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Shirley Horn

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Shirley Horn
Publicity photo from 1961
Publicity photo from 1961
Background information
Birth nameShirley Valerie Horn
Born(1934-05-01)May 1, 1934
Washington, D.C.,U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 2005(2005-10-20)(aged 71)
GenresJazz,blues
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano
Years active1959–2004
LabelsStere-o-craft(1960)
Mercury(1963)
ABC-Paramount(1965)
Perception(1972)
SteepleChase(1978-81)
CBS(1985)
Verve(1987-2005)
Formerly ofMiles Davis
Charles Ables
Steve Williams

Shirley Valerie Horn(May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an Americanjazzsinger and pianist.[1]She collaborated with many jazz musicians includingMiles Davis,Dizzy Gillespie,Toots Thielemans,Ron Carter,Carmen McRae,Wynton Marsalisand others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with nearly incomparable independence and ability on the piano while singing, something described by arrangerJohnny Mandelas "like having two heads", and for her rich, lush voice, a smokycontralto,which was described by noted producer and arrangerQuincy Jonesas "like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice".

Biography

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Shirley Horn was born and raised inWashington, D.C.[2]Encouraged by her grandmother, an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four.[3]Aged 12, she studied piano and composition atHoward University,later graduating from there in classical music.[3]Horn was offered a place at theJuilliard School,but her family could not afford to send her there.[3]Horn formed her first jazz piano trio when she was 20.[3]Horn's early piano influences wereErroll Garner,Oscar PetersonandAhmad Jamal,and moving away from her classical background, Horn later said that "Oscar Peterson became myRachmaninov,and Ahmad Jamal became myDebussy."[3]She then became enamored with theU Streetjazz area of Washington (largely destroyed in the1968 riots), sneaking into jazz clubs before she was of legal age.

According to jazz journalist James Gavin, the small New York City record label Stere-O-Craft discovered Horn in Washington, D.C., and brought her to New York, to record her first album, 1960'sEmbers and Ashes.Horn had recorded with violinistStuff Smithin Washington, D.C., in 1959, as a pianist in one of the rhythm sections featured onCat on a Hot Fiddle.Unfortunately for Horn,Verve Recordsdid not include her name on the album's list of backing musicians, and the experience did not raise her professional profile.[4] (A later reissue of Stuff Smith's Verve recordings onMosaic Recordsdocumented Horn's participation and included three Horn vocal performances ofGeorge Gershwinsongs that were left off the album.)

Horn'sEmbers and Ashesrecord attracted the attention of jazz trumpeterMiles Davis,who praised Horn publicly and invited her to play intermission sets during his performances at theVillage Vanguard.Davis's praise had particular resonance in two respects: because he was highly respected as a musician, and because he rarely offered public praise for fellow musicians at that time. A 1961 live performance recorded in St. Louis'Gaslight Square districtwas eventually released on LP under the title"Live" at the Village Vanguard.(A later CD reissue of this material was released under the titleAt the Gaslight Square 1961).

By 1962, Horn had attracted the attention ofMercury Recordsvice-president (and jazz arranger)Quincy Jones,who signed Horn to Mercury. On her two Mercury LPs, Horn was placed in atraditional popsetting with medium-sized jazz orchestra, and on neither album did she play piano. According to jazz journalist James Gavin, a third Mercury LP was recorded but never issued, and as of 1993, the tapes for that album were presumed to be lost.[4]Horn's final LP of the 1960s was 1965'sTravelin' Light,recorded forABC-Paramount.She was popular with jazz critics, but did not achieve significant popular success.[5]

Though she had recorded a song byThe BeatlesonTravelin' Light,Horn for the most part resisted efforts to remake her into a popular singer in the mid-1960s, later saying of such attempts "I will not stoop to conquer."[6] From the late-1960s to the late 1970s, she was semi-retired from music, staying in Washington, D.C., to raise her daughter Rainy with her husband, Sheppard Deering (whom she had married in 1955), and largely limiting her music to local performances. She made one album in 1972 forPerception Records,but the record received little notice, and Horn did not tour to promote it.

