November 2005 Archives

There were so many good songs that the radio blog is a little longer this week than I had planned. I still had to leave out a few gems for now but I will find a way to fit them in a future radio blog. I will be back to share insights on each song. In the meantime, consider it great music to enjoy while having leftover turkey. :)

The Quiet Storm - Volume 2 (listen here!)

01 - Pieces of a Dream - "Warm Weather" from Pieces of a Dream (1981) - This breezy Pieces of a Dream song features Barbara Walker on lead vocals. It was written by Cynthia Biggs and Dexter Wansel.

02 - Martha Wash/Izora Armstead - "Taking Away Your Space" from Get the Feeling (1980) - In this sometimes unfair music world, Martha and Izora's stars should shine much brighter than they do. I love their music.

03 - Quincy Jones - "Tell Me a Bedtime Story" from Sounds...And Stuff Like That!! (1978) - This instrumental was written by Herbie Hancock and he is featured on electric piano along with Hubert Laws on flute solo.

04 - Randy Crawford - "Now We May Begin" from Now We May Begin (1981) - This one of my favorite Randy Crawford songs and I loved hearing it on warm summer nights.

05 - Gene Dunlap - "Before You Break My Heart" from Capitol Rare, Vol. 2: Funky Notes from the West Coast (1981) - This song came from drummer Gene Dunlap's It's Just The Way I Feel album. It features the Ridgeway Sisters on vocals. Gene went to school with Earl Klugh and played drums in the 70's with Earl before he embarked on a solo career.

06 - Jean Carn - "Love Don't Love Nobody" from Closer Than Close: The Best of Jean Carn (1981) - Jean's remake of The Spinners' 1974 classic ballad was definitely one of my late night favorites.

07 - Norman Connors - "We Both Need Each Other" from Best of Norman Connors & Friends (1992) - This classic jam (1976) penned by Michael Henderson features Michael and Phyllis Hyman on lead vocals.

08 - Quincy Jones - "I'm Gonna Miss You in the Morning" from Sounds...And Stuff Like That!! (1978) - I had to go back to this album one more time just because I love it. This song features Patti Austin and Luther Vandross on the lead vocals. What a combination!

09 - Phyllis Hyman - "The Answer Is You" from Under Her Spell: Phyllis Hyman's Greatest Hits - I love this song. Enough said. Oh wait, it also features Onaje Allan Gumbs on piano.

10 - Norman Connors - "This Is Your Life" from Best of Norman Connors & Friends (1992) - Eleanor Mills is featured on lead vocals on this song. Eleanor also provided those soaring background vocals on Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway's "You Are My Heaven."

11 - Ronnie Laws - "Every Generation" from Capitol Rare: Funky Notes from the West Coast (1999) - This classic reminds me that I need get more music from the talented Laws family in my collection.

12 - Gladys Knight & The Pips - "Feel Like Makin' Love" from Love Songs [Buddha] - I found this song on the Gladys Knight & The Pips compilation which was released earlier this year. I had never heard their rendition of this Roberta Flack classic but I loved it so it made a good fit for this radio blog. It was originally recorded on their 2nd Anniversary album in 1975.

13 - Deniece Williams - "If You Don't Believe" from The Best of Deniece Williams: Gonna Take a Miracle (1976) - This gem came from her debut album This is Niecy which also featured her hit "Free."

14 - Joe Sample - "Greener Grass" from Voices in the Rain (1981) - A mellow groove from a extraordinary keyboardist.

15 - The Jones Girls - "Who Can I Run To?" from The Best Of The Jones Girls (1979) - A classic jewel from one of their early albums. In 1976, The Jones Girls sang backup for Diana Ross. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff heard them one evening and eventually signed them to Philadelphia International Records.

16 - Stephanie Mills - "Feel The Fire" from Best Of Stephanie Mills - Stephanie recorded this soulful tune on her Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin' album from 1978. Peabo Bryson wrote and originally recorded this song.

17 - Angela Bofill - "Under the Moon and Over the Sky" from The Definitive Collection (1979) - Angie penned this beautiful melody for her debut album, Angie. There was a time in the late 70's when Angela Bofill and Phyllis Hyman were in heavy rotation on the airwaves.

18 - Patrice Rushen - "When I Found You" from Patrice (1978) - This is one of my favorite Patrice Rushen songs. I was recently reading through the liner notes and noticed that Syreeta Wright sang background vocals on this album.

19 - Grover Washington, Jr. - "Just the Two of Us" from Winelight (1980) - Bill Withers sings vocals on this Grover Washington classic groove. This song was quite popular.

20 - Minnie Riperton - "Give Me Time" from The Best Of Minnie Riperton - I knew I wanted to include a Minnie Riperton song but it was very difficult selecting a song. Her music set the standard to which other singers are still compared. I remember being on my front porch listening to the radio when they announced that she died. This perfect angel left us way too soon.

Enjoy your music!

A few weeks ago when EJ did his OSW: Philly Soul - Vols. 1 & 2, it took me back to late summer nights in Chicago when I was sitting on my front porch listening to quiet storm late night radio. I had my trusty headphone radio (similar to the one shown above) that I had bought with the money that I had saved from my paper route. Late night radio would get mellow and the songs featured here are some of the ones I heard. The music was soulful and jazzy. There was no smooth jazz back then and on certain nights during the week, radio stations would feature a whole album of any given artist. As I dug through my music, I found that I had a lot more music from this period than I thought so I will be doing Volume 2 next week. I am sure I will be playing this later in the week while I am getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday. Hope you have good and safe holiday and as always, enjoy your music.

The Quiet Storm - Volume 1 (listen here!)

01 - Natalie Cole - "La Costa" from Thankful (1977) - Looking back through all the wonderful music that Natalie has done, La Costa was undoubtedly one of her finer moments. It was so admired that even jazz great Ahmad Jamal recorded an instrumental version. This album was released on CD in 1996 but good luck finding a copy of it. I last saw a copy online for about $80. Hopefully, Capitol will reissue Natalie's early albums.

02 - David Sanborn - "It's You" from Voyeur (1981) - David lays down a serious groove on his saxophone complimented by the lush background vocals of Valerie Simpson, Patti Austin, Kacey Cisyk, and Lani Groves. David later recorded this song with Bob James on their Double Vision album in 1986.

03 - Patrice Rushen - "This Is All I Really Know" from Posh (1980) - I learned about this inspirational gem when I started buying Patrice's albums in the 80's. In addition to Patrice's magic, it also features the powerhouse vocals of Lynn Davis.

04 - Pieces of a Dream - "All About Love" from Pieces of a Dream (1981) - This instrumental version of the EWF classic on Pieces of a Dreams' debut album from 1981 was produced by their friend and mentor, sax great Grover Washington, Jr. Pieces of a Dream featured James Lloyd on keyboards, Cedric Napoleon on drums and vocals, and Curtis Harmon on drums. Founding members Lloyd and Harmon are still with the group today.

05 - Randy Crawford - "Rio de Janeiro Blues" from Secret Combination (1981) - This is one of my favorite Randy Crawford songs. Enough said.

06 - Earl Klugh - "Living Inside Your Love" from Living Inside Your Love (1976) - I recently saw Earl Klugh in concert and he played this classic which he wrote with Dave Grusin.

07 - George Benson & Aretha Franklin - "Love All The Hurt Away" from Love All The Hurt Away (1980) - This duet was definitely a favorite of the quiet storm and they sound great together.

08 - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - "Only Heaven Can Wait (For Love)" from Roberta Flack featuring Donny Hathaway (1980) - This song comes from one of my favorite Roberta Flack albums. It was recorded after Donny Hathaway's death and he is featured on "You Are My Heaven." Eric Mercury provides the additional vocals near the end of "Only Heaven Can Wait (For Love)."

09 - Joe Sample - "Burnin' Up the Carnival" from Voices in the Rain (1981) - This was one of my favorite late night songs. It features Flora Purim and Josie James on the lead vocals. I recently saw Joe Sample in concert and he is still "Burnin's Up the Carnival." He can play any genre of music music exceedingly well.

10 - Brenda Russell - "So Good, So Right" from Ultimate Collection (1979) - A very gifted singer/songwriter, this was Brenda's first solo single. In the liner notes from her Ultimate Collection compilation, she shares how she wrote this song. "I was having a dinner party. I never usually write in front of people, but I was doing dishes and the idea for 'So Good, So Right' came to me. I went directly to the piano and started writing this song. It became my first hit record, so I am glad I went with my instincts." Did know that Brenda co-wrote "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me of a Friend)", which was recorded by Rufus & Chaka Khan, with her former husband, Brian Russell?

11 - Grover Washington, Jr. - "Winelight" from Winelight (1980) - This song is timeless. I never got to see Grover Washington, Jr. live in concert but his music definitely lives on. Crooner Kurt Elling recorded a vocalese version of this song on his Man in the Air CD in 2003.

12 - Phyllis Hyman - "Betcha by Golly, Wow" from Best of Norman Connors & Friends (1992) - Phyllis recorded this classic Thom Bell/Linda Creed ballad with Norman Connors in 1976. Every time I hear this song, I just want to melt. Her voice was like velvet and she definitely left us way too soon.

13 - Gladys Knight & The Pips - "Still Such a Thing" - from All About Love (1980) - This great ballad comes from one of the two albums (Touch in 1981) that Ashford and Simpson produced for Gladys Knight & The Pips. Other hits on this album included "Landlord", "Bourgié Bourgié" and "Taste of Bitter Love." Oddly enough, this album was never released on CD but several of the songs can be found on compilation albums.

14 - Ashford & Simpson - "Bourgié Bourgié" from Stay Free (1979) - It is one of the few Ashford and Simpson instrumentals and it features Valerie on piano. This was actually a disco hit. Words were added later and Gladys Knight & The Pips recorded it on their All About Love album which A&S produced in 1980.

15 - Quincy Jones - "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" from Sounds...and Stuff Like That!! (1978) - This is a rich arrangement of this Stevie Wonder classic. Quincy's goddaughter Patti Austin is featured prominently on this album. She is vocally backed here by the New York Super Singer which included Gwen Guthrie, Lani Groves, Vivian Cherry, Yolanda McCullough, Tom Bahler, Luther Vandross, Zach Sanders, Bill Eaton, and Frank Floyd. This singers like these, you definitely could not miss a beat.

16 - Leon Huff - "I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin'" from Here to Create Music (1980) - Leon Huff of Huff and Gamble penned this classic and swings a mean Hammond organ. When I played this song for a friend, he wanted to know how old I was because he said I had no business knowing about this song. Some folks knew it as a great roller skating song. I knew it as a song to used at the end of radio show for Chicago disc jockey. I also knew it as the end of night song at a couple of clubs back in the day. This week, it will be a soulful groove to help you in the kitchen as you prepare your holiday meal.

NEWS FROM:
Cultural Arts and Marketing Division
City of Oakland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 15, 2005

Media Contact: Andrea Leal
(510) 238-6843

OAKLAND CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM GRANT APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE
City of Oakland Offers Arts Education, Organizational, and Individual Artist Grants

OAKLAND, Calif. (November 15, 2005) - The City of Oakland's Cultural Funding Program has announced that individual artists and arts organizations maypick up applications for its Fiscal Year 2006-07 Cultural Funding Program at Oakland Public Library branch locations or the Cultural Arts offices in Oakland City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 9th Floor. Applications are also available online at www.oaklandculturalarts.org.

The Cultural Funding Program offers four different grant categories for Fiscal Year 2006-07 through which approximately $1 million will be awarded: the annual Project Support for Individuals and Organizations, Art in the Schools, and Organizational Assistance for nonprofit organizations with a two-year funding history with the program. All applicants must be Oakland-based, and all activities proposed for Project Support and Art in the Schools must be presented in Oakland. The grants support art activities in Oakland that will occur between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. The Cultural Funding Program relies on a competitive panel process to determine award recipients and funding allocations. Individual Artist Project Grants support up to $4,999 for Oakland resident individual artists producing public art activities in Oakland. Past recipients have been awarded funds for activities such as performing arts, classes and workshops, exhibits, and literary activities. Completed Individual Artist applications are due on January 6, 2006. Organization Project Grants support up to 20 percent of the project expenses up to $20,000 of Oakland-based nonprofit organizations producing public art activities in Oakland such as performing arts, classes and workshops, exhibits and literary activities. Completed Organization Project applications are due on January 6, 2006.

