The 92nd Street Y, New York announces Cécile McLorin Salvant: Book of Ayres, the world premiere of a 92NY 150th anniversary commission, drawing from her brilliance in jazz, expertise in Baroque music, and more, on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 pm.

In this new program of curated material Salvant assembles a group of top improvising musicians from genres as disparate as early music and jazz, folk, and electronic music. Performed on synthesizers, flute, theorbo, harpsichord, and percussion, this unique blend of instruments serves as a colorful backdrop for a new type of folk song. Stories from different tongues across eras and borders, blending early music and vaudeville, Sappho and folkloric material of Europe and the Americas – it’s a universe that could only originate from the mind and only be delivered through the voice of one of this era’s most gifted vocalists and prolific storytellers.

“Part of my practice is imagining musical family trees and learning from the influences of my influences. Growing up, I wanted to be an opera singer. Opera led me to Baroque music, which led me to early music. I had a similar path with American music.

I gravitate towards forgotten songs, early or maligned instruments, and languages and performance styles on the brink of extinction. I bring this process of excavation into my own writing, blending old and new, exploring language and mythology. I have been making the unoriginal yet concerted effort to move beyond categorizing music by genre. What I am interested in is exploring, celebrating, and making fun of desire, divulging secrets, dredging up the past, looking under the rug.” – Cécile McLorin Salvant

Sullivan Fortner, piano/harpsichord/keyboards

Emi Ferguson, flute

Dusan Balarin, theorbo/lute

Yasushi Nakamura, bass

Keita Ogawa, percussion