If you listen closely to Unfolding, the extraordinary debut album by Natalie Cressman and her band Secret Garden, she provides all the clues necessary to uncover the treasure trove of influences and inspirations behind her music. Hailing from an illustrious musical family, the San Francisco-raised trombonist, vocalist and composer has been adopted by a disparate cast of masters, and at 21 years old she’s honed a preternaturally worldly conception of her own.
 
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From Carnegie Hall to the House of Blues, from the Apollo to Lincoln Center, her versatility and enthusiasm for new music has propelled her into a richly diverse musical career. An accomplished improviser who has performed with Nicholas Payton, Wycliffe Gordon, and Peter Apfelbaum’s NY Hieroglyphics Ensemble, she’s gained her widest exposure through two years of touring with Phish’s Trey Anastasio. At the same time she’s managed to excel in her studies at Manhattan School of Music and perform at top New York jazz spots with her own band. Unfolding captures her rapidly blossoming sensibility, a sound shaped by her love of Cuban, Brazilian and West African music, indie rock, funk and the post-bop continuum.