Madeleine Peyroux

The beloved Georgia-born, Paris-raised jazz vocalist and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux returns for her first SFJAZZ appearances in fifteen years, taking the Miner Auditorium stage with songs from her newest Just One Recording album, Let’s Walk.  

In 1996, the then-23-year-old singer and acoustic guitarist released her strange and beautiful album Dreamland which surrounded her voice – an evocative instrument that seemingly channels another era – with some of jazz’s leading improvisers. Her ramshackle repertoire ranged from Bessie Smith blues to Edith Piaf chanson, with some Patsy Cline twang, Fats Waller sass, and bluesy originals thrown into the mix. Dreamland ended up selling nearly a quarter million copies, a shocking feat for a jazz session, and boosting her profile to that of a major star whose music freely crosses boundaries of genre and audience.  

Over the subsequent years, Peyroux has gone from strength to strength, recording eight increasingly accomplished albums mixing dreamlike originals with carefully chosen covers, accompanied by collaborators Larry Klein, k.d. lang, Walter Becker, Meshell Ndegeocello, Marc Ribot, and Allen Toussaint.  

With each subsequent release, Peyroux has displayed a deepening mastery and maturity as a songwriter, delivering deeply emotional songs that offer a glimpse into her mysterious, timeless world.