How Am I To Know – 1992
Shirley Horn
The singer-pianist makes every note count
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One of the finest singer-pianists in jazz history, Shirley Horn (1934-2005) made a strong impression in the early 1960s (Miles Davis was an admirer), took time off to raise her daughter, and became a household name in the jazz world when she returned full force in the late 1970s/1980s.
A very good pianist whose singing style was a strong influence on the phrasing of Diana Krall, Horn is heard in excellent form as she makes a 1930s standard, “How Am I To Know,” her own.
Joined by her longtime sidemen (bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams), she makes every note (and sound) count during a lightly swinging performance.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald