Melody Gardot

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Melody Gardot
In Paris, France
Background information
Born	February 2, 1985 (1985-02-02) (age 24), New Jersey
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Jazz, acoustic, blues
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	2005-present
Labels	Universal (2009–present)
Website	www.melodygardot.com

Melody Gardot (born February 2, 1985 in New Jersey) is an American jazz singer, writer and musician in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has been influenced by such blues and jazz artists as Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin as well as Latin music artists such as Stan Getz and Caetano Veloso.^[1]

Gardot follows the teachings of Buddhism, is a macrobiotic cook^[2] and humanitarian who often speaks about the benefits of music therapy. She has visited various Universities and Hospitals to speak about its ability to help reconnect neural pathways in the brain, improve speech ability, and lift general spirits. In a recent interview she was rumored to be working closely in a University in the United States to help develop a program for Music Therapy and the management of pain, something she has spoken about establishing in the future on her own.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Education 3 Accident 4 Music for therapy 5 Other therapy 6 Buddhism 7 Music career 8 Backing Band 9 Discography 10 References 11 External links

[edit] Early life

Born on February 2, 1985, in New Jersey,^[3] Melody Gardot was brought up largely by her grandparents. The grandmother was Polish emigrant. Her mother, a photographer, worked and traveled widely. They moved around New Jersey often and as a consequence had very few possessions, often living out of suitcases.^[4]

[edit] Education

Gardot studied fashion at the Community College of Philadelphia.^[5]

[edit] Accident

While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003^[6] she was hit by a Jeep Cherokee whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was shattered in two places. Because of these severe injuries, she was confined to her hospital bed, where she was situated on her back, for a year. As a further consequence of her injuries, she had to re-learn simple tasks such as brushing her teeth and walking. The most noticeable effect of the neural injuries she suffered is that she was left hyper-sensitive to both light and sound, therefore requiring her to wear dark sunglasses at nearly all times to shield her eyes.^[4] The accident also resulted in both long and short term memory problems and difficulty with her sense of time. Gardot has described coping with this as like 'climbing Mount Everest every day' as she often wakes with no memory of what she has to do that day.^[7]

[edit] Music for therapy

After her accident Gardot began writing music and since then often speaks and advocates in favour of using music for therapy. The accident had damaged the neural pathways between the brain's two cortexes which control perception and higher mental function and made Gardot (in her own words) "a bit of a vegetable."^[8] As well as making it very hard for her to speak or communicate properly, she found it difficult to recall the right words to express her feelings. Music involving listening and making a verbal attempt to sing or hum is thought to help the brain form new pathways. At first, Gardot learned to hum and was eventually able to sing into a tape recorder. She made good progress and was eventually able to write original songs that sometimes talked about her rehabilitation.^[8]

[edit] Other therapy

For several years after the accident Gardot traveled with a physiotherapist and carried a TENS machine strapped to her waist which released pain reducing impulses.^[4] She was introduced to macrobiotics by a friend who lent her a book on its benefits and she began to experiment and cook for several hours a day. As well as reducing her pain levels, she feels that macrobiotics helped her mental ability to cope with pain and helping her relax as the routine of cooking helped take her mind off her physical condition and she found she was able to sleep more easily.^[9]

[edit] Buddhism

Buddhism has been an important factor in Melody Gardot's recovery and she has described herself as a Siddhartha. She talks openly about her Buddhist beliefs and what she calls 'the art of suffering' and has said "to be truly Buddhist is to let everything go, your memory, your expectations".^[7] Gardot's Buddhist philosophy extends to her lifestyle, in that she has sold her flat in Philadelphia and gave away her furniture and cat. Her only possessions fit in two suitcases which she takes on concert tours.^[10]

[edit] Music career

Gardot started music lessons at the age of nine^[11] and began playing piano in Philadelphia bars at sixteen on Fridays and Saturdays for four hours a night. She insisted on only playing music she liked, ranging from standards from the The Mamas & the Papas to Duke Ellington and modern groups such as Radiohead.^[12]

During her time in hospital she learned how to play the guitar and began writing songs, which were made available as downloads in iTunes and released in Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions in 2005. She began to play these songs at venues in Philadelphia and was spotted by the radio station WXPN, operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, which helped to launch Norah Jones. As well as playing her songs, WXPN encouraged her to assemble a demo which was quickly picked up by Universal Records.^[4] Released in 2006 and then re-released by Verve Records in 2008, her first full-length album was entitled Worrisome Heart. After meeting her in New York City in 2008, producer Larry Klein began working with Gardot and they released her second album, My One and Only Thrill, on April 28, 2009. Also in 2009, Gardot released a live EP, Live from SoHo.

[edit] Backing Band

The musicians touring with Gardot vary but she usually performs with a backing band often augmented by a string section.^[13]

Name	Instruments	Notes
Ken Prendergast	Upright and 8 string Bass	Played on Worrisome Heart[14]
Charlie Patierno	Drums	Played on Worrisome Heart[14]
Chuck Staab	Drums
Charles Staab	Drums	Played on Worrisome Heart[14]
Patrick Hughes	Trumpet	Played on Worrisome Heart[14]
Irwin Hall	Saxophone, clarinet and flute.[15]
Behn Gillece	Vibraphone	Winner of the 2008 Percussive Arts Society International Convention Jazz improvisation competition.[16]

[edit] Discography

• Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005)
• Worrisome Heart (2008) U.S. #80^[17]; AUS #93
• Live from SoHo (2009)
• My One and Only Thrill (2009) U.S. #42, U.K. #12, AUS #23, FRA #5, NZ #12, SWI #17, NET #20

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Melody Gardot official website
• MySpace site
• Melody Gardot interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2008
• Downloadable interview on Jazz FM
• Melody Gardot Verve Records webpage
• Online biography
• Interview on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday

v • d • e Melody Gardot Studio albums Worrisome Heart · My One and Only Thrill EPs Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions · Live from SoHo Singles Worrisome Heart" · "Goodnite" · "Quiet Fire" · "Who Will Comfort Me" · "Baby I'm a Fool"