Ravinia 2023 Issue 1

ITERATION Itinerant Melody Gardot immerses fully in each new musical home BY WEB BEHRENS FEARLESS . Is that the best, simplest way to describe Melody Gardot? Many culture writers have described her more thor- oughly, in understandably glowing ways: “The queen of jazz.” “TheGretaGarboof jazz.” “The brightest jazz star of the 21st cen- tury.” ¶ Of course, there’s so much more to the singer-com- poser than her delightfully apt name and many musical talents. Her bedrock qualities—intrepid, tenacious, adventurous—un- dergird not just an impressive career but a fearless approach to life. Her life story practically begs for a biopic to be made about her someday, because a wide range of incredible events shaped the world-renowned chanteuse who’ll perform at Ravinia June 22. ¶ Humble beginnings? Check: Gardot was born in New Jersey and raised in greater Philadelphia, often living with her immigrant grandparents as her mother, a photogra- pher, traveled for work. “My earliest memories of music,” she recalls, “are of my grandfather playing trumpet and my mother singing along to her favorite tunes on guitar.” ¶ Musical prodigy? Also check. From a young age, she had an affinity for a variety of genres, including jazz, blues, rock, and classical music, yet “I have zero degrees in music,” she says. “Growing up, I always knew that music would be a part of my life, but I didn’t anticipate that it would become my full-time career.” RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JUNE 6 – JULY 2, 2023 88