Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Shirley Horn
(Photo: ©Brian McMillen, courtesy of Resonance Records)Singer and pianist Shirley Horn (1934–2005) was a jazz trailblazer, a female artist whose immense talent put her securely in the company of such jazz legends as Miles Davis, who once said of Horn, “If she don’t play, I ain’t gonna play” during a performance at the Village Vanguard.
This fall, fans of Horn will have an opportunity to hear a live album of previously unreleased tracks. On Sept. 16, Resonance Records will issue Live At The 4 Queens, featuring Horn and her veteran bandmates, bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams.
Originally recorded by Las Vegas NPR affiliate KNPR on May 2, 1988, at the 4 Queens Hotel, the album will be available as a deluxe CD package and a digital download.
Live At The 4 Queens was recorded about a year after Horn’s milestone 1987 album I Thought About You (Verve), which was viewed as the “comeback” record that reignited her international touring career after a nearly 20-year hiatus—during which she focused primarily on raising her daughter in her hometown of Washington, D.C.
The album includes a 56-page book documenting Horn’s life and career, featuring interviews conducted by Resonance Records producer Zev Feldman, who topped the Rising Star—Producer category of the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll. Additional essays were contributed by journalist James Gavin, producers Jean-Philippe Allard and Richard Seidel, longtime Horn drummer Steve Williams, singer Sheila Jordan, jazz radio veteran Rusty Hassan, KNPR engineer Brian Sanders, manager Sheila Mathis and Horn’s daughter, Rainy Smith.
With nine tracks and more than 50 minutes of music, Live At The 4 Queens features Horn’s interpretations of popular songs, including “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To,” “The Boy From Ipanema” (Horn’s spin on the Antonio Carlos Jobim classic), “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “Lover Man” and others.
Championed in her early career by Davis and bandleader Quincy Jones, Horn was known for her supple touch at the keyboard and her ability to sustain momentum even at slow tempos, skills that made her a favorite of jazz critics.
A nine-time Grammy Award nominee, she eventually won for Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1999 for her album I Remember Miles, produced by Seidel.
Horn was named a 2005 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master, the highest honor bestowed on U.S. jazz musicians. She died on Oct. 20 of that year.
Producer Feldman said the new release will help preserve Horn’s influential legacy. “We want this CD and album book to remind us why she was great, why she mattered,” he said.
Live At The 4 Queens will be released with the participation of KNPR Las Vegas. Sound restoration was overseen by George Klabin and Fran Gala, and the album’s packaging was the creation of Resonance designer Burton Yount. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes.
For more information, visit the Resonance Records website.
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Cécile McLorin Salvant busts out Jelly Roll Morton’s “The Murder Ballad” at Big Ears, here with pianist Sullivan Fortner.
Apr 7, 2026 1:21 PM
There’s pluralism, then there’s PLURALISM! — and then there’s Big Ears. Thurston Moore, who participated in…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
“We thought it’s important that Ronin has a new statement,” said Nik Bärtsch of his band’s latest album, Spin. “The sound is differently produced, so it reflects more of who we are.”
Apr 21, 2026 10:00 AM
Nik Bärtsch cuts an imposing figure on stage. He’s unmistakable with his soul patch, shaven head and black attire.…
Bollani demonstrates at the piano during a live Blindfold Test in Umbria, Italy, while writer Ashley Kahn, right, and translator Greg Burk look on.
Mar 24, 2026 11:42 AM
Raconteur, bon vivant and popular television host Stefano Bollani is also one of Italy’s best-known pianists, a rare…
