“My goodness, SHIRLEY HORN, that is some modulation.†So marvels MARIAN McPARTLAND at the conclusion of Horn’s rendition of “Violets for Your Furs,†heard on The Jazz Alliance’s newest Piano Jazz CD (street date 2/28).
Taped for McPartland’s National Public Radio program in December 1984, three years before the release of I Thought About You, Horn’s breakthrough album for Verve, the 55-minute session is a musical delight. The two women quickly establish a warm and mirthful rapport punctuated with more than a few contagious belly laughs.
Horn has three vocal features (â€I Could Have Told You,†“Violets…,†“There’s No Youâ€), and finds common ground with McPartland as they duet on three “dirty old blues†(â€Billie’s Bounce,†“Cherry,†“Shirley’s Bluesâ€) and a slice of Ellingtonia (â€Love You Madlyâ€). The women’s unabashed mutual admiration and sterling musicianship make this document all the more precious in light of Shirley Horn’s passing just four months ago, at the age of 71.