Wilson's repertoire includes both jazz and blues standards and renditions of pop and rock songs. Her contralto voice has been described as bluesy and sultry, and the style of her music ranges from swing to funk to bossa nova. Many of the songs she covers are by artists who usually record in other genres.
Wilson counts the late Miles Davis as one of her greatest influences. In 1989 she performed as the opening act for Davis at the JVC Jazz Festival in Chicago. In 1999 she produced Traveling Miles as a tribute to Davis. The album developed from a series of jazz concerts that she performed at Lincoln Center in November 1997 in Davis's honor and includes three selections based on Davis's own compositions, in which Wilson adapted the original themes.
A Brief Discography
Point of View (1986, JMT)
Days Aweigh (1987, JMT)
Blue Skies (1988, JMT)
Jumpworld (1989, JMT)
She Who Weeps (1990, JMT)
Live (1991, JMT)
After the Beginning Again (1992, JMT)
Dance to the Drums Again (1992, DIW/Columbia)
Blue Light 'til Dawn (1993, Blue Note)
New Moon Daughter (1995, Blue Note)
Rendezvous (with Jacky Terrasson) (1998, Blue Note)
Traveling Miles (1999, Blue Note)
Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note)
Glamoured (2003, Blue Note)
Thunderbird (2006, Blue Note)
Loverly (2008, Blue Note)
Silver Pony (2010, Blue Note)
Another Country (2012, eOne)
Official website: www.cassandrawilson.com
Sankofa
Cassandra Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My soul is soon to follow you, back to yesterdays moon
Will it remember me?
Back to yesterdays sun, It will rekindle me
Rekindle the spirit into tomorrow and high on the wind
Sankofa flys again and again
Oh Sankofa, high on the Heavens you soar
Will it remember me?
Back to yesterdays sun, It will rekindle me
Rekindle the spirit into tomorrow and high on the wind
Sankofa flys again and again
Oh Sankofa, high on the Heavens you soar
My soul is soon to follow you, back to yesterdays moon
Will it remember me?
Back to yesterdays sun, It will rekindle me
Rekindle the spirit into tomorrow and high on the wind
Sankofa flys again and again
The lyrics to Cassandra Wilson's song "Sankofa" seem to be an ode to the concept of Sankofa, which is a term and symbol from Akan cultures of West Africa, specifically Ghana. It refers to the idea of looking back to one's past in order to move forward into the future. This concept is often represented by a bird with its feet facing forward and its head turned backward, symbolizing the idea of moving forward while remembering and honoring one's past.
In the song, Wilson seems to be addressing the bird itself, praising it for its ability to soar high above and encouraging it to lead her back to the past. She wonders if her soul will be remembered by the past, and she hopes that it will rekindle her spirit and bring her into the future with confidence and grace.
The repeated lines of the song, "Sankofa flys again and again," give a sense of continuity and cyclical movement, suggesting that the process of looking back in order to move forward is an ongoing one. Overall, Wilson's lyrics seem to be a beautiful and evocative celebration of this powerful and important concept.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Sankofa, high on the Heavens you soar
Addressing the entity 'Sankofa,' said to be flying high above in the heavens.
My soul is soon to follow you, back to yesterdays moon
The singer's soul is said to soon follow Sankofa back to a time long past.
Will it remember me?
The singer is questioning if Sankofa or the past they will soon revisit will have any memory of them.
Back to yesterdays sun, It will rekindle me
Returning to the past through Sankofa will reignite the artist's spirit and passion.
Rekindle the spirit into tomorrow and high on the wind
The renewed spirit and energy obtained by revisiting the past will propel the artist forward into the future.
Sankofa flys again and again
Sankofa is able to repeatedly soar through time, leading others to explore and remember the past.
Contributed by Claire W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.