Melody Gardot

Sometimes an artist’s biography is all you need to become a fan. Such is the case with Melody Gardot, who fortunately offers more than an amazing story, but amazing her story is. It starts in Philadelphia when she was 19. Riding her bike, Gardot got hit by a car. Her injuries were so severe that, four years later, she still walks with a cane and must wear dark glasses because of her sensitivity to light (the reason why flash photography is forbidden at her shows). While undergoing rehabilitation after the accident, a physician suggested music as a therapeutic way for her to restore cognitive pathways. What a gift they uncovered. Gardot has the rare jazz-blues voice that preserves its purity as it floats around the treble clef. Yet she’s also a pianist, songwriter and producer. All these talents come to bear on Worrisome Heart, her second recording (first full-length). Fresh off the San Francisco Jazz Festival, she’s due to play London next month. Here’s hoping she makes another West Coast swing.