Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ezra Weiss: The Shirley Horn Suite

Ezra Weiss: The Shirley Horn Suite

By Wilbert Sostre
April 22, 2011
View read count

Portland based pianist/composer Ezra Weiss' fifth release is a tribute to Shirley Horn, who died in 2005 at age 71. Horn was an excellent pianist and sensitive vocalist, and a Grammy Award-winner in 1991, for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

Weiss is certainly an extraordinaire composer, the winner of three ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards. Five of the nine compositions on The Shirley Horn Suite are Weiss originals, including "Shirley Horn's Sound Of Love," "May The Most You Wish For," the Broadway-influenced "Now That You Mention It" and "I Wish I'd Met You."

As a pianist, Weiss' style is subtle, playing just what is necessary to accompany Shirley Nanette's heartfelt vocals, minimalist and precise on instrumentals including "The Great City," "Blues For Porgy," "Estate," "Something Happens To Me" and Gershwin's "I Love You Porgy." His improvisations lean towards the harmonic, reminiscent at times of pianist like Vince Guaraldi and Ramsey Lewis.

Drummer Steve Williams and bassist Corcoran Holt—masterful musicians, both—complete the trio on this wonderful tribute to one of the best jazz singers of the late 20th century.

Track Listing

I Wish I'd Met You; The Great City; Shirley Horn's Sound Of Love; Blues For Shirley; I Love You Porgy; Now That You Mention It; Estate; Something Happens To Me; May The Most You Wish For.

Personnel

Ezra Weiss

piano

Ezra Weiss: piano; Corcoran Holt: bass; Steve Williams: drums; Shirley Nanette: vocals (1, 3, 6, 9)

Album information

Title: The Shirley Horn Suite | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Roark Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Latin Bird
< Previous

Student Ensemble and Martial Solal: ...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.