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Jazzmeia Horn

Award-winning vocalist Jazzmeia Horn announces her ever-expanding talents with the release of her first big-band effort, Dear Love, a recording that brims with the combination of her assured delivery and spoken world segments, deft arrangements and fiery musical ideas.

While the album functions as a platform for Horn to showcase both her perception of the world and her endlessly unfolding talents, it also granted the composer a setting to expound on personal experiences, shuttling them through a sui generis musical prism.

“‘Where We Are’ really speaks on my history — where my ancestors have been and where we are now,” Horn said about a track filigreed with strings from the new album, which is set for release Sept. 10 on the vocalist’s own Empress Legacy Records. “All of our actions now will determine our future, and all of our actions in the past have determined our present. We know that. Based on what we do now, that's how we create a better future for our children and for future generations. It’s important because not a lot of people think about that. We've got global warming and all these other problems because people want to do what they want to do without thinking about the repercussions.”

Elsewhere on Dear Love, Horn swings on an interpretation of classics “He’s My Guy” and “Lover Come Back to Me”; displays her vocal range and ability to summon the emotional content of her writing on the slinky “Let Us”; contemplates purpose on the subtle and intriguing “NIA”; and closes the album with “Where is Freedom!?,” a tune deeply rooted in a vamp that would have suited Nina Simone.

Horn said the 15-piece Noble Force ensemble she put together for Dear Love revolved around her regular rhythm section — pianist Keith Brown, bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Anwar Marshall — which had played the tunes collected here in different arrangements while on the road. Saxophonist Bruce Williams’ leadership in the alto section also was indispensable to the album’s full realization.

“Strive,” a stately composition from the record focused upon Horn’s soaring vocal and her ensemble’s plangent horns, finds the bandleader proclaiming determination and power atop a recondite arrangement, expertly navigated by the Noble Force.

“‘Strive’ is my mantra right now, because there's so much going on in the world,” Horn said. “For me personally, I’m a mom, I’m buying a new house, my children are starting school, there's paperwork for everything. The pressure is pressing, and I'm like, ‘OK, strive.’ So many people relate to that idea. When I shared the song with a friend who lives in Texas, she was like, ‘I have bills piled up. I just finished college and my student loans are hanging over my head, and my job is not really doing anything for me.’ She said that listening to that song really helped her to get through the day. And that's what I want for everybody.”

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Album Review

Harry Skoler: Living in Sound - The Music of Charles Mingus

Read "Living in Sound - The Music of Charles Mingus" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Tra i vari tributi alle composizioni di Charles Mingus, pubblicati nell'anno del centenario della nascita, questo di Harry Skoler conferma la plasticità di quei temi, articolati e mutevoli, frutto della sua complessa personalità. L'autore e primo solista di questo progetto è un clarinettista--già allievo di Jimmy Giuffre al New England Conservatory e da anni professore al Berklee College--la cui vita è stata radicalmente influenzata dalla passione per l'opera di Mingus. In collaborazione col sassofonista ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

A Vocal Tangent, Globe Trotting Tunes + New Releases

Read "A Vocal Tangent, Globe Trotting Tunes + New Releases" reviewed by David Brown


This week, recent releases from The Sun Ra Arkestra, Tim Berne & Matt Mitchell, Angelica Sanchez Trio, Gordon Grdina Nomad Trio. A vocal tangent with Freda Payne, June Christy, Camille Bertault. We also look to upcoming Philly shows from Zoh Amba, Mary Halvorson & Jazzmeia Horn. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 00:30 Sun Ra Arkestra Directed by Marshall Allen “Firefly" from Living Sky Omni Sound 02:20 Sun Ra Arkestra Directed by ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Sorry To See You Go - More Holiday Music From CeCe Gable, Amanda Turre Plus Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force

Read "Sorry To See You Go - More Holiday Music From CeCe Gable, Amanda Turre Plus Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force" reviewed by Mary Foster Conklin


This Boxing Day broadcast presents holiday music from CeCe Gable, Andromeda Turre and Laura Wells, with new releases from Amy Engelhardt and Jazzmeia Horn, plus birthday shoutouts to Edith Piaf, Sue Maskaleris, Roberta Gambarini and more. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music during this time of pandemic so they can continue to distract, comfort and inspire. Playlist Dave Stryker “O Tannenbaum" from Single (Self Released ) 00:00 CeCe Gable “Next ...

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Live Review

Jazzmeia Horn at Jazz Alley

Read "Jazzmeia Horn at Jazz Alley" reviewed by Paul Rauch


Jazzmeia Horn Jazz Alley Seattle, WA December 7, 2021 The arrival of jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn in Seattle for a two-day run at Jazz Alley represented in many ways, the return of international touring jazz artists to the esteemed and historic venue, after a fall that featured resident jazz artists and r&b stars. The second set of the stay on December 7 was seemingly a comfortable fit for the quartet, as they took a focused and reposed ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

Great Young Singers - Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift

Read "Great Young Singers - Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charenee Wade, Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift" reviewed by Russell Perry


In 1987, the first Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition was held. Among the winners were Marcus Roberts and Joey DeFrancesco. On a roughly annual basis, the competition is held, now focussing on a different instrument each year and renamed in 2019 the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Competition. The competitions in 2010 and 2015 celebrated vocalists and the juries which included Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves and Luciana Souza recognized Cécile McLorin ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Some Girls' (Voices) Are Bigger Than Others

Read "Some Girls' (Voices) Are Bigger Than Others" reviewed by Patrick Burnette


Female vocalists take the stage this episode, with voices ranging from small and whispery to bold 'n' brassy and approaches ranging from the hardest of hardcore jazz to relatively pop-oriented (if not populist or low-brow). Most of these are brand new releases, so grab them up and support musicians stuck, with the rest of us, in lock-down mode. Pop matters trots out some obscure artists including Faun Fables, Paolo Nutini and Lorna Hunt. Playlist Discussion of Leslie ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Jazzmeia, Newk, Bird, Dave & More

Read "Jazzmeia, Newk, Bird, Dave & More" reviewed by Marc Cohn


Showtime, don't ya know? Jazzmeia Horn was scheduled to perform in Baton Rouge recently, but the gig got 'coronaed.' So, we do a mini-concert here, and hope she can reschedule when this plague dissipates. Shoot, they even cancelled the St. Patrick's Day parade here; so you know this is serious business. We also continue centennial celebrations for Dave Brubeck (Time Further Out) and Charlie Parker (recreating a Savoy 45rpm release). More Sonny Rollins, too: this time with Monk from the ...

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Performance / Tour

World-renowned Smoke Jazz Club Kick-starts The Fall Season With Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, Pianists Billy Childs And George Cables, And Album Release By Eddie Henderson, And More

World-renowned Smoke Jazz Club Kick-starts The Fall Season With Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, Pianists Billy Childs And George Cables, And Album Release By Eddie Henderson, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations

Rated the #1 Jazz Club in New York City (Secret NYC), Smoke Jazz Club begins a new season with some heavy hitters starting with a Labor Day weekend run with the Peter Bernstein Quartet featuring Al Foster (Aug 31-Sep 3). Hailed as “2023 Record Label of the Year (Jazz Journalists Association), Smoke Sessions Records releases Eddie Henderson’s Witness to History album complemented by a four-night concert series at the club (Sep 7-10). Celebrating their Smoke Jazz Club debuts are renowned ...

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Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Introducing Jazzmeia Horn

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Introducing Jazzmeia Horn

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring singer Jazzmeia Horn, who will make her St. Louis debut with performances starting this coming Wednesday, May 8 though Sunday, May 12 at Jazz St. Louis. Originally from Dallas, TX, Horn, 28, began singing in church as a young girl and went on to graduate from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in her hometown. After moving to NYC to attend the New School for ...

Award / Grant

Jazzmeia Horn Named Winner Of The Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition

Jazzmeia Horn Named Winner Of The Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition

Source: Josh Balber

Newark, NJ – An iconic panel of judges awarded Jazzmeia Horn first place in the second annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the search for the next great female vocalist and the world’s largest competition of its kind, held Sunday, November 10, 2013 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J. Ms. Horn won the SASSY AWARD, a $5,000 prize, with a rendition of “East of the Sun” that brought the crowd to its feet in appreciation ...

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Award / Grant

Jazzmeia Horn Receives The "Rising Star" Award At Inaugural Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Jazzmeia Horn Receives The "Rising Star" Award At Inaugural Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Source: Nu Jazz Entertainment

On October 21, 2012 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ as part of the inaugural James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival, NJPAC, JAZZ ROOTS and WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM held the first Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, a search for the world’s next great female jazz vocalists. Among those receiving honors were Jazzmeia Horn, recipient of the inaugural Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition “Rising Star” award. From over (800) contestants, over (15) semi-finalists, ...

134

Performance / Tour

Jazz Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn Taking Jazz World By Storm

Jazz Vocalist Jazzmeia Horn Taking Jazz World By Storm

Source: Nu Jazz Entertainment

In the last 40 years few vocalist have emerged whom seemed poised to leave an undeniable mark in the world of jazz. Now Jazzmeia Horn, seems able to do just that. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, and currently enrolled in the New School Jazz program, led by Martin Mueller, Ms. Horn's ability to turn a musical phrase from words to feeling is reminiscent of the late, and undeniably great Sarah Vaughn, while owning a voice that is truly her own. Where ...

"[Jazzmeia]Horn, A student at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Horn brought the crowd to its feet singing “Sweet Georgia Brown.” - New Jersey Star Ledger

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vocals

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Compton's Finest

Savant Records
2023

buy

Living in Sound - The...

Sunnyside Records
2022

buy

Love & Liberation

Concord Jazz
2019

buy

A Social Call

Prestige Records
2017

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Videos

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