This is one of the best quotes that describe the magic of Shirley Horn's music. The past few weeks have definitely been an education for me in Shirley Horn's music. Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support on this project. Preparing the final disc in My Shirley Horn Box Set was quite a challenge because her music pulls me in every direction. I thought about doing all ballads for the last disc but I like mixing her swinging tunes with her signature ballads. I originally wanted to put just 15 songs on each radio blog but as I would create the playlist, another song would pop in my head that I would just have to include. I created this playlist a few weeks ago so I would at least have a framework in place. I knew which songs I wanted to begin and end with but it was the selection of the songs in between start and finish that kept me scratching my head. Over the course of this adventure, I have managed to pull at least one song from almost every Shirley Horn CD I own. Hopefully, more of her music will be released from the vaults especially her first album, Embers and Ashes, which recently sold for $177.50 on eBay. I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have enjoy sharing it. If I have missed one of your favorites, don't worry for I will be sharing more of Shirley's music in future radio blogs. Now sit back in your home or cubicle, turn the lights down low and enjoy the "whispery voice that conjured cashmere and cognac", Ms. Shirley Valerie Horn.

My Shirley Horn Box Set - Disc 4 (listen here!)

01 - Shirley Horn - "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from You Won't Forget Me (1991) - There is a natural build to a Shirley Horn ballad that is demonstrated here. She introduces the verse and each time she repeats it, there is a little more intensity until it reaches the boiling point but she never breaks a sweat. Just as quickly she brings the fire back down to simmer without missing a beat.

02 - Shirley Horn - "Come Dance With Me" from You Won't Forget Me (1991) - This is the companion song to "The Music That Makes Me Dance." The pairing of the two songs is quite exquisite. Shirley originally recorded this song on her Shirley Horn with Horns album released in 1963.

03 - Shirley Horn - "Green(It's Not Easy Being Green)" from Light Out of Darkness: A Tribute to Ray Charles (1993) - We commonly know this as the "Kermit the Frog" song but Shirley was inspired to record it after hearing Ray Charles sing it. From the liner notes she says: "I didn't pay too much attention to it until I heard Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street do it then I heard Ray do it. It was then when I started to think about the lyric", recalls the singer. "Look at my house - it's green, but it's not just because I love the color green. The lyric goes: 'Green is the color of the leaves/Green can be cool and friendly-like/Green is big like a mountain, deep like the ocean and tall like a tree/Green is all there is to be.' Why not be green? I listen to the lyrics because they are so important to me - because I'm green."

04 - Shirley Horn - "That Old Black Magic" from Loads of Love + Shirley Horn with Horns (1963) - I love the way this song fades in with Shirley's sultry vocals over a very nice bossa nova groove.

05 - Shirley Horn - "How Long Has This Been Going On" from Softly (1988) - For this beautiful ballad, Shirley chose to sing an alternate lyric that was written for Audrey Hepburn to sing in the 1957 movie "Funny Face."

06 - Shirley Horn - "I'm Old Fashioned" from A Lazy Afternoon (1978) - This swinging tune comes from her first of four albums for SteepleChase. It features Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums.

07 - Shirley Horn - "So I Love You" from Close Enough for Love (1989) - This was the premiere of this song with music and lyrics by Carroll Coates, who wrote "London by Night" and the lyric for Peter Nero's "Sunday in New York" (which Shirley recorded on her Travelin' Light album.)

08 - Shirley Horn - "I Just Found Out About Love" from You Won't Forget Me (1991) - Another swinging tune from this great album. Shirley accompanies herself on piano incredibly well but that is a given (big grin!!)

09 - Shirley Horn - "A Taste of Honey" from Where Are You Going? (1972) - This song opens showcasing Shirley classical training then shifts to a rhythm that is reminiscent of Miles Davis' "All Blues" and closes with a quiet verse that is as sweet as honey.

10 - Shirley Horn - "You'd Be So Nice To Home To" from All Night Long (1981) - Shirley and her trio recorded this Cole Porter tune at the Northsea Jazz Festival in Holland.

11 - Shirley Horn - "In The Dark" from Loving You (1997) - The last time I saw Shirley in concert earlier this year, she paid tribute to Ray Charles with a spirited version of this song.

12 - Shirley Horn - "Just In Time" from I Love You, Paris (1994) - The piano intro on this jaunty tune is very similar to "Nice 'n' Easy." Shirley recorded this song during her 2 and 1/2 hour concert at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France on March 7, 1992.

13 - Shirley Horn - "I Wanna Be Loved" from Close Enough for Love (1989) - Shirley smolders on this Johnny Green-Billy Rose-Edward Heyman standard. She sings "I feel like acting my age. I'm past the stage of merely turtledoving."Now can someone tell what "turtledoving" means? I imagine it to be one of those polite words of the golden age to describe romance.

14 - Shirley Horn - "Our Love Is Here To Stay" from I Thought About You: Live at Vine St. (1987) - A Gershwin gem from her debut Verve album.

15 - Shirley Horn - "I Got Lost in His Arms" from Your My Thrill (2001) - Shirley orginally recorded this Irving Berlin tune on her Close Enough for Love album. For this rendition, Johnny Mandel clothes her vocals with beautiful orchestration.

16 - Shirley Horn - "Loads of Love" from But Beautiful - The Best of Shirley Horn (2005) - After listening to this song and hearing Shirley say "well, that's it", I imagine this to be the closing song for one of her nights of live recording at Au Bar in New York City in January 2005. You can tell she was having a fun time on this tune. She originally recorded this Richard Rodgers song on her Loads of Love album so it is great to hear her fresh take on this classic song.

17 - Shirley Horn - "Dindi" from All of Me (1987) - Shirley handles this Jobim classic with velvet gloves. She also has a beautiful piano solo. This album is a Japanese import and I was able to find it on eBay.

18 - Shirley Horn - "I've Got Plenty O' Nothin'" from I Remember Miles (1998) - Shirley received nine consecutive Grammy nominations for her Verve recordings and received a Grammy for this tribute album to her friend and mentor, Miles Davis. This album includes mostly ballads but Shirley swings here. Roy Hargrove is featured on trumpet.

19 - Shirley Horn - "Blue in Green" from I Remember Miles (1998) - There is poignant moment in this instrumental ballad when Shirley pauses and sings, " honey from a horn so sweet" which expresses her love for Miles Davis. You could easily imagine her voice as horn.

20 - Shirley Horn - "May The Music Never End" from May the Music Never End (2003) - A very reflective title song that conveys a powerful message, "may the music never end." It was composed by Artie Butler who also composed "Here's to Life" which has become Shirley's signature ballad.

Thank you Shirley!

Sunday, November 20th - 5 p.m.
Crystal Ballroom - San Francisco

“As he performed two sold-out shows at Lincoln Center, Mr. de Haas elicited the same sense of awe produced by Stevie Wonder’s best records. The earth opened up and released a torrent. The seasons flashed by; passions flared and died; new life took root.” (New York Times). Witness the Bay Area debut of this Obie Award-winning Broadway actor (Running Man, Rent, Kiss of the Spider Woman). Tickets $45 (subscribers $40)

Ticket and show information

From WGBO:

Many musicians have been influenced by the slow, delicate sounds of Shirley Horn. Before her recent passing, artists including Regina Carter, Stefon Harris and Lizz Wright came together to pay tribute to Horn in a special concert from the Kennedy Center. We bring you this concert TONIGHT in this evening’s broadcast of JazzSet with DeeDee Bridgewater, beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST. Click here for more.

We will never forget her music.

Welcome back again for another amazing journey into the music of Shirley Horn. These past couple of weeks have been filled with adventure as I discover old and new songs that I am hearing again or for the first time. This week's radio blog features three songs that Shirley recorded on albums that were not her own.

I read a great quote from Shirley yesterday on the SF Chronicle Culture Blog that provides a little glimpse into this great woman:

"I've always been a night child, you know," Horn says. "I'm a romanticist, a very emotional person. The kind of stuff I do is more conducive to late night. We were in California recently, and we had to play at 8 p.m. People were just finishing dinner. And someone asked me for 'Love for Sale.' And I said, 'I can't do it. Child, I don't even start talking till 3 or 4, when my husband comes home.'"

My Shirley Horn Box Set - Disc 3 (listen here!)

01 - Shirley Horn - "Hit The Road Jack" from Light Out of Darkness: A Tribute to Ray Charles (1993) - Shirley and her sidemen (The Hornettes) swing on this Ray Charles classic gem.

02 - Shirley Horn - "You're My Thrill" - from Your My Thrill (2001) - This song came from the 1933 screen comedy "Jimmy and Sally" and was memorably recorded by Billie Holiday. Shirley also recorded this song on her Softly album. Johnny Mandel again provides the rich orchestrations for this album as he did on her Here's to Life album. This was also the last full length album on which Shirley played piano and recorded with her longtime bassist, Charles Ables, before he died in 2001.

03 - Shirley Horn - "Get Out of Town" from Close Enough for Love (1989) - Shirley swings hard on this Cole Porter song.

04 - Shirley Horn - "Once I Loved" - from Close Enough for Love (1989) - A double dose from this wonderful album. I love the way Shirley interprets a Jobim song. It is romantic and lush.

05 - Shirley Horn - "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" from But Beautiful - The Best of Shirley Horn (2005) - This was one of the live bonus track that Shirley recorded at Au Bar in January 2005 in New York City. You can hear her having a fun time on this Rodgers and Hart classic. I loved her playful laughter at the end of the song when says "I love you" to trumpeter Roy Hargrove who performs an excellent solo here.

06 - Shirley Horn - " Since I Fell for You" from Softly (1988) - This blues ballad was one of the most requested songs in Shirley's club appearances. She builds the song into an intense climax. You can hear some influences of Ray Charles here as well.

07 - Shirley Horn - "All or Nothing at All" from The Main Ingredient (1996) - She recorded this album in her Washington, D.C. home in 1995. It features Joe Henderson and Buck Hill on tenor sax, Steve Novosel on bass, and the drum machine, Elvin Jones on drums.

08 - Shirley Horn - "Where Do You Start?" from Shirley Horn with Strings: Here's to Life (1992) - This is a very beautiful ballad and one of the two songs on this magnificent album where Shirley did not accompany herself. After I did the first radio blog of Shirley's music, I got an IM one evening from someone asking, "Where is the break up song?" I guess I had always focused on the beauty of the song in spite of its unfortunate outcome.

09 - Shirley Horn - "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" from I Love You, Paris (1994) - Shirley originally recorded this song on her Shirley Horn with Horns album which was originally mis-titled Shirley Horn with Horn even though she is holding four horns on the album cover.

10 - Shirley Horn - "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" from Charlie Haden Quartet West: The Art of Song (1999) - This one of the four beautiful ballads that Shirley recorded on Charlie Haden's album. It is very warm and reflective. I also got my first exposure to vocal crooner Bill Henderson who also recorded several songs on this album.

11 - Shirley Horn - "The Boy From Ipanema" from Antonio Carlos Jobim & Friends (1996) - Shirley has recorded several Jobim song's throughout her musical career. His ballads lend perfectly to her amazing use of space and silence in her music. For this album, she sings a swinging rendition of the classic "The Girl from Ipanema" with a little twist on the words to fit her impeccable taste.

12 - Shirley Horn - "You'd Better Go Now" from Glengarry Glen Ross Original Movie Soundtrack (1992) - This is where my love affair with Shirley Horn began. I bought this soundtrack, I played this song over and over, and when she sang "There's a moon above and it gives my heart a lot of swing. In your eyes, there's love and the way I feel, it must be spring," my heart was hers for life. Johnny Mandel arranged and conducted this beautiful song. I was also introduced to the music of Jimmy Scott on this soundtrack.

13 - Shirley Horn - "Mack the Knife" from Loads of Love + Shirley Horn with Horns (1963) - I enjoyed what Shirley did with this Ella Fitzgerald classic.

14 - Shirley Horn - "Yesterday" from May the Music Never End (2003) - In recent years, when Shirley sang this Beatles song in concert, it would silence the room for her style was slow and reflective. She would sing "I'm not half the girl I used to be. There's a shadow hanging over me." and it would almost bring you to tears.

15 - Shirley Horn - "Old Country" from I Love You, Paris (1994) - This song was also a concert favorite especially when Shirley put that extra umph on "For don't nobody neeeeeed no oooold man." It would definitely make you smile.

16 - Shirley Horn - "Isn't It A Pity" from Shirley Horn with Strings: Here's to Life (1992) - Shirley enjoyed being able to tell a story with her music. In this Gershwin ballad, she sings of a romance that has finally comes together after years of these two people living their respective lives.

17 - Shirley Horn - "The Best is Yet to Come" from Your My Thrill (2001) - No one could accompany Shirley on piano better than she could. Nobody.

18 - Shirley Horn - "You Won't Forget Me" from You Won't Forget Me (1991) - After many years of mutual admiration, Shirley and Miles collaborated on this prophetic ballad and the result is magical. Their styles and phrasing compliment each other very well. In addition, drummer Steve Williams keeps a steady beat while Charles Ables produces a solid groove on the bass.

Thank you very much for listening and stay tune next week for Disc 4 of My Shirley Horn Box Set, which will complete this wonderful radio blog series.

Enjoy your music!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2005
Media Contact: Jason Arnold
831/373.3366, cell 510/326.4353
Jason@montereyjazzfestival.org
For high-resolution photos, please visit
http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/presskit/photos.htm

MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL "JAZZ AT SUNSET" FALL 2005 CONCERT SERIES TO
FEATURE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA

"GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN" CHRISTMAS SHOW TO TAKE PLACE ON TUESDAY,
DECEMBER 6 AT SUNSET CENTER IN CARMEL, CA

CONCERT SERIES DETAILS:
"Go Tell It On the Mountain"
The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show
Tuesday, December 6, 8:00pm
Sunset Center, Mission Street at 8th Avenue
Carmel By The Sea, CA 93922
$60 / $40 / $30
Ticket Information: 925-275-9255
www.montereyjazzfestival.org

October 31, 2005; Monterey, California; When the Blind Boys of Alabama come to town, Jolly Old St. Nick follows close behind. Bringing the joy of the holidays with them, the legendary gospel singers return to Carmel for a rousing special performance as part of the Monterey Jazz Festival's "Jazz at Sunset" Fall 2005 Concert Series on December 6 at the historic and acoustically acclaimed Sunset Center. Because last year's "Jazz at Sunset" concert with the Blind Boys of Alabama sold out, patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets as quickly as possible.

Formed six and a half decades ago, The Blind Boys of Alabama predate Elvis, Little Richard and Al Green. Still active in their 70's, they have earned three consecutive Grammy Awards in the past three years and remain on the top of the gospel charts. "Go Tell It On the Mountain," the Blind Boys of Alabama's Christmas Show, gives fans the special opportunity to get into the holiday spirit with the legendary singers. The Blind Boys will delve into songs featured on their star-studded landmark 2003 album of the same name, delivering their soulful, toe-tapping gospel interpretations of holiday classics such as "Joy to the World," "Away in the Manger," "Born in Bethlehem," and "White Christmas." With such a stirring repertoire, The Blind Boys of Alabama are sure to sweep the Monterey Peninsula into the holiday season with a whirlwind of rousing music and festive goodwill.

Sunset Center, the site of the first jazz concert presentations on the Monterey Peninsula by Monterey Jazz Festival founder Jimmy Lyons, offers luxurious seating in a beautiful historic venue. Located on San Carlos between 8th and 10th in downtown Carmel, Sunset Center offers parking on site.

Jazz at Sunset partner, Inns of Monterey, offers jazz fans a "Jazz at Sunset Getaway" with special rates. Patrons are invited to call for details (800/232-4141). The Monterey Jazz Festival also thanks Jazz at Sunset media partners including the Monterey County Weekly, KION and KCBA.

Tickets for the Spring 2005 Jazz at Sunset concert series are available from the Monterey Jazz Festival Box Office (925/275-9255) or online at www.montereyjazzfestival.org.