as a result of her prolonged and unexpected stopover there she has radically reconfigured her touring band. Paris is where she met three core members of her new unit, drummer and percussionist Jorge Bezerra , contrabass player Christophe Thomas and, crucially, pianist Philippe Powell , who it transpires is the son of Brazilian music legend Baden Powell.

The rest of the musicians in this flexible and distinctive line up consisted of Gardot stalwart Irwin Hall on sax and flute, and her regular string section, plucked from the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, cellist Artyom Manukyan with Astghik Vardanyan and Gohar Papoyan on violins and Astghik Gazhoyan on viola.

The evening began with singer Laura Anglade accompanied by guitarist Sam Kirmayer , both from the thriving Montreal jazz scene. Kirmayer’s playing was outstanding and he proved a worthy and sympathetic foil for Anglade, who is clearly a vocalist we’ll be hearing more about — and from, I hope. Her pleasurable set was distinguished by terrific song choices, from Burke and Van Heusen to Michel Legrand, and some fine, fluent scat singing.

Next it was time for the main act, with Jumoké Fashola gamely providing an introduction despite a dead mic, and then we were into an eerie, minimalist and melancholic rendition of Wayfaring Stranger sung by Melody Gardot accompanied just by plucked double bass from Christophe Thomas and some cool percussion by Jorge Bezerra and then sour, sparse, sawing cello from Artyom Manukyan.

Irwin Hall’s sweetly swinging flute and Philippe Powell’s adroitly sparing piano were added for C’est Magnifique. Then on Love Song the piano turned into raindrops falling and Hall, now on sax, was positively ecstatic while Artyom Manukyan plucked plangent staccato pulses from the cello. Melody Gardot looked on with approval as he segued into stuttering high-speed bowing, an intoxicating, toe-tapping effect that built to a psychedelic frenzy. At this moment Ms Gardot seemed less a star vocalist than a Duke Ellington calibre bandleader watching with parental fondness as she unleashed her virtuoso soloists, with Christophe Thomas’s virile, sinewy bass coming in next.

Powell played tumbling chords and Melody Gardot’s vocals slid down the textures created by the angular strings like a skateboarder on a slope. This was an avant-garde ensemble with super-hip Melody presiding over it. The melancholy soundscape conjured by the strings transformed into honeyed, soulful R&B, and as they shimmered Melody Gardot sang a love song over them (From Paris with Love) in a voice as sweet and smoky as single malt whisky. Irwin Hall was her willing accomplice, providing lyrical clamour from his tenor sax.

On Our Love is Easy, Hall’s sax keened like an air raid warning in the midst of an erotic reverie as the strings provided rich texture and context. The clarity and power of Melody Gardot’s singing is easy to underestimate thanks to the subtlety and delicacy of her delivery. She is a great storyteller, a weaver of tales of love. This Foolish Heart Could Love You was a duet with Philippe Powell on chiming piano. Then they performed Fleurs du Dimanche and the string section joined in, lifting the song like a mother lifting a baby in her arms.

On Morning Sun Melody Gardot briefly reclaimed her place behind the piano and the influence of Carole King shone through clearly in her playing and writing — but she also called to mind Shirley Horn. Irwin Hall’s sax was dreamily beautiful and the ecstatic rising strings were played with an exquisite folk music feel.

The Seine-side composition Les Etoiles was performed in a highly appropriate Hot Club of Paris style with a spectacular rhapsodic gypsy contribution from Astghik Vardanyan on solo violin. Powell’s piano was like silver coins spilling and Jorge Bezerra’s hand drum added an excited heartbeat.

This is a vastly and rewardingly configurable line-up and there was something like genius in the kaleidoscope rearrangements of these musicians throughout the evening. Melody Gardot, who was already at the vanguard, is breaking new ground.

LINKS: John Bungey’s review of the Deluxe Edition of Sunset in the Blue from 2021

(*) Andrew Cartmel’s review of the 2018 RFH concert

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiQWh0dHBzOi8vbG9uZG9uamF6em5ld3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMTEvMjAvbWVsb2R5LWdhcmRvdC0yMDIyLWVmZy1samYv0gFBaHR0cHM6Ly9sb25kb25qYXp6bmV3cy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8yMC9tZWxvZHktZ2FyZG90LTIwMjItZWZnLWxqZi8?oc=5

Recommended For You

Moody’s Becomes Latest to Leave Canary Wharf for City of London

Follow Your Local Guardian on WhatsApp for all the latest news

Sloane Square London incident: Firefighters flock to scene

The dancer breaking Royal ballet stereotypes with hip-hop

• Advanced Search
• Most Popular
• Enhanced Performances
• Largest tours
• Theatre Vouchers
• Panto/Christmas Shows
• UKTW News/Reviews
• Newsletters
• Latest Information
• About/Contact
• Sell your tickets
• Embed Listings

Performance

Melody gardot.

Production details

Add a review.

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Melody Gardot: ‘What is the problem with an ass? It’s not a weapon’

The jazz singer meets craig mclean at a paris cafe to talk about her new album, lockdown blues, media negativity and posing naked for the sleeve of her much-loved live record, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music

Get our now hear this email for free, thanks for signing up to the roisin o’connor’s email.

T he Melody Gardot I met 10 years ago felt like the Greta Garbo of jazz.

Cool, striking, blonde (usually), with a dramatic sense of style and a breeze-soft, mystery-filled, soulful voice that, three albums into her career, had established the American as one of the most admired singers of her time, she sat curled in the corner of a hotel dining room in central London. The drowsy afternoon atmosphere was amplified by the already-dim lights being wreathed in scarves.

There were more scarves draping the interviewee, and a turban, and hair that was very different from the cascade of black curls on display at the previous night’s classily theatrical concert at the grand Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden. The sunglasses stayed on throughout our encounter, as they had for the duration of the show. The walking cane with which she’d carefully entered the stage lay propped by her armchair.

“The biggest influence that I have at the moment is things like cabaret and burlesque,” the American told me in a feathery voice – although I was also aware that Gardot, 27 then, was still recovering from a traffic accident eight years previously. Back home in Philadelphia, where she was a fashion student at the time, Gardot had been knocked off her bicycle by a Jeep that shot a red light. Her injuries were devastating: shattered pelvis, spinal damage, severe head trauma. She was bed-ridden for 11 months and had to learn to walk again – and to live with the after-effects of neural damage, including memory loss and sensitivity to light, temperature and barometric pressure.

