Shirley Horn Trio - The Garden Of The Blues (1984) [FLAC] (Live) Label SteepleChase Orig Year 1984 All Time Sales Rank 313993 CD Universe Part number 1788724 Catalog number 31203 Discs 1 Release Date Jul 29, 1994 Studio/Live Studio Mono/Stereo Stereo Additional Info Germany Track Listing: 01.Introduction 02 He's Gone Again 03. Old Country 04. Roaming Lover 05. Blue City 06. What Would A Woman Do? 07 He Never Mentioned Love 08. The Great City Review by Ken Dryden, AMG 4 Stars Shirley Horn covers several works by composer Curtis Lewis (who passed away prematurely at the age of 51 in 1969) in this 1984 trio concert at Florida Memorial College. Horn, who was introduced to Lewis by her manager, John Levy, during her debut recording session in 1960, recorded several of his works over her career, including "All Night Long," but the bittersweet nature of many of the songs heard in this performance is carried off beautifully by the singing pianist, particularly "He's Gone Again." The last four tracks comprising Lewis' "The Garden of the Blues Suite" are part narrative and part song, including the well-known composition "The Great City." Horn is in top form throughout the concert, with her soft, thoughtful vocals accompanied by her sensitive and sometimes swinging piano. Bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams provide terrific support as needed, though they sometimes lay out for a significant spell. Biography by Scott Yanow & Tim Sendra, AMG A superior ballad singer and a talented pianist, Shirley Horn put off potential success until finally becoming a major attraction while in her fifties. She studied piano from the age of four. After attending Howard University, Horn put together her first trio in 1954, and was encouraged in the early '60s by Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. She recorded three albums during 1963-1965 for Mercury and ABC/Paramount, but chose to stick around Washington, D.C., and raise a family instead of pursuing her career. In the early '80s, she began recording for SteepleChase, but Shirley Horn really had her breakthrough in 1987 when she started making records for Verve, an association that continued on records like 1998's I Remember Miles and 2001's You're My Thrill. Along the way she picked up many prestigious honors including seven Grammy nominations (and one win for Best Jazz Vocal Album with I Remember Miles), a 1996 induction into the Lionel Hampton Jazz Hall of Fame and France's the Academie Du Jazz's Prix Billie Holiday for her 1990 album Close Enough for Love. In 2001 Horn's health began to fail (she had her left foot amputated due to diabetes) and while it affected her piano playing, she continued to perform sporadically and recorded one final album for Verve, 2003's May the Music Never End. Horn passed away on October 20, 2005, due to complications from diabetes.