“I want people to hear my voice and my music—and feel good. I think musicians can influence the pulse of the people. Voices and stories are powerful. The narratives we focus on are powerful. Some see the blues as the voice of the oppressed, but in the stories, I heard from my great-uncle Will Roy Sanders and other members of my family, the blues was always the voice of freedom. Our freedom is in our songs.”

Candice Ivory: The Queen of Avant Soul

After releasing three critically-acclaimed albums of original, jazz-fueled songs, Candice Ivory reveals a whole new sound with her blues matriarch tribute, “When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie” (Little Village / Release Day: October 6^th). The Memphis-raised and St. Louis-based Queen of Avant Soul, Ivory hails from an illustrious Memphis family that shaped the city’s secular and sacred sounds. Her great-uncle was the singer/guitarist Will Roy Sanders, whose band, the Fieldstones, was one of the premier Memphis blues groups from the 1970s to the ‘90s. On October 6, 2023, she releases her collaboration with singular guitarist/bassist Charlie Hunter, When the Levee Breaks (Little Village Foundation) – a midnight run to the crossroads where jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B all converge. Ivory shines a brilliant light on one of the blues’ greatest artists: Memphis Minnie. Ivory had long planned to record an album of Memphis Minnie’s music, but the stars didn’t align until 2023, which happens to be the 50th anniversary of her death at the age of 76.

(Candice Ivory / Photos by Kim Bledsoe Lloyd, Bella Golightly, and Deke V. Rivers)

The crucial factor was Ivory’s budding friendship with Hunter, a player similarly steeped in jazz, soul, and Delta blues. Born in Millington, the Tennessee town also claimed by Koko Taylor, Ivory started singing professionally on Beale Street in Memphis in her mid-teens. Mentored by veteran artists like Andy Goodrich, Fred Ford, Honeymoon Garner, Mose Vinson, Nokie Taylor, Di Anne Price, and Calvin Newborn (brother of legendary jazz pianist Phineas Newborn), she often sang into the wee hours and grabbed whatever sleep she could before heading off to school. Selected for the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) at 18, she connected with jazz stars Terence Blanchard and Marcus Strickland (who along with Roy Hargrove urged her to make the move to New York and study jazz at the New School). Ivory notes, “My grandmother was a good friend of Mavis Staples, and she had a gospel choir called 100 Voices. One minute I’m posting about Soundgarden and the next about Art Pepper. My background is gospel, blues, and jazz. Charlie comes from jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. He knew I would never do anything super straight forward. I’d be reimagining Memphis Minnie. I think she’s the original Queen of Avant Soul.”

Interview by Michael Limnios         Special Thanks: Kevin Johnson (Proud Papa PR)

How has the Blues, Soul, Jazz music influenced your views of the world and the journeys you’ve taken?

I am very Siddartha-like in my approach to music. I realize that I will always be on a sonic quest. Sometimes I achieve it, sometimes I don’t—but I will always be on a quest to find the sound I’m looking for. That constant desire has taken me many places, both expected and unexpected. I am relentless in the quest for sound—I literally can’t turn it off. What this has taught me about the world is that perspectives continually shift and that there are few constant variables we can rely on. Improvisation is surprisingly beautiful and a necessity in life. 

What characterise your music philosophy? What is the driving force behind your continuous support for your music art?

I consider myself a southern surrealist. I navigate my life, music, and art in this way. Avant Soul—the term that I coined to describe my music—is about the journey of self-discovery. It’s about the quest to understand ourselves and connect with others through whatever mediums we choose.

"I really miss the nightclubs and club owners. I loved some of those folks like family. We used to have relationships with club owners who really believed in and invested in us. They offered us extended residencies at their nightclubs, and these opportunities enhanced the music scene and helped us develop serious musicianship." (Candice Ivory / Photo by Kim Bledsoe Lloyd)

Why do you think that Memphis Minnie music continues to generate such a devoted following?

I think Memphis Minnie has been extremely influential to many of our musical heroes—whether or not they chose to give her credit. Her discography alone sets a high bar to clear. When we also consider her work ethic and achievements, especially considering the context of the time in which she lived, we cannot help admire the tenacity and determination she demonstrated. I call her my patron saint of the blues.

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I played trumpet in high school, and ever since then, I have encountered several prolific trumpeters who gave me great advice. I met Roy Hargrove who encouraged me to attend the New School University in New York City. While at Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program, Terence Blanchard reinforced the message that Roy Hargrove gave me. When I came to the New School, I studied with Cecil Bridgewater who showed me many new ways to think about music. But even before I moved to New York, I received the best advice about life and music from another trumpeter, Russell Gunn. He said, “anything worth hearing will eventually be heard.” I truly believe that.

What moment changed your music life the most? What´s been the highlights in your life and career so far?

Before my great-uncle (Will Roy Sanders of the Fieldstones) passed away, he put me in charge of handling his affairs. His death and funeral in 2010 were pivotal for me, because they forced me to look at my life and my family’s musical legacy in a very different way, and eventually set off a chain of events that would lead to me singing blues “publicly.” More recently, making an album of Memphis Minnie’s compositions with

Charlie Hunter has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

"The status of women in music is changing daily—as is the culture. I choose to see my femininity as a strength and not a weakness, although navigating the music industry as a woman is not always easy. I think that there is a paradigm shift happening that will create opportunities for more female voices and stories to be heard. Memphis Minnie is important for that reason alone. The fact that her story remains little-known even though she was one of the greatest to ever do it, is why I’m here." (Candice Ivory is a vocalist, composer, visual artist, and the creator of the Avant Soul / Photo by Kim Bledsoe Lloyd)

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of the past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I really miss the nightclubs and club owners. I loved some of those folks like family. We used to have relationships with club owners who really believed in and invested in us. They offered us extended residencies at their nightclubs, and these opportunities enhanced the music scene and helped us develop serious musicianship. The musicians took their crafts seriously and came to the clubs each night not with a big ego but with a desire to heal the people and create a loving environment. Of course, I may be romanticizing aspects of this, but at the time it really felt like that. I knew all the soundmen and they cared that everyone had a great time. When we invest in music, especially live music, our communities thrive.

My greatest hope is that we can return to our craftsmanship and give ourselves grace during the era of instant gratification.

What does to be a female artist in a Man’s World as James Brown said?

Well, James Brown is the godfather of Soul and as the Queen of Avant Soul, I have definitely taken many cues from him—though I have diverged in this case! If we listen to the very next line of that song, we immediately see that James Brown’s statement is contradictory at best. Therefore this cannot truly be a man’s world.

What is the status of women in music?

The status of women in music is changing daily—as is the culture. I choose to see my femininity as a strength and not a weakness, although navigating the music industry as a woman is not always easy. I think that there is a paradigm shift happening that will create opportunities for more female voices and stories to be heard. Memphis Minnie is important for that reason alone. The fact that her story remains little-known even though she was one of the greatest to ever do it, is why I’m here. 

"I consider myself a southern surrealist. I navigate my life, music, and art in this way. Avant Soul—the term that I coined to describe my music—is about the journey of self-discovery. It’s about the quest to understand ourselves and connect with others through whatever mediums we choose."

(Candice Ivory / Photo by Kim Bledsoe Lloyd)

What is the impact of the Blues and Jazz on the racial and socio-cultural implications? How do you want the music to affect people?

I can’t speak for everyone’s music, but I can definitely speak for mine. Cecil Bridgewater and I often discussed the musician’s vocation. We talked about the musician as a healer of the people and the collective. I want people to hear my voice and my music—and feel good. I think musicians can influence the pulse of the people. Voices and stories are powerful. The narratives we focus on are powerful. Some see the blues as the voice of the oppressed, but in the stories, I heard from my great-uncle Will Roy Sanders and other members of my family, the blues was always the voice of freedom. Our freedom is in our songs.

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