As to her coping with, and managing, her pain: “In very severe moments, ultrasound, Tens unit, shiatsu, acupressure, acupuncture, myofascial release, craniosacral, osteopathic manipulations – any of these works very well. And I can use them in a balanced way to pull myself back into shape momentarily.” A carefully controlled macrobiotic diet helped, too.

• Singer-songwriter Marie Naffah: ‘I like finding the magic in the mundane’
• MUNA: ‘We didn’t want to be labelled as a queer pop band even though yes, we’re very gay’
• Foals’ Yannis Philippakis: ‘We were broke, we were having fun, you could smoke 40 cigarettes and not have a cough the next day’

What a difference a decade makes. The Melody Gardot I meet in a bistro in the 16th arrondissement in Paris is a wise-cracking, chic, olive-green jumpsuit-wearing dynamo who strides across a boulevard with a swish of blonde mane (her own) and the clack of heels.

When I comment on how she looked and presented back then (“Oh God I had so many wigs!”), and start to commend her on her seeming physical reboot after a long period of strict regimes and regimens, she interjects with an airy “that’s changed”. And she is indeed a totally changed woman. Her fragile health is improved to the extent that she hasn’t had to shield during the pandemic. Well, not medically. She did feel overwhelmed with the nightly news bulletins on French TV, tallying up infections and fatalities in each country.

“To me, it was playing with people’s emotions, just enough to make fear so that when they gave instructions, people would follow them. That’s not a conspiracy thing – it’s the news in general. If you watch it in the news too, it’s all negative, negative, negative, negative.

“I’m too sensitive, so I needed to find a way to protect myself,” she continues, and she means it emotionally. “But I wasn’t worried about me [physically].” She’s still not had Covid and isn’t concerned about infection. “Nah!” she says, sounding very Philly. “Believe me, if a car can’t kill me, that ain’t gonna kill me.”

She does, I say, look immeasurably more robust.

“That a nice way of saying I’m a little fatter?” she cracks. “That’s Covid, man,” she adds of (non-existent) lockdown weight gain. “But, yeah, a little bit! I’m alright with it. Even cars need spare tyres, man.”

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

Gardot remains very much a star, but now cast in a very different light. The shades still stay clamped to her face, although now they’re more Presley than Piaf. And she does move us from one lunchtime venue to another – but not because the first doesn’t meet her rarefied needs. It’s too snobby, she frowns, indicating her disdain by flicking the tip of her nose like a schoolkid. And, after 10 days’ Covid-protocolled playing of European festivals in support of her exquisite new piano-and-vocals album, Entre Eux Deux , she needs earthier sustenance: omelette and chips.

Of summer 2022’s touring rules and regulations, “everything is kinda jump through hoops”, Gardot sighs as she parks her handbag on the seat next to her, packet of fags poking out. “Also, instead of having a tour bus – we weren’t able to acquire one – the minute you wake up, you get a taxi, a train, then another car, then arrive at the festival. And then you do the same again the next day. It’s really weird, we don’t usually travel on show days. And because you have those hours, you don’t get breakfast, lunch and dinner. So it’s been Hunger Games for the last 10 days!” she concludes, ultimately, cheerfully.

Hence the need for proper French bistro fare, including a fresh orange juice. “Un autre, s’il vous plaît,” she asks the waitress as she drains the first practically in a oner.

Entre Eux Deux is billed as a duo album, a collaboration with French-Brazilian pianist Philippe Powell. An accomplished player herself, on her sixth studio album, Gardot cedes control of the instrument to her collaborator (son of revered Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell). She focuses on the singing – the inhabiting – of a set of songs comprising Brazilian standards, French love songs and new, co-written compositions. It’s a very different record to 2020’s Sunset in the Blue , begun in Los Angeles with crack players and collaborators recording at the legendary Capitol Records Studios, concluded during lockdown with remote recordings by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road, and topped off with a duet with Sting.

“I just felt it was a bit like Warhol/Basquiat,” she says of her partnership with Powell in a manner that sounds way less bumptious than that might read. “Two people who are competent are working on a project together, and giving each other the space necessary to do so. That’s in terms of composition and recording, and in terms of the sound.”

How concerned was she that the lyrics would land with English speakers?

The briefest of pauses, and then, “Never thought about it, ha ha!” Gardot hoots. “But there’s English songs on the record! And music is international. So to me, the feeling is most important. This was the first record I produced, top to bottom, outside of the live one,” she says of 2018’s Live in Europe . “And I said to the engineer: look, people are either gonna love or not love these songs. But there’s one thing we have to make sure: that it sounds great.

“But I guess if you’re curious about what the songs mean, like watching a foreign film, you can look at the lyrics and translate them.”

Nonetheless, she’s aware that the joke of the seemingly timelessly classy “Fleurs Du Dimanche” – in which a diva complains about being awoken to receive flowers on a Sunday morning because, like any good diva, she’s been out carousing till the wee hours – might not widely land. “That’s a really funny song, we did it outside France and nobody knew what we were talking about! But maybe that’s what makes it fun: you have to make an effort.

“But I don’t think that’s off-putting. It’s not about exclusivity, it’s just about working within another culture.”

Gardot has been based in Paris for five or six years, and is so well regarded in France that, on the day of her new album’s announcement this spring, she was awarded the title of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres , the country’s highest cultural accolade. Truly a citizen of the international jazz diaspora, prior to that she spent time living in Brazil and Portugal. She’s 37: does she think that she needs to have travelled, and lived, and be here in Paris full-time, to make records like these? And that she couldn’t if she was still living in America?

“Yes,” she replies firmly. “It’s observational. It’s Bukowskian. You know the record Tijuana Moods by Mingus?” She’s talking about the 1957 album by the jazz great. “He had a stint there and created that record just after. You have to put yourself in the shoes of a [local].” But, she adds, she’s always done that, recorded and interpreted in situ: she describes 2015’s fourth album Currency of Man as “an LA record. And especially as an American, if you want to learn something about a culture or a language, you have to go to that place, period. There’s no faking it! That’s it!” she laughs lightly. “You can’t fake it till you make it!”

