Kandace Springs

The musical journey of pianist/singer Kandace Springs, Nashville’s gift to the world of jazz/soul, has been dizzying in its variety. From sultry standards, to straight up pop tunes, to hip-hop infused jams, Kandace follows her musical whims in any direction they might lead her, and steadfastly refuses to be put into a categorical box. This fearlessness has served her well, taking her from the hotel lounges of her hometown to the world’s greatest concert halls, and earning her the admiration of her fellow artists, including her mentor Prince, who once remarked that Kandace has “a voice that could melt snow.”

Starting with her acclaimed debut album, Soul Eyes, all the way through 2024’s heartfelt tribute to her late father, Run Your Race, it would almost seem that Kandace has run the full gamut of her musical possibilities. But on her new album Lady in Satin, to be released in spring of this year, she will venture into new musical waters: the record, a tribute to Billie Holiday’s iconic 1958 album of the same name, is a collaboration between Kandace and Portugal’s Orquestra De Academia del Espinho. Together they have recreated and reimagined this last great work of Lady Day’s career, creating a romantic lushness that is rarely heard in contemporary music.

This project, like so many transformative moments in Kandace’s career, fell into her lap unexpectedly. “I got a call one day out of the blue, from some people I’d never heard of. They wanted to do a concert of Billie Holiday’s music, the Lady in Satin album, and they wanted me to be the singer. How long did it take me to decide? As long as it takes to say yes!” There was just one demand that Kandace made to the Orquestra: “I told them, we’ve got to record it! I knew that it could make a great album. It was an opportunity that was too special to pass up.”

From concept to concert, Lady in Satin took almost a year to realize. The first task was to create orchestrations that would evoke the beauty and timelessness of the original recording. Six different arrangers were brought in, each providing their own take on updating the twelve songs from the Great American Songbook that make up the album. Meanwhile, Kandace prepared by…not listening. “Billie Holiday is one of my biggest influences, she’s in my DNA. But I didn’t want to imitate her, that would be disrespectful. So I actually listened to instrumental versions of all the songs, and that way I could come up with my own way to interpret them.”

Finally, in late 2023, Kandace headed to Portugal for rehearsals, recording, and two concerts. The only problem: she hadn’t heard a note of music yet. “I was pretty nervous the day I arrived”, she says. “I had no idea what it would sound like.” Those fears were dispelled the minute the orchestra kicked off with “You’ve Changed”. “It sounded incredible, so beautiful…….it was like the dreams I’d been having about it, come to life. I was in heaven.” The next interesting moment came when Kandace looked around the room at the members of the orchestra. “I said to myself, how old are these guys?” she recalls. “They all looked so young!”. Kandace had just discovered that the Academia del Espinho is actually Portugal’s premier music conservatory, and most of the players are students there, including even some who are still in high school. “I was blown away! They all played like veterans… they’re truly world class.”

With Lady in Satin, Kandace and the Orquestra have created a sonic experience that is rarely heard in recent times, that of a singer in front of a full symphony orchestra. On such songs as “It’s Easy to Remember“ and “Glad to Be Unhappy”, the ensemble makes full use of timbres usually reserved for traditional classical music – French horns, bassoons, harp, and tympani, to create lush valleys and soaring peaks beyond what a typical big band or string section can achieve. As Kandace puts it, “I’ve done some great concerts with big bands, but to be in the middle of this amazing sound was something I’d never experienced.”

One of the special joys of this project for Kandace was to hear songs she’d known for years in a completely new light. Well known standards such “The End of a Love Affair” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is” take on a new life, paradoxically by being heard the way they sounded 60 years ago. “I’ve been singing “For All We Know” since I was in high school” say Kandace. To be honest, I mostly knew the Donny Hathaway version. But Billie does the full verse at the beginning of the song, and I’d never even heard that before. It put a whole new meaning to the song, made it even deeper.”

Conversely, the album also allowed Kandace to discover hidden gems by America’s master songsmiths. “Violets For Your Furs” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” were hits in their day, but have fallen below the radar in the last several decades. Kandace hopes her new album will change that. “Learning these songs makes me I feel like I have a lot of new friends!” she laughs. “I had never even heard “For Heaven’s Sake” before, and now it’s one of my favorite songs.”

“…I guess I shouldn’t say that!” she says with another laugh. “All of these songs, they’re like my children now, I love them all so much. To be able to perform them, and with these amazing arrangements and this incredible orchestra, is like a dream come true. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”