Performers who sing while accompanying themselves on the piano have been a part of music for a long time, and some of them have been very talented at handling both duties. But not many could measure up to the late jazz artist Shirley Horn, who was so good at focusing on both skills that she was once described as 'almost having two heads'. She was also someone who found her biggest professional success late in life, providing an inspiration to anyone who thinks the years might have passed them by. A native of Washington, D.C., Horn studied [...]
Here's to life. Trapper's Alley hasn't left rotation in my car yet. Those that have heard it understand why. It's just that dope. One track that stands out to me is the Exile-produced "Life Time". Upon first listen, that joint reminded me of Common's "Misunderstood" for some reason. I immediately thought that the sampled vocals were of Nina Simone origins, but that wasn't the case. Turns out, Exile flipped Shirley Horn's "Here's To Life" for the track. Pretty interesting if you ask me. Of course, I've included both tracks for you [...]
It's starting to feel like Christmas again. Especially since there's now a thick coating snow where I live. Verve Remixed CHRISTMAS is part of Verve's remix collection and it breathes new life into some of the seasons classic's. There are a few new ingredients added in each track which gives them a slightly different flavour. This can be good or bad depending on listener's perspective. Steven Leggett of Allmusic sums up perfectly the tricky job of remixing timeless pieces of music, especially Christmas music. "What makes [...]
I don't know if I would have been able to identify this as a European outing judging the album by the art work on the front, but I could have made a good guess. Even with the solid colored squares and circles that are displayed for the listener to see, the music, at least the first half of the album is engorged with European style electronic hip hop. On the first few tracks, Nina Simone and Shirley Horn are sampled over top of minimal, lo-fi beats with jazz inclinations and strings. That in and of itself would have [...]
Last weekend, as I watched a preening Beyonce belt out a lung during her SNL musical performances, I was faced with a horrible dilemma: Do I poke out my eyes first, or chop off my ears? In the end, I opted for a third option: Mute the TV and go feed the cats. Less blood. Nevertheless, my initial reaction sums up how grating I find Beyonce and her diva contemporaries: They may have the ability to sing on key without the use of Auto-Tune but remain painfully oblivious to the concept of nuance, opting to deliver lyrics as if they [...]
The original album for "Where Are You Going" (1972) didn't come with liner notes or a pull-out lyric sheet. Instead, just one quote was placed in small print on the back cover, underneath the playlist: "Shirley Horn is long overdue" - Miles Davis And that's all that needs to be said. Then again, Wikipedia always comes through with a few unverified quotes: "...noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones [described Shirley's singing] as 'like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice'. I'm not sure how that's like clothing, but it sounds nice [...]
Geezer Music Club
Fake Shore Drive
Life Signs Project
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Bongo Jazz A Speciality
Eggs for Becky
Sleeve: “1991″ by Azealia Banks
Video: Chromatics – “These Streets Will Never Look the Same”