Her adoptive neighbourhood in the French capital is “pretty familiar, cool, working class”. It’s on the other side of town, within close view of the Eiffel Tower, but she won’t say which arrondissement. “It’s not you. There’s wackadoos,” she says, keeping those metaphorical sunglasses firmly on. But overall, “I can’t buy [property] in this city. There was a graffiti artist a couple of years ago who drew one square metre on the ground and wrote ‘10,000’ in it, because it was 10 grand a square metre. Now I think it’s almost 20 in some areas. I don’t know which is the most expensive. But the 16th is up there!” she says of our current location.

As to what she thinks about her homeland, this American in Paris is of course appalled by the most recent mass shootings in the US, but also wearily sanguine. Raised poor in Philadelphia with her single mother, she remembers “coming up in a city where you gotta run two blocks and walk one. Where a neighbour takes his garbage out and gets killed in a drive-by. Where your 15-year-old friend jumps in front of his mom to stop the robber getting to the cash register, and he’s shot. Where six-year-old kids are toting guns instead of going to kindergarten.”

Beyond that, when I ask what this exile misses about the US, she has “really stupid answers”, ones she wants to ensure are read as they’re intended, in a light-hearted way. “Dunkin Donuts. Just a bagel hot off the grill at four in the morning that you can pick up through a drive-thru on the highway. I’d love to have a seriously crappy coffee! And I miss the facility to pick up everything you need in the pharmacy – birthday card, soda, candy, vitamins, clothes, hairspray. Here you have to go to five places! So I miss the ability to do more with less time. The food is the same, but you have to go to different places for fruit, cheeses, bread, meat… Which is cool. But buying dinner is a half-day endeavour. And I miss barbeques.”

She also concedes that lockdown was hard. So much so that, after the initial confinement, she left for the States. “It was a little bit weird here. There was a ‘show me your papers’ vibe,” she says, adopting what I haltingly describe as a Gestapo accent. “That was a little bit strange. I forgive Paris for having the attitude it did. But not for me.”

More generally, “not doing music period is the death of a musician. We’re not meant to be cooped up like that. Nobody is!”

Did she feel lonely?

“Um, I missed my band. And I tell you what,” she adds with a conspiratorial wink (I imagine – those shades ain’t coming off), “playing alone, it’s a bit like doing it alone, man: it can only last for so long. And it’s just not the same.”

As we’re unexpectedly on rather intimate territory, I ask about the lyrics to the two devastating songs that close the album, “Ode to Every Man” and “Darling Fare Thee Well”. The skeletal former, based on a poem she wrote a few years ago, is a spoken-word lament that speaks of her “merciless sadness and my ever-ruined veins”. The hushed balladry of the latter repeats the heart-sore, sanguinary imagery: “Oh my love, what happened to your heart?/ Weren’t you the one who started up this fire in my veins?”

Was that written from personal recent experience?

Another pause. “What isn’t?” she smiles.

Has Gardot had a ruinous split over the last couple of years?

“Multiple! Of course!”

Is she with anyone right now?

She mimes zipping her lips closed. “Next! Ha! I don’t mean to be a d***, but I’ve never gone anywhere with my personal life, with regards to that [particular] stuff. Just ’cause it’s also a pain in the butt if it does go wrong, then everybody has to be there to know about it. I’m kinda hoping for the one that goes right. If it works for 10 years, then we’ll talk about it. YouknowwhatImean ?”

Fair play. We had a memorable encounter 10 years ago. This one has been up there, too. I’m down for another a decade hence.

This, then, is Melody Gardot: an American artist in exile, a jazz voyager, forever seeking out new musical adventures in the genre. She is, then, alive and thriving in Europe, as amply evidenced on (sorry) Live in Europe , the 2018 album that featured 17 tracks picked from 300 concerts over several years. Famously, the black and white album sleeve featured a naked Gardot on stage, shot from behind. Did she receive much criticism for that?

“Ah, not to my face.”

To your back?

“Ha ha ha!” she laughs, gamely. “Look, man: I’m not in it for the credit. I didn’t pay attention. If there’s stuff out there, you’d have to be the person to tell me. I’m curious: were you shocked to see something like that. What was your takeaway?”

I thought it was sexy, sensual and an image of a woman who’d endured horrific injuries and was now transformed and reborn. In short, very cool.

“Thank you. The whole thing took 20 minutes,” she begins. In the first six shots, taken to establish lighting, she was stripped to her underwear. “It just looked like some Eighties hair metal band [photoshoot] – the underwear made it sexy, provocative. But when we got to image seven and I was naked, it just shifted into sculpture, like something at the Musée d’Orsay.”

She was playing the guitar, finding a position and angle that was comfortable, which was “ contrapposto , ’cause I always stand on my right leg. And that shift made my body look like that – I thought, ‘that’s beautiful. That’s not out of context here, with this idea of being reborn.’ And I cried.”

As she points out, when she first started out playing music after her accident, “I couldn’t stand up. It took me until 2015 until I could stand up with these heavy guitars. Now I’m here and f***ing doing it! And that image represented what that record is: [songs ranging from] 2009 to 2016, everything we’ve done, everything that’s happened. And honestly, it’s the result of being pushed beyond what I thought was my limit of existence, that I was able to get better. So as much as it was hard [to do], this is the image.

“Then I gave it to the label and they had a kitten. They wanted to put a sticker on my butt.”

Her butt? Wow. She nods and shrugs.

“They weren’t going to release it in the US because of my butt. I said, ‘Good! People will order imports and it’ll get more expensive.’ Honestly, if I wanted to be offensive, I might have turned the other way around and spread, baby. What is the problem with an ass? It’s not a weapon, man. Couple of months later Lizzo comes out with a record, naked and huge on the front. I’m like, that’s fine! And she’s great! Yes! And I hope more people do it!

“It’s your body,” she continues. “Nobody put me up to it. It wasn’t to sell records – and believe me, it didn’t! There was none of this marketing nonsense. And my mom’s gotta look at this thing! I’m not gonna do something she can’t look at.”

I don’t care what the limitations are, I’m going to surpass them

Still, as well as offending some, it hurt others’ brains, too. Given the year of its release, which saw the #MeToo movement go global, “some journalist asked if it was something to do with #MeToo. I was like: next! In what world, man?” she asks, rhetorically, witheringly.

Overall, the image is of a piece with the career, and the outlook, of the remarkable Melody Gardot. As she puts it: “I have a hard time [with] people telling me no.

“Even now. I’m like: ‘No? OK, watch me .’ I don’t know where that comes from. I don’t know if it’s ego, or a belief in a better thing. It’s not for a self-serving purpose in the sense that ‘I need this’. [It’s more like]: I wanna do that thing. I don’t care what the limitations are, I’m going to surpass them – like walking again.”

Making music for her, then, is “physical, man. And the day you’re out of ideas, you’re done. I don’t want to drop that level where I make things for the sake of making it. If you really don’t have anything to say, I guess you shouldn’t say anything at all, right? And they do not stop asking me to do standards records,” she says of her UK record label. “I’m like, ‘ NO! ’ I’ll do that when I have no more ideas. ‘Do a Christmas record!’” she mimics, adopting a prim English accent. “ NO! Call Michael Bublé! I’m not saying there’s something wrong with that. But that’s not me.”

‘Entre Eux Deux’ (Decca) is out now. Melody Gardot plays London’s Royal Festival Hall on 19 November

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• Audio Reviews
• Book Reviews
• Film Reviews
• Live Reviews
• Request JJ review
• Count me in…
• On the Other Hand
• Still Clinging to the Wreckage
• From the JJ archive

Gardot’s last album, Sunset In The Blue (2020) was a much-modified recording because of the pandemic, with musicians contributing their parts from studios around the world. Sometimes less is more and it became of one my favourite releases of last year. This album, her sixth, is a worthy addition to an already impressive catalogue. 

Born in New Jersey, Gardot is more often to be found living in Europe – first Portugal and now France. This album could not feel more French if it had been recorded by Edith Piaf. This Foolish Heart Could Love You is typical of much of Gardot’s previous work, but the rest of the album is minimalist and sparse, filled exclusively by piano and voice. Piano is provided by Philippe Powell (son of Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell), whom Gardot refers to as “the Bill Evans of Brazil”.

A song dedicated to the Eiffel Tower (A La Tour Eiffel) and a cover of Plus Fort Que Nous from Claude Lelouche’s cinema classic Un Homme Et Une Femme all add to the album’s French credentials.Gardot and Powell’s shared love of deep poetry and solid melodies results in what Gardot describes as “a dance between two people who love and value the same things”.

Gardot’s voice is as delicate, cinematic and expressive as ever, whilst Powell’s piano goes beyond accompaniment and creates a voice of its own. The result is a whispered conversation between two friends – beautiful and intimate, with a simplicity rarely found in modern commercial jazz recordings. The title track, Entre Eux Deux (roughly translating to “between the two of them”) is a fitting description.

Gardot constantly searches out new musical directions while retaining a respectful and sentimental hold on the past. She is never afraid to experiment, and in many respects this album represents a continuation of that journey. It should also serve to introduce the talent of Philippe Powell to a wider audience.

Discography This Foolish Heart Could Love You; What Of Your Eyes; Plus Fort Que Nous; A La Tour Eiffel; Flyers Du Dimanche; Samba Em Preludio; Perhaps You’ll Wonder Why; Recitativo; Ode To Every Man; Darling Fare Thee Well (41.23) Gardot, Philippe Powell (v, p). Studio Guillaume, Paris. No recording dates given. Decca 4508810

Related articles More from author

Vijay iyer, linda may han oh, tyshawn sorey: compassion, annie chen: guardians, chasing the masters – first takes of a modern drumming artist, jelly roll blues: censored songs & hidden histories, noah haidu: standards ii, horst-michael schaffer & jazz bigband graz: the space between us, christian brenner: le son de l’absence, ewan svensson: conversations & one day in march, bev kelly: love locked out, bob florence limited edition: a big-band blast, mark solborg: babel, zzebra: hungry horse (live in germany 1975) .

Latest Audio Reviews

In features, eddie lang, first of the virtuoso jazz guitarists /1, gerry mulligan’s concert jazz band – a history, border crossings: 50 years of ecm records /3, trudy kerr – beguiling songbook renditions and skilful vocalese, pete candoli: trumpet superman, obituary: tony bennett, still clinging to the wreckage 12/19, where’s the mainstream, obituary: clora bryant, obituary: john russell, in book reviews, the history of european jazz, ace of clubs – a celebration of the 100 club, i ain’t studdin’ ya – my american blues story, the old familiar places, knock ’em dead, a captain darac mystery, in live reviews, jo harrop quintet at chichester jazz club, jim mullen and zoe francis in north wales, ljf 2019: nils økland, patchwork jazz orchestra at the qeh, kyla brox duo, the hawth, crawley, in film reviews, ella fitzgerald: just one of those things, bullets and ballads: pete kelly’s blues, the frank sinatra show with ella fitzgerald, a man called adam, from the jazz journal archive.

• All time popular

JJ 01/64: Bird: The Legend Of Charlie Parker

Jj 05/71: rahsaan roland kirk – rahsaan rahsaan, jj 06/73: dollar brand – this is dollar brand / african piano, jj 04/83: sam rivers at the 100 club, london, jj 10/82: lol coxhill/dave holland -the johnny rondo duo.

Melody Gardot

Live In Europe

• APPLE MUSIC
• YOUTUBE MUSIC

Released: Decca (2018)

• 1. Our Love Is Easy 6:21
• 2. Baby I'm a Fool 4:20
• 3. The Rain 11:19
• 4. Deep Within The Corners Of My Mind 6:54
• 5. So Long 5:30
• 6. My One And Only Thrill 7:30
• 7. Lisboa 7:04
• 8. Over The Rainbow 5:07
• 9. (Monologue) Special Spot 2:11
• 10. Baby I'm A Fool 4:02
• 11. Les Etoiles 3:19
• 12. Goodbye 4:05
• 13. (Monologue) Tchao Baby 0:22
• 14. March For Mingus 11:14
• 15. Bad News 6:26
• 16. Who Will Comfort Me 7:18
• 17. Morning Sun 12:23

• Moscow concerts Moscow concerts Moscow concerts See all Moscow concerts ( Change location ) Today · Next 7 days · Next 30 days
• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Moscow concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Popular artists

Melody Gardot  

• On tour: no
• Upcoming 2024 concerts: none

195,256 fans get concert alerts for this artist.

Join Songkick to track Melody Gardot and get concert alerts when they play near you.

Find your next concert

Join 195,256 fans getting concert alerts for this artist

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Tours most with, past concerts.

BOTTI AT SEA

OLT Rivierenhof

Salle Erasme, Palais de la Musique et des Congrès

View all past concerts

Managing to forge a music career after a life-threatening bicycle accident, Melody Gardot (born February 2nd, 1985) has found critical success with her jazz-infused pop, finding comparisons with Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell and Eva Cassidy.

Born and raised in New Jersey, US, Melody Gardot took to music from an early age, eventually becoming a regular performer in Philadelphia, US nightclubs, during her time studying as a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. Gardot's life was turned upside down, after suffering a bicycle accident that left Gardot fighting for her live, eventually spending several months recovering from multiple head injuries and pelvic fractures.

Whilst in recovery, music was to be the therapy that Gardot needed, helping combat her amnesia and find her past musical talents once again. The accident left her with hypersensitivity to both sound and light, which meant she could only listen to soft, gentle music, influencing her own direction. Whilst in her hospital bed, she taught herself guitar and began to write the songs which would eventually become her debut EP, "Some Lessons," released in 2005.

Having improved dramatically over the year, Gardot decided to pursue a career in music after recovering, with her debut EP being followed by her independently recorded full-length, "Worrisome Heart." The album caught the attention of Verve, who reissued the record in 2007. Her extremely personal music has found widespread praise for her emotive, gentle blues. Her personal story makes her rise to success even more impressive, releasing two further albums, 2009's "My One and Only Thrill" and 2012's "The Absence." Her records have consistently found international chart success, managing to top the charts in Norway and Sweden.

Live reviews

With a name like that, she was surely born to sing, although there’s plenty more to Melody Gardot than meets the eye; she hails from Philadelphia, but considers herself a “citizen of the world”, and despite being just twenty-nine years of age, she’s already made a major impression in the jazz world, a genre often seen as inaccessible for people of the younger generation. It helps, of course, that Gardot writes all of her own material, but it’s also true that there’s touches of the Latin influence to her sound. She’s been nominated for Grammys and seen her records go platinum in parts of Europe, but she’s not all about recording; she’s also a committed advocate of music therapy, dedicating a sizable amount of her time to helping others through sound. As a touring artist, she’s stuck reasonably close to jazz convention at her own shows; with her extensive live band, she can deliver career-spanning sets that delve into every aspect of her music - as well as the typical guitar and drums setup, she brings a brass section, including a saxophonist, on the road with her too. She’s just completed an extensive European jaunt, which kicked off with a performance at London’s Barbican Hall and included a stop in Brighton further down the line; she’s seldom away from the territory in which she’s met with the most success, however.

Report as inappropriate

Melody Gardot in the Noches Del Botanico in Madrid: an open air show on a hot summer night and amazing music from one of my favourite singers. Melody is a natural performer, reaching to her audience with her songs and little stories once in a while and with her outstanding band (featuring young sax player Irwin Hall), she can do whatever she wants … slow and quiet as in the beautiful and touching Baby I’m A Fool or powerful and engaging as in Preacher Man or She Don’t Know from her latest CD Currency Of Man. She is an artist who can touch me deeply, as she did with her incredible rendition of Morning Sun from the same album and a simple, but extremely powerful See-Line Woman, the iconic song by Nina Simone, which she made completely her own in a version full of respect for the original, but still being able to add something special to it. The Madrid audience was fully behind her and sang with her creating some extremely beautiful moments. Melody Gardot and her band were in great form last night and delivered what easily could be the concert of the year for me. Sensational!!!

Philadelphian Melody Gardot may only be thirty years old yet she has already made quite an impression on the jazz scene with her impeccable musical talent and honest songwriting voice. There is a wonderfully personable, warm mentality to Melody's stage demeanour and she clearly enjoys the company of her accompanying musicians as they involve each other during earthy, acoustic instrumentals.

There is an assumed manner about the singer, she simply seems grateful to have the opportunity to stand onstage and share her music with the attentive audiences. She is constantly thanking them for the huge applause the likes of 'The Rain' and 'So We Meet Again My Heartache' receive. You would never believe this lady is so esteemed in the music world, having been nominated for numerous Grammy awards. A note perfect rendition of 'Baby I'm a Fool' makes the audience understand as to why many have compared Melody's music to Nina Simone. There is a rich, natural tone to her vocal and an organic humanistic approach to the way in which she makes music.

It was a fantastic evening with smooth jazzy soul-funky music. Melody Gardot was surrounded 360 degrees by audiences in the DR- concert hall, and she managed to take us all in and have a dialogue with us. The elegant way she masters both singing within a wide range of tonality and volume/intensity and also both playing the guitar and piano so skillfully is absolutely amazing and a gift to experience. She and her 7 man band received an immediate standing ovation from a sold out concert hall. I walked out into the night feeling somewhat changed in mind and heart. My sense of connection with the friend that I brought to the concert had somewhat deepened. And on top of frightening terrorist acts in Paris the week before, this gave us love and hope and a sense of connectedness in our hearts. Music is powerful

A bit much noise of sound and whispering. lack of really singing and playing the songs as strong as there are on cd.

It was a bit disappointing as a show. I drifted away from concentration too often. Sometimes Melody sang beautifully concentrated in the ballads like 'Our love is easy" and " Baby, i'm a fool " My personal highlights.

Overall she did not make much of an impression to me with her new poppy and loud screaming sound, although the instrumentalists were great sometimes trumpet, sax, guitar etc).

She talks a lot but is hard to actually hear what she is mumbling. Im a die hard fan from her first album till the fourth, which are all very good albums This is my third concert and it wasn't the best. Might not go anymore for a next gig.

It was the coolest grooviest Jazz concert that I have ever been to. Her voice moves you and her band fill out the room with their melodies.

I will definitely go to her concert again next time that she is in town.

Superbe concert, Melody Gardot a une voix impressionnante et beaucoup de présence sur scène. Elle est magnifique par sa voix et sa présence, j'espère assister à un autre de ses concerts très prochainement.

It was an amazing show, as usual. Melody is a great artist and entertainer, and did not disappoint the expectations. Also, what a great new album! Looking forward to the next concert.

It was a great experience to listen her live. She is just amazing on the stage and the atmosphere in Opernring was beautiful. I will for sure will go more concerts of her.

