Unfolding by Natalie Cressman

A not-so-hidden treasure is revealed with Unfolding, the Entrancing Debut by 20-Year-Old Trombonist/Vocalist Natalie Cressman & Secret Garden.

If you listen closely to Unfolding, the extraordinary debut album by Natalie Cressman and her band Secret Garden, she provides all the clues necessary to uncover the treasure trove of influences and inspirations behind her music. Hailing from an illustrious musical family, the San Francisco-raised trombonist, vocalist and composer has been adopted by a disparate cast of masters, and at 20 years old she’s honed a preternaturally worldly conception of her own.

An accomplished improviser who has performed with Nicholas Payton and Peter Apfelbaum’s NY Hieroglyphics Ensemble, she’s gained her widest exposure through two years of touring with Phish’s Trey Anastasio. At the same time she’s managed to excel in her studies at Manhattan School of Music and perform at top New York jazz spots with her own band. Unfolding captures her rapidly blossoming sensibility, a sound shaped by her love of Cuban, Brazilian and West African music, indie rock, funk and the post-bop continuum.

Whether playing an original, reinterpreting a standard or exploring a jazz classic, Cressman fully embraces the imperative to render the music in her own image. What her work with Secret Garden reveals is an utterly contemporary artist steeped in several traditions, an artist who sees no barriers between the incalculable accomplishments of the past and the urgent demands of the present.

New York-based trombonist/singer/composer Natalie Cressman has won acclaim for her ability to play fluently in a variety of musical styles with maturity beyond her years. Hailed a “velveteen-voiced brass- blower” by the Denver Post, the 20 year-old has sought to stretch across stylistic boundaries, each time striking listeners with the depth of her musicianship.

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