In 1978, Horn's career got a boost whenSteepleChase Recordsof Denmark tracked her down in Washington, D.C., and offered to record her with drummerBilly Hart,(whom Horn had known for many years) and bassistBuster Williams.The resulting album,A Lazy Afternoonwas the first of a total of four Horn albums released by SteepleChase between 1978 and 1984. Horn also began to play engagements in North America and Europe, including theNorth Sea Jazz Festival,where two of her albums were recorded.

In 1986, Horn signed a one-record deal with CBS-Sony for the Japanese market and releasedAll of Me,a studio session recorded in New York City with her regular rhythm section, plus guestFrank Wesson three tracks. By early 1987,Verve Recordswas pursuing a recording contract with her, and in May of that year, the live albumI Thought About You,her first for Verve, was recorded in Hollywood. Horn recorded one further session for an independent jazz label (1987'sSoftly,forAudiophile Records), then returned to Verve. She released a total of 11 studio and live albums for Verve during her lifetime (additional compilation albums added to this total). Horn's most commercially successful years were spent with Verve, and the label helped her find a large international audience.

Miles Davis made a rare appearance as a backing musician on Horn's 1991 album,You Won't Forget Me.[7]Although she preferred to perform in small settings, such as her trio, she also recorded with orchestras, as on the 1992 albumHere's to Life,the title song of which became her signature song. A video documentary of Horn's life and music was released at the same time as "Here's To Life" and shared its title. At the time, arrangerJohnny Mandelcommented that Horn's piano skill was comparable to that ofBill Evans.A follow-up was made in 2001, namedYou're My Thrill.

Horn worked with the same rhythm section for 25 years: Charles Ables (electric bass) andSteve Williams(drums). Don Heckman wrote in theLos Angeles Times(February 2, 1995) about "the importance of bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams to Horn's sound. Working with boundless subtlety, following her every spontaneous twist and turn, they were the ideal accompanists for a performer who clearly will tolerate nothing less than perfection".

Her albumsHere's to Life,Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles)andI Love You, Parisall reached number one on theBillboardjazz chart.[7]

Abreast cancersurvivor, she had been battling diabetes when she died of complications from the condition, aged 71.[8]She is interred at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[9]Since her death, concert recordings of Horn have been released on CD and DVD byResonance Recordsand Image Entertainment.

Awards and honors

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Horn was nominated for nineGrammy Awardsduring her career, winning theGrammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performanceat the41st Grammy AwardsforI Remember Miles,a tribute to her friend and mentor (the album's cover featuring a Miles Davis drawing of them both).[8]

She was officially recognized by the109th US Congressfor "her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture", and performed atThe White Housefor several U.S. presidents. Horn was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from theBerklee College of Musicin 2002.

She was awarded theNational Endowment for the ArtsJazz Masters Award in 2005 (the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians).

Discography

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As leader

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As guest

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DVD-Video

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  • Live at the Village Vanguard(Lucy II, 2006)

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Shirley Horn"atAllMusic
  2. ^"Shirley Horn",Encyclopædia Britannica.
  3. ^abcdeFordham, John (25 October 2005)."Shirley Horn: Jazz singer-pianist whose distinctive slow tempos captivated her audiences".The Guardian.London.
  4. ^ab Gavin, James (1994).Travelin' Light(Liner notes). Shirley Horn. GRP Records, Inc.
  5. ^Colin Larkin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 215.ISBN0-85112-580-8.
  6. ^Michael Mungiello,"Bringing Jazz Back to DC"Archived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine,The Georgetown Independent,April 22, 2013.
  7. ^ab"Jazz star Shirley Horn dies at 71",BBC News, October 22, 2005.
  8. ^abAdam Bernstein,"Mesmerizing Jazz Singer and Pianist" (obituary),Washington Post,October 22, 2005.
  9. ^"Shirley Deering Obituary (2005) -The Washington Post".Legacy.com.
[edit]
Archives at
LocationMusic Division, Library of Congress
SourceShirley Horn papers, circa 1960-2005
How to use archival material
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