Photos (13)

Posters (13)

Find out more about Melody Gardot tour dates & tickets 2024-2025

Want to see Melody Gardot in concert? Find information on all of Melody Gardot’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Unfortunately there are no concert dates for Melody Gardot scheduled in 2024.

Songkick is the first to know of new tour announcements and concert information, so if your favorite artists are not currently on tour, join Songkick to track Melody Gardot and get concert alerts when they play near you, like 195256 other Melody Gardot fans.

Last concert:

Popularity ranking:

• Kidz Bop Kids (2046)
• Melody Gardot (2047)
• The Horrors (2048)

Concerts played in 2024:

Touring history

Most played:

• London (17)
• New York (NYC) (13)
• SF Bay Area (8)
• Los Angeles (LA) (8)

Appears most with:

• Melody (32)
• Herbie Hancock (11)
• Federico Aubele (9)
• José James (8)
• Diana Krall (7)

Distance travelled:

Similar artists

• Most popular charts
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

• FROM A DISTANCE: Melody Gardot on Love, Lockdown, and Working With Sting
• November 14, 2020
• By Charles Waring

Combining a soft, sensuous, silky purr with a tremulous vibrato, Melody Gardot’s voice is distinctive enough to be instantly recognisable; it’s a rare quality these days and puts her in that elite cadre of chanteuses that includes such legendary figures as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Astrud Gilberto. It may be early days yet – Gardot is still only 35 – but on the evidence of the five studio albums she’s delivered thus far, the singer originally from Philadelphia who now lives in Paris is writing herself into the pages of jazz history.

As the lush musical canvas of her latest long-player, the 13-track ‘Sunset In The Blue,’ reveals with its iridescent fusion of jazz, pop and Latin styles, Gardot occupies a unique niche; she can bring a fresh but timeless interpretation to well-worn jazz standards like ‘Moon River’ and ‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’ but also writes many of her own songs, some of which – like ‘If You Love Me’ and ‘From Paris With Love’ – sound like future standards.

But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the birth of what became ‘Sunset In The Blue’ was not an easy one. “We set out in January 2020 to begin demos and recordings of this album hoping we would finalise in the spring,” the singer explains. “Mid-way through that process, however, all operations had come to a grinding halt.”

Despite the restrictions that lockdown and social distancing brought, Gardot felt an impulse to persist with completing the album; even if it altered the way she approached recording. “We decided to push forward,” she says, “and continue to find a way to make music despite these trying times – and it was in that moment that we discovered great beauty.”

The old adage about necessity being the mother of invention rang true for the American singer. One of the songs she had written for the project, the poignant, richly orchestrated ballad, ‘From Paris With Love,’ became the catalyst that sparked a new approach to making music. “The song took new life, serving as a beacon of light in dark times,” she reveals with pride. “It offered a chance to break the mould in terms of how we create music and also provide a number of musicians the opportunity to work, maintaining their livelihood as performers.”

In a “eureka” light bulb moment, Gardot, locked down in the “City of Light,” recorded the single ‘From Paris With Love’ in May by using social media to make contact with string players, who formed a virtual orchestra and recorded their parts separately. Some of them appeared in her promotional video for the song, which also included footage submitted by several of the singer’s quarantined fans around the world. Its theme is that love and togetherness can be a transcendent, unifying force in challenging times; and the sense of distance and isolation we’ve all felt has only served to emphasise our need for closeness and kinship with one another.

“We managed to bring the gesture of connection full circle by donating – with Universal and myself – our respective royalties of this song to a charity for healthcare workers,” says Gardot. “We did what we could with what we had.”

The sense of achievement that Gardot felt after completing ‘From Paris With Love’ propelled the album project with greater momentum. “I felt incredibly inspired to keep searching for a way to make music and keep musicians working,” she says. “Our team worked nonstop in that moment until we were graced by the presence of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road to help us finalise the remaining recordings at distance.”  

The Abbey Road recording in June was remarkable as it was the first Covid-safe studio session in the world. “Absolutely fantastic,” is how Gardot recalls the experience. “(It was) incredible to be able to do this long distance. These musicians are just stellar. A fabulous cast involved on all sides, from the team at Abbey Road, to conductor Cliff Masterson, and arranger Vince Mendoza. It was something out of a dream.” 

The new album reunites Gardot with Larry Klein (pictured left), who began his career as a jazz bassist before becoming a Grammy-winning record producer whose forte is working with female artists (which include Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman and Madeleine Peyroux). His first collaboration with Gardot was on her second album, 2009’s Grammy-nominated ‘My One & Only Thrill,’ which went both platinum and gold in various countries around the world and established the then 24-year-old singer as a global star. Klein worked with her again in 2015 on the singer’s last studio album, ‘Currency Of Man.’ “Larry and I jokingly say we’re like an old couple,” laughs Gardot. “We’ve known each other for many years, and we have a certain way of working where we set out with an idea but then tend to turn it on its head, neither of us knowing really where the road of reinvention will lead us. It’s a free-flowing palette in terms of creation; a bit of a compromise as much as a surprise.”

Orchestrator, Vince Mendoza (right), had also worked with the singer before on the album projects that were helmed by Klein. “Vince is a phenomenal arranger and conductor,” Gardot gushes. “It was a pleasure to have him on board. Most admirable was his willingness to help us create the backdrop of ‘From Paris with Love’ with a global digital orchestra in tow. Not an easy feat by any means.”

Completing the holy trinity behind ‘Sunset In The Blue’ is veteran studio engineer Al Schmitt, now 90 (pictured below with Melody), who’s a long-time associate of the late producer Tommy LiPuma. According to Gardot, his expertise was crucial to the sound of the album.  “It doesn’t get any better than Al,” she states. “Just in terms of recording live sounds – his drum sound alone can make you lean into the speakers to get a closer glimpse of what has been captured.”

She adds: “He’s a genius in his own right. If you search quickly the projects he has worked on you would understand. In his most recent book, he even shows how he placed the mics to capture artists like Bob Dylan and Sinatra.” 

The experienced triumvirate of Klein, Mendoza and Schmitt conspire to frame Gardot’s voice with a host of impeccably elegant musical backdrops. Stylistically, the album is radically different from her previous opus, 2015’s  Currency Of Man , which had more of a retro-soul ambience.  “In terms of style, I had wanted to return to something more feminine and sensual, as we had been developing this sound the two years prior while on tour,” says the singer, explaining her return to her jazz roots. “Quite simply, I felt it was time to take that energy and that more orchestrated approach to the studio.” 

The mood is generally downbeat – but not downcast –  and among its numerous highlights is the languorous ballad, “If You Love Me,” featuring noted German flugelhorn player, Till Bronner (right). It’s the album’s tone-setting opening cut and the first of eight songs that the singer either wrote or co-composed on an album that she says was inspired by love. 

One of her original songs, ‘Ave Maria’ – not to be confused with the well-known Schubert piece with the same name – finds Gardot’s sublime vocals augmented by Mendoza’s cinematic orchestral touches. With its poetical lyrics, the song highlights the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter’s skill as a storyteller. “This album focuses on all aspects of love, and I wanted to take that one step further with ‘Ave Maria,'” she discloses.  “Here we discover a young woman about to enter the convent, where she is questioning the love she’s been explained that she must have for an otherwise ‘invisible’ being.”

“There is no political or religious statement behind it,” she explains further: “It’s just one moment imagined as a young woman looks at the path before her, about to give her hand in marriage to someone she cannot see. She hears the people singing ‘Ave Maria,’ and begins to wonder… ‘Ave Maria…what does this all really mean?'” 

The album’s romantic ambience is further enhanced by carefully selected covers, including a revamp of English folk singer Lesley Duncan’s minor UK hit, ‘Love Song,’ which was also recorded in the early 1970s by jazz singer Peggy Lee. “Larry Klein suggested the song to me and I fell in love with her writing style on this tune,” says Gardot. “It stood out as a beautiful piece to reinvent.” 

Those who are familiar with the singer’s third album, 2012’s ‘The Absence,’ will know that Melody Gardot has a passion for Brazilian bossa novas and Mediterranean music. Her musical love affair with Latin grooves and moods is in evidence on ‘C’est Magnifique,’ a smouldering duet with the mellow-voiced crooner,  Antonio Zambujo (left).  “Antonio is a fantastic singer and artist from Portugal, who I had been listening to and admiring for many years,” enthuses Gardot. “His voice is just perfect for the song and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to sing with him.”

The album contains another duet with a more high profile participant; Sting. The ex-Police singer appears on the set’s final song, a bonus track called ‘Little Something.’ “It was surreal and groundbreaking, in the sense that I never imagined it possible to create a duet long distance,” exclaims Gardot. “The track was brought to me by French producer, Jen Jis. It was then recorded while in quarantine and released early September. Up until that point, I had never met Sting; we only met through the music. It’s quite funny, but beautiful in a way to work like this; all that mattered was the music.”

The album’s overall mood is captured by its extraordinary and eye-catching abstract artwork. “The album cover is a painting by the (American) artist Pat Steir (pictured below, right),” Gardot divulges. “She is an incredible artist. The work is called Untitled IX, 2019 (Taipei). Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Fondation Cartier, Paris; Louvre, Paris; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Tate Gallery, London and many more.”  

Gardot says she decided to showcase Steir’s work to show solidarity with other creative people whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic. “While there is a deafening silence in the arts at this moment, I think it is more important than ever that we seek opportunities to support each other in any way we can,” she says. “The choice to use her piece – which I love – as a cover is as much symbolic as it is heartfelt. In the absence of any galleries being open due to Covid, I wanted to provide an outlet with this cover for an artist to be showcased to the world. This is the first time her work has been reproduced anywhere.” 

Reflecting on her life in music thus far, Melody Gardot says her first time recording in Hollywood’s Capitol Studios back in 2008 stands out as a highlight but one of the most memorable moments of her career has been today in 2020 with the making of ‘Sunset In The Blue.’  “This album holds a special place in my heart,” she confesses, “because although it sounds quite mellow and sensuous, there is a massive amount of sweat and hard work within it by all parties involved.”  

Melody Gardot’s ‘Sunset In The Blue’ is out now via Decca Records

Search the Archives

Share your views.

By requesting an account, you can comment on all your favourite SJF content. Requests are manually processed.

Request my SJF Account

Soul and Jazz and Funk is an independent soul news and reviews website compiled by Charles Waring and Bill Buckley , two of the UKs most experienced and respected Soul music writers.

Advertise With Us

Looking to advertise?

Get in touch, we offer very competitive rates for displaying your advert on our website.

Life is a song, love is the music

• Latest News

‘Bathwater’: The Story Behind No Doubt’s Inventive Ska Hit

‘where i’m coming from’: stevie wonder starts his march to independence, ‘no geography’: why the chemical brothers still lead the way, best steppenwolf songs: 20 essentials by rock’s easy riders, ‘grace under pressure’: why rush’s cold war paranoia still resonates, ‘begin again’: how norah jones tore up her own rulebook, mellow man ace: hypest from cypress, girls aloud release ‘something kinda ooooh’ digital ep, elyanna releases debut album ‘woledto,’ video for ‘ganeni’, maggie rogers announces first ever arena tour, celebrates ‘don’t forget me’ release, u2’s ben affleck and matt damon-produced ‘kiss the future’ coming to paramount+, the rolling stones share ‘from london to shanghai’ documentary, poison’s ‘native tongue’ to receive vinyl reissue, jon bon jovi stops by ‘jimmy kimmel’ to chat new documentary, springsteen, and more, melody gardot, philippe powell announce new collaborative album.

‘Entre eux deux’ will be released on May 20th.

Published on

Acclaimed jazz artist Melody Gardot and composer/pianist Philippe Powell have announced a new collaborative album, Entre eux deux , set for release May 20th on Decca Records. In anticipation of the new album, Gardot shared the single “This Foolish Heart Could Love You” alongside a breathtaking music video for the sensual, intimate track.

Directed by Beki Mari and choreographed by Marie-Agnès Gillot, the music video for the new single was filmed in Paris’ Musée Rodin and features two dancers, Marie-Agnès Gillot and her male counterpart Germain Louvet.

“Dressed in archive pieces by Japanese Designer Issey Miyake, their movements dash in and out of sunlight from within the walls of the Musée Rodin as they emulate the feeling of that fleeting moment where love just might escape one’s grasp,” details the press release. The visual was intended to bring life to August Rodin’s sculptures, “as if to ‘flip the switch’ on who is the muse and who is the artist.” Fittingly, it is noted that Rodin was often inspired not by models, but by dancers.

