Natalie Cressman & Ian Faquini Duo

Cressman’s musical pedigree is impeccable, growing up as the daughter of vocalist Sandy Cressman and Santana trombonist Jeff Cressman, gaining much-deserved notoriety as a member of Phish leader Trey Anastasio’s ongoing solo project, and working with Nicholas Payton and Wycliffe Gordon.

A virtuosic instrumentalist and gifted singer who now calls New York home, she’s a former member of the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars who has made good on her prodigious beginnings, working with a diverse range of artists including salsa icon Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra, world music giant Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, and iconoclastic multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum.

Their new release for Snarky Puppy mastermind Michael League’s GroundUP Music label, Auburn Whisper, is a diverse 13-track session of intimate original compositions featuring finely meshed vocal harmonies and soaring instrumental passages. Of the album, JazzTimes reviewer Dan Bilawsky mused, “Whether exploring folkloric angles, finding their way through a world turned upside down, building on shared experiences, or looking to points beyond, Cressman and Faquini stay in step throughout this bewitching 13-track program.”