Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Sheila Jordan: Little Song

195

Sheila Jordan: Little Song

By

Sign in to view read count
Sheila Jordan: Little Song
There's a lot to be said for experience. That may be especially true for singers. The knowledge of how to get inside a song and really convey the meaning of a lyric isn't something most younger singers, even those with pretty voices (and faces) can do with the skill of a seasoned performer like Sheila Jordan, who celebrated her 75th birthday with a fine new release, Little Song, and a grand two-night stand last month at the Jazz Standard with Steve Kuhn's trio.

Jordan's voice itself is limited, even fragile at times, but she knows how to make each song her own by playing with melody, phrasing and tempo. And while decades of struggle in the jazz trenches have lent a wisdom and authority to her singing, she's retained a playfulness and sassiness that's hard to resist. Listen, for example, as she purrs and flirts her way through chestnuts like "Hello Young Lovers," "Autumn in New York," and "When I Grow Too Old to Dream." More than just a standards singer, Jordan's also an accomplished improviser, as she proves on Charlie Parker's "Barbados" and the pair of Native American chants that open and close the set.

With sympathetic backing from Kuhn's fine trio and special guest Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn, Sheila Jordan shows that jazz, like so many other things, only improves with age.

Track Listing

Little Song/Blackbird; Autumn in New York; Barbados; On a Slow Boat to China; Hello, Young Lovers; Fairweather; Something's Gotta Give; If I Should Lose You; The Way He Captured Me; Deep Tango; The Touch of Your Lips; When I Grow Too Old to Dream; Little Song.

Personnel

Sheila Jordan: vocals; Steve Kuhn: piano; Billy Drummond: drums; David Finck: bass; Tom Harrell: trumpet, flugelhorn.

Album information

Title: Little Song | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Blue Note

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.