Dreams and Daggers

AllMusic reviewer Matt Collar described the album as "a thoughtfully curated selection of standards and several originals, all touching upon the themes of romance and heartbreak", and awarded it five stars.^[1]

Stereophile reviewer Fred Kaplan declared the album to be "the best jazz vocal album in a decade, maybe in longer than that."^[5]

The album earned Salvant her third Grammy nomination and her second Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.^[6] The album was also nominated for the 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album.^[7]

Source:^[8]

Tracks marked with asterisk (*) recorded in studio at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. All other tracks recorded live at the Village Vanguard.

Source:^[8]

• Cécile McLorin Salvant – vocals
• Aaron Diehl – piano on all tracks except "Red Instead", "You've Got to Give Me Some" and "Fascination"
• Sullivan Fortner – piano on "You've Got to Give Me Some"
• Paul Sikivie – double bass on all tracks except "Red Instead", "You've Got to Give Me Some" and "Fascination"; string arrangement on "And Yet", "More", "Red Instead", "You're My Thrill", "The Worm" and "Fascination"
• Lawrence Leathers – drums on all tracks except "Red Instead", "You've Got to Give Me Some" and "Fascination"
• Catalyst Quartet – strings on "And Yet", "More", "Red Instead", "You're My Thrill", "The Worm" and "Fascination"
  • Karla Donehew-Perez – violin
  • Suliman Tekalli – violin
  • Paul Laraia – viola
  • Karlos Rodriguez – cello

Production

• Al Pryor – production
• Cecile McLorin Salvant – production; booklet art direction, handwriting and illustrations
• Gretchen Valade – executive production
• Will Wakefield – production management
• Damon Whittemore – record engineering
• Todd Whitelock – record engineering, mix engineering
• Josh Welshman – engineering assistance
• Isaiah Abolin – engineering assistance
• Akihiro Nishimura – engineering assistance
• Doug Iszlai – engineering assistance
• Allen Rubinstein – front-of-house engineering for the Village Vanguard
• Richie Clarke – front-of-house engineering consultancy for Mack Avenue Records
• Mark Wilder – master engineering
• Kevin Gray – LP cut engineering
• Raj Naik – booklet layout and design
• Mark Fitton – booklet photography
• Maria Ehrenreich – creative services and production
• Sharon Green – product management