Best Herbie Hancock Albums: 20 Essentials From The Legendary Jazz Pianist

Andrew bird trio announces new jazz album ‘sunday morning put-on’.

Entre eux deux follows Gardot’s best-selling LP, Sunset in the Blue . Released in 2020, the album was certified Gold in France, and led to the American-born singer-songwriter receiving the prestigious title of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest cultural accolade.

Gardot’s latest release, which marks her sixth studio album, pairs her with Powell, an award-winning French-Brazillian pianist and composer. Recording the album of love songs with Gardot was an experience that Powell describes as, “the most wonderful gift a pianist-composer could ever dream of.” The combination of the two artists’ musical styles can be described as a nod to the Great American Songbook but dubbed to the Great French Songbook, due to music’s French roots.

“If I had to sum up the record in a few words, I’d say this record is a dance between two people who love and value the same things: deep poetry and solid melodies,” added Gardot in a press release. “The title Entre eux deux (loosely translated as ‘between us two’) stands true; it is a peek into the world of two artists who just really dig each other…we hope you dig it too.”

Along with releasing the collaborative album, Gardot is also set to embark on an extensive international tour, which includes a three-night residence at L’Olympia in Paris. For tour dates and ticket info, visit the artist’s official website.

Click here to preorder Entre eux deux and scroll down to view the tracklist.

Entre eux deux tracklist: 1. This Foolish Heart Could Love You 2. What Of Your Eyes 3. Plus Fort Que Nous 4. À La Tour Eiffel 5. Fleurs Du Dimanche 6. Samba Em Prelúdio (Un Jour Sans Toi) 7. Perhaps You’ll Wonder Why 8. Recitativo 9. Ode To Every Man 10. Darling Fare Thee Well

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

23-24 24-25

• Châtelet Musical Club
• Les p’tits fauteuils
• Young audience
• Ticketing informations
• Access and contact
• Member tickets & pass
• Gift voutchers
• Groups and professionals
• Call for application
• Publics, partners & patrons

Le Châtelet

Théâtre du Châtelet 1 place du Châtelet 75001 Paris

Melody Gardot

5 dec. 2022

Monday 05 december 2022 20h00

• Grande Salle
• from 19.5 to 129 €

American singer, songwriter and composer Melody Gardot returns in 2022 for two exceptional concerts on the legendary Olympia stage, which is sold out every time she performs. This success is also reflected in her tours of France, making her an artist not to be missed.

In 2020, she unveiled “Sunset in the Blue”, her fifth studio album. Released on October 23, the platinum-selling album reunites Melody Gardot with her “My One and Only Thrill” team: producer Larry Klein, arranger and composer Vince Mendoza and legendary sound engineer Al Schmitt.

This year, Melody is inviting prestigious guests such as Ibrahim Maalouf and Antonio Zambujo on the re-release of her album, once more on the theme of love.

Melody Gardot will be in Lyon on November 11th at the Centre des Congrès and on stage at the Olympia in Paris for five exceptional concerts on November 21, 22 and 23 and on December 3, 2022.

In view of this success, she is adding an extra concert on December 5 at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Find the latest news from the Théâtre du Châtelet !

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Registration unavailable... Try again later.

Your browser is outdated

For a better experience, keep your browser up to date.

• Statistics Stats
• You are here:
• Gardot, Melody
• October 29, 2022 Setlist

Melody Gardot Setlist at Hala Torwar, Warsaw, Poland

• Edit setlist songs
• Edit venue & date

Edit set times

• Add to festival
• Report setlist

Tour: Fall Tour 2022 Tour statistics Add setlist

• Wayfaring Stranger Play Video
• You Won't Forget Me Play Video
• Love Song ( Lesley Duncan  cover) Play Video
• C'est magnifique Play Video
• Obstinada Play Video
• This Foolish Heart Could Love You Play Video
• Samba em prelúdio ( Vinicius de Moraes  cover) Play Video
• Moon River Play Video
• Our Love Is Easy Play Video
• Les étoiles Play Video
• If the Stars Were Mine Play Video

Edits and Comments

4 activities (last edit by K-ZOSMA7-S , 22 Jun 2023, 16:43 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• If the Stars Were Mine
• Les étoiles
• Our Love Is Easy
• C'est magnifique
• You Won't Forget Me
• This Foolish Heart Could Love You
• Wayfaring Stranger
• Love Song by Lesley Duncan
• Samba em prelúdio by Vinicius de Moraes

Complete Album stats

Melody Gardot

More from this artist.

• More Setlists
• Artist Statistics
• Add setlist

Melody Gardot Gig Timeline

• Oct 23 2022 TivoliVredenburg Grote Zaal Utrecht, Netherlands Add time Add time
• Oct 26 2022 Művészetek Palotája Budapest, Hungary Start time: 8:05 PM 8:05 PM
• Oct 29 2022 Hala Torwar This Setlist Warsaw, Poland Add time Add time
• Nov 04 2022 43. Leverkusener Jazztage 2022 Leverkusen, Germany Add time Add time
• Nov 07 2022 Koninklijk Theater Carré Amsterdam, Netherlands Add time Add time

1 person was there

Share or embed this setlist.

Use this setlist for your event review and get all updates automatically!

<div style="text-align: center;" class="setlistImage"><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/melody-gardot/2022/hala-torwar-warsaw-poland-5bbee370.html" title="Melody Gardot Setlist Hala Torwar, Warsaw, Poland, Fall Tour 2022" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=5bbee370" alt="Melody Gardot Setlist Hala Torwar, Warsaw, Poland, Fall Tour 2022" style="border: 0;" /></a> <div><a href="https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=5bbee370&amp;step=song">Edit this setlist</a> | <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/melody-gardot-1bd64978.html">More Melody Gardot setlists</a></div></div>

Last.fm Event Review

[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/melody-gardot/2022/hala-torwar-warsaw-poland-5bbee370.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=5bbee370[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=5bbee370&amp;step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/melody-gardot-1bd64978.html]More Melody Gardot setlists[/url]

Tour Update

Marquee memories: jesse mccartney.

• Jesse McCartney
• Apr 10, 2024
• Apr 9, 2024
• Apr 8, 2024
• Apr 7, 2024
• Apr 6, 2024
• Apr 5, 2024
• FAQ | Help | About
• Terms of Service
• Ad Choices | Privacy Policy
• Feature requests
• Songtexte.com