Travelin Light

Shirley Horn | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 15, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Grp Records
• ASIN: B000003N6Z
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,880 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quiet Brilliance, November 30, 1999

By 

D. Davis (Southern CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travelin Light (Audio CD)

I feel I must confess--it has taken me years to become a devoted fan of Shirley Horn (a fact that embarrasses me now, but the same once held true for me with Sarah Vaughan as well). But this Impulse label recording from 1965 shows the breathy and quiet brilliance of voacalist and pