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Re: YES - She does!!!

158.57.150.68

Posted by Mike M on September 8, 1999 at 11:45:00

In Reply to: Shirley Horn Bites! posted by Scott Woebcke on September 8, 1999 at 09:52:21:

Scott, I've taken issue with you on a couple of your messages in the past, but this time I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with you! I have recently, finally gotten around to listening to Shirley Horn myself, and I had high expectations based on the way some people rave about her here. I expected music similiar to Diana Krall's - piano based jazz and female vocal. Judging from other poster's opinions, I expected her voice to be more mature than DK's, so if anything I anticipated music that would surpass DK's, and would open up a whole new catalogue of new listening pleasures for me. WOW - was I disappointed! Almost simultaneously, I got my hands on two of her albums, and then was bitterly disappointed when I realized that she is also prominently featured on the new Charlie Haden CD, "The Art of the Song" that I purchased (THAT - is another huge disappointment story deserving of it's own posting!).

Anyway - I picked up "You Won't Forget Me" at a used CD store for $8.99, I received "Loving You" as part of my membership package for joining the BMG Jazz CD club. One is more torpid than the other. This is NOT jazz. Isn't jazz supposed to have some sort of syncopation, some tempo, some sort of rhythm, and isn't it best when it swings? And where was any improvisation? There is very little ofany of that here, although when Ms Horn performs a mid-to-uptempo tune, the results are more pleasing. One S......L......O..........W ballad after another drags along. I read somewhere (Perhaps in one of the liner notes?) that Ms Horn is good enough to carry tunes too slow for anyone else to do, and my hat's off to her for trying, and for those who appreciate this style of music - whew!!! - I'm not quite ready to die yet! This stuff is DEADLY! This music didn't put me to sleep, it nearly had me in a coma! It seemed as though someone had to rouse her between lines to get her to continue - that's how long she pauses between phrases. I don't dispute the quality of her voice - it seems pure and rich, but where is any motion in the music? I'll take Diana Krall's voice, along with her jazzy sense of rhythm and swing, punctuated by her concise piano and brilliant interplay with her accompanists ANYDAY. ANYDAY! I had read a recommendation for one of her discs once - "The Main Ingredient", which listed Joe Henderson and Elvin Jones as accompanying her - perhaps that would have been a better introduction to her music. With those two great jazz artists aboard, the music would certainly have to be more jazzy. These two CDs (Three - counting the horrible Charlie Haden CD) were certainly not in my interpretation of what constitutes good jazz. Thanks for mentioning it Scott - I wanted to, but was afraid I would be cited for baiting again! (Sorry, John - I know she's a fave of yours, for one.) Now that you've brought it up however - I feel compelled to agree!

Mike M

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