Melody Gardot
Melody Gardot (born February 2, 1985) is a Grammy-nominated American singer, writer and musician in Philadelphia, though she considers herself a "citizen of the world". She has been influenced by such blues and jazz artists as Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz and George Gershwin as well as Latin music artists such as Caetano Veloso. Her music has been compared to that of Nina Simone. Gardot follows the teachings of Buddhism, is a macrobiotic cook and humanitarian who often speaks about the benefits of music therapy. She has visited various universities and hospitals to speak about its ability to help reconnect neural pathways in the brain, improve speech ability, and lift general spirits. In 2012, it was reported that she had given her name to a music-therapy program in New Jersey. Gardot was born in New Jersey, and was largely brought up by her grandparents. Her grandmother was a Polish immigr...