For Jazzmeia Horn, this concert defined a moment. This was The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, after all, one of the most prestigious stages in the America jazz circuit. "Not a lot of people get that opportunity," she reflected, not only to show up for herself and her art, but to act as a good steward of jazz music, an African American art form and legacy by which the idioms of today's industry, according to Horn, don't always reflect the culture of a specific people. She hand-picked an entirely Black and brown team from bandmates to to hair and makeup and even a hired backstage film crew, people she knew would share a common goal. "I was nit-picky on everything," Horn says. She even made sure everybody was well-fed backstage, so they could honor this music with the highest possible energy and focus.
Horn didn't know it at the time but this would be her last performance before the pandemic shuttered music venues around the world. Since then, she has been grateful for more time with her daughters; she recently took them to the beach. Horn finished a book, too. Due out in August, Through My Eyes: The Jazzmeia Horn Approach offers methods for singers to use their voices to sing as well as advocate for themselves. Her online teaching work has bloomed into a self-supported community of singers who offer tips and feedback through a private Facebook group, something by which she continually feels awestruck in a time when human-to-human connection has become somewhat nontraditional. She has also had time to reflect on her successes, from growing up in a poor family in Dallas, Texas, and moving to New York City for college to earning Grammy nominations for each of the full-length albums she's released so far. That's not to mention the countless accolades stemming from her most recent record and namesake for this concert: Love and Liberation. Join us at 10:30 a.m. ET to watch the show.
Set List
- "Please Do Something" (Betty Carter)
- "Willow Weep For Me" (Ann Ronell)
- "I Thought About You" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Lyrics by Johnny Mercer)
- "Out The Window"
- "The Peacocks (A Timeless Place)" (Jimmy Rowles, Lyrics by Norma Winstone)
- "Searchin' "
- "Green Eyes" (Victor E. Cooke, James Jason Poyser & Erykah Badu)
- "When I Say"
- "Time"
- "Free Your Mind"
Musicians
Jazzmeia Horn: bandleader, voice; Keith Brown: piano, Eric Wheeler: bass, Anwar Marshall: drums; Josh Evans: trumpet; Jaleel Shaw: alto saxophone; Alexandria Johnson: dance.
Credits
Producers: Justin Bias, Colin Marshall, Vernil Rogers; Recording and Mix Engineer: Rob Macomber; Video Director: Jim Sapione; Videographers: Hiram Becker, Peter Garafalo; Editor: Annabel Edwards; Project Manager: Suraya Mohamed; Senior Producers: Colin Marshall, Katie Simon; Supervising Editor: Keith Jenkins; Senior Director of NPR Music: Lauren Onkey; Executive Producers: Gabrielle Armand, Anya Grundmann.
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