Customer Reviews

Here's to Life

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Simply put, the best jazz vocalist recording of the last 20 years. I've purchased numerous copies to give to people whose musical and aesthetic sensibilities I trust. If depression comes from the inability to find in nature beauty commensurate with that in the human psyche, this album is guaranteed to administer a cure. The choice of songs, the re-visioning of each song, the piano accompaniments of Horn herself, the trumpet work of Wynton Marsalis (who filled in at the last minute after Miles' untimely death), the transcendent arrangements of Johnny Mandel, and the sublime readings of Ms. Horn cannot account for this "miracle" of a recording whose meaning is far greater than the sum of the parts. Not since late Bill Evans have I heard anything this beautiful on record. It fact, it would be hard to leave it off of any list of five best jazz recordings ever.

I simply don't know how to review a cd such as this. It's so rare when a disc is released that says so much in such beautiful and remarkable ways that it literally leaves me in tears. Where do you start?

I had originally purchased this disc on a whim...I wasn't aware of how powerful Shirley's music/voice was but the song selection attracted me and being orchestrated by Johnny Mandel I thought it might be good for an occassional listen. Looking back I can only sit and wonder at my innocence. The sheer beauty of Ms. Horn's voice, the range, subtly of phrasing and simple "good taste" in performing each song is just short of a miracle. Songs such as "Where Do You Start?", "Return To Paradise" and of course the title track still thrill me with every listen and trust me when I say I've listened to this cd many, many times. And I am still in awe of what I hear. It is truly inspiring to hear a singer of Shirley's experience be able to bring not only a certain worldweariness to these selections but also a touch of inncocence that is hard to deny. That in itself is what makes Shirley Horn a truly great singer.... these simple contradictions in style! And, lest I forget, Johhny Mandel's sublime orchestration is truly the "second voice" on the cd. If anyone could complement Shirley's voice it would have to be J, Mandel's orch. Is it any wonder this disc has won several grammy's?

I can only hope that you will find yourself one day purchasing a copy of this amazing disc and finding out for yourself how simple, honest and mature music is still being performed.Believe me...this woman sings from which only time and experience can teach us.

Here's to Shirley....for giving us a wonderful gift!

Would that I could give Shirley Horn's combo-and-strings set 200 stars-- it's just that wonderful. Shirley plays to her usual high standards, and the orchestra just adds more gentle thrills. Johnny Mandel has carved a niche for himself as a sensitive, careful arranger for jazz singer/pianists, and this recording with Shirley Horn highlights his gifts: orchestrations that stay respectfully out of the vocalist's way (his pastel shadings mesh with Shirley's Impressionist chordings as perfectly as a Monet landscape), but maintain the same still intensity projected by the soloist. Shirley's voice projects a unique blend of wistful hope and world-weariness, but in the climax of the title song, her voice rings over the orchestra with spine-tingling power. Another highlight was the moving "You're Nearer", simply Shirley singing and playing without accompaniment; this performance can be analyzed for hours vis-à-vis its seamless union of piano and voice and silence-- or enjoyed as arguably one of the most perfect vocal ballads of our time, rivaling Shirley's "The Music that Makes Me Dance" on "You Won't Forget Me". A stunning CD.

I believe Shirley Horn and this CD are an undiscovered treasure. Well into her seventies and not recently in the best of health, Ms. Horn is a national treasure for jazz lovers. While she barely sings above a whisper, her emotion,timing and phrasing are on par with Sinatra--heady company indeed. This album showcases her vocal and piano skills in a golden light.Combined with the lush overlay of Johnny Mandel's beautiful string arrangements, this is a truly glorious cd that stays with you. Rarely have I seen a CD described on Amazon in such universally passionate and glorious terms.

In this unusual CD from 1992, her first CD with a full orchestra in almost thirty years, Shirley Horn teams up with composer/orchestra leader Johnny Mandel. Horn has always sung as part of a trio, playing piano (which she considers her primary skill) to the accompaniment of Charles Ables on bass and Steve Williams on drums, and she insisted on recording the songs on this CD originally with just Ables and Williams backing her. Mandel, adapting his own arrangements to her recordings, enhances and emphasizes her music instead of competing with it.

As is usually the case, Horn slows down her tempo and sings quietly, sometimes even whispering the words to convey the emotion and drama of the lyrics, as the violins and violas from Mandel's orchestra add to the romance quietly in the background, often playing only chords throughout. Most of the songs begin a capella (or nearly so) with Horn adding her piano to her voice before the song takes off.

Three of the most interesting songs are, not surprisingly, Mandel's own songs. "A Time for Love," in which Horn laughs when she sings of holding hands, also features a trumpet solo by Wynton Marsalis halfway through, Marsalis playing brightly, but not brassily, in deference to the mood. Marsalis also solos in "Quietly There," another Mandel song in which the vibes provide accents to the unusual harmonies and disharmonies of this jazzy interpretation. (Marsalis agreed to substitute for Miles Davis, who passed away before the CD was completed.) "Where Do You Start," about the breakup of a household, begins, unusually, with the full orchestra to which Horn adds her piano before beginning to sing, a song of great poignancy and sadness.

"Return to Paradise" shows the advantages of a full orchestra over a trio, as the Latin rhythms inspire a mysterious, atmospheric background of tropical sounds--animal cries, bird song, insects as reproduced by the orchestra--before Horn's long piano solo and lyrical interpretations. Quiet, intimate vocal interpretations, enhanced by a sensitive and self-effacing orchestra leader, create one of the most romantic and moody CDs ever recorded, and one of Horn's best albums. n Mary Whipple

If you read the earlier reviews, almost anything I could say would be redundant. I believe this is Shirley's finest album (also my favorite). This is a woman who sings about all of the experiences and emotions that we have all felt......and makes it so extremely personal. With a ballad, she has no peers. Her use of time and space between words has always reminded me of the way Miles Davis played the trumpet.

The orchestration should be required learning for those arrangers who aspire to use strings in a jazz album. This is the ultimate example!

If you want to experience something excruciatingly beautiful, get this cd!

I ran across this album title by accident when I bought a jazz sampling album from Verve. I instantly fell in love with the title track, "Here's To Life" and immediately went out the next day and purchased the album. There is never a day when I listen to this that I skip any tracks. Its a beautiful love story that Shirley tells from the first track to the last!! You will not have one favorite track on this cd, you will love them all equally so! This is a great cd to turn on when you are cuddled up on the couch with your loved one in front of a fireplace while its snowing outside and you just want to get in a wistful romantic mood. Since I purchased this album, back in 1994, I have acquired all of Shirley's albums. It was a great tragedy for me and my family and friends who adore Shirley to have learned of her death in October 2005. I knew when I saw her at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage in April 2005 that THAT would be one of her if not last performances and I was honored to be there. Though in a wheelchair and frail, Shirley sounded beautiful as always. She will be remembered as one of the greatest jazz vocalist that did not get enough recognition for her career accomplishments! Shirley... You will NEVER be forgotten and I hope you and Miles are having a good time together!!!!!!! All Love from me :)

Shirley Horn is a woman of plenty of style,plenty of grace and plenty of talent.I brought this album on cassette around 1992 (No cds at that time) when it first came out.I wasn't expecting anything fantastic or exraordinary.I brought the album mainly because Shirley Horn looked so elegant and classy on the album cover.She looks like she's ready for a night out on the town.And I said to myself 'If the music is as good as the album cover I can't lose,and if not all I'm out of is a few dollars'.Now when I got the album home and gave it a listen.It just blew me away,what a great piece of work. Ms Horn is in the same elite league as Ella Fizgerald, Billie Holiday,Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington(Those ladies are no longer with us but they still live in our memories).On Here's To Life(an album dedicated to Miles Davis)Shirley Horn teams up with producer and arranger Johnny Mandel for the first time(The next teaming of the two would be a few years later on the 2001 release You're My Thrill).Shirley a long time fan of Mandel's music made the Here's To Life project even more special for the both of them.Shirley Horn is such a gifted singer and with great interception of lyrics.When she sings it's like she's singing only to you.She sings so slowly at times that you find yourself hanging on the edge of your seat. Waiting for the next word to come out of her mouth to satisty your soul.And Johnny Mandel's arrangements are lush and beautiful and complements Ms Horn's style of music perfectly.Mr Mandel also co-wrote three of the songs on the album.Being backed up by violins,cellos, flutes,harps,french horns and a host of other instruments Shirley Horn delivers a masterpiece.From the first note to the last you are transported to a place I call 'Shirley's World' a world she shares with us through her music.Here's To life is a perfect album to relax to or to share with someone over a candlelight dinner.Or maybe you don't want to do anything but listen to some great music.The song selection on the album is wonderful.And my personal favorites are Come A Little Closer/Wild Is The Wind, Return To Paradise and If You Love Me.But nevermind me the other eight songs on the album are just as great. Thanks Shirley for sharing your world with us.

I have had this CD for nearly 3 years now, and in all that time, I have yet to find another album anything like this. Rarely have I gone more than a few days without pulling this out and playing it again.

Shirley's hypnotically slow phrasing pulls every ounce of meaning from each word. Johnny Mandel's orchestral accomaniment is generally understated, with the occassional gentle swell to send the chills down your spine. And Wynton Marsalis' trumpet solos on "Quietly There" and "A Time for Love" add the perfect touch.

The perfect album for a rainy afternoon, a warm summer evening, or pondering the mysteries of life in the wee small hours of the morning. Buy it. I promise you won't regret it.

Review from 2005-
Clearly her best work to date, this piano prodigy and the "Here's to Life" CD is a front runner as the best album of 2003, but her English rendition of "Ne Quitte Pas" is phenomenal.

Update- 2006
Shortly after seeing Horn at New York's Metropolitan Complex - in Avery Fisher Hall, Ms. Horn passed away.