February 11, 2026
Award-winning vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa makes her artistic arrival with the May 1 release of her Blue Note debut, Diavola, an album that unveils her range as a band leader, a songwriter, and a fearless song interpreter who treats each gesture with subtlety and reverence. Co-produced by Joshua Redman and Don Was, Diavola is a collection of original songs and luminous arrangements that features an extraordinary cast of collaborators with Jeff Parker on guitar, Larry Grenadier on bass, Brian Blade on drums, Paul Cornish on piano, and Redman on tenor saxophone.
“I really respect songs and I really want to honor them in the best way,” says Cavassa. Admittedly a “huge” Billy Eckstine fan, Cavassa swings slow and steady on the album’s lead single “Prisoner of Love.” Each lyric she charms with deliberate long tones and thoughtful dynamics. “Modernity is important to me,” she says, “but the truth is I really am coming from a tradition. And I really love singing those songs.”
At once intimate and anthemic, Diavola subverts the self-portrait. The album explores coexistences of the angel and the devil — a dynamic central to Cavassa’s artistry and personal identity — engaging a dualism of possession and surrender, of urgency and repose. “I’m not willing to let go of either,” says Cavassa, “or I haven’t been able to.”
The album also spotlights Cavassa’s pivotal association with Redman, who invited her into the studio and on the road as a collaborator for his own Blue Note debut where are we, released in 2023. “It’s kind of a Cinderella Story,” says Cavassa, who began working with Redman after his manager heard her perform at a wedding in New Orleans. “That was such a shocking life change,” she says. “It was such a rare opportunity as a singer to be able to tour on that level as a sideman. And in jazz, it’s a rite of passage.”
Was and Redman worked in concert with Cavassa from the album’s inception. While Redman focused on production details, Was worked listener impact. Together, the artists set the pace for each section as Cavassa’s interpretations developed their tones and colors. “Josh was with me every step of the way,” she says. “He was the comfort and the trust through the whole process. And Don was bringing this wisdom of absolutely one-in-a-million experience.”
Diavola is available for pre-order now on Blue Note Store exclusive signed color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital download.
The track listing for Diavola is as follows:
Side A
- Heaven Sighs (Jeff Parker)
- Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Burt Bacharach-Hal David)
- Prisoner of Love (Russ Columbo-Clarence Gaskill-Leo Robin)
- Bossy Nova (Gabrielle Cavassa)
- To Say Goodbye (Eduardo Lobo-Torquato Neto-Lani Hall)
- Angelo (Luigi Tenco)
Side B
- Be My Love (Nikolaus Brodszky-Sammy Cahn)
- Diavola (Gabrielle Cavassa-Alexander Warshawsky)
- Could It Be Magic (Barry Manilow-Adrienne Anderson)
- La notte dell’addio (Arrigo Amadesi-Giuseppe Diverio-Emmidio Regimi-Alberto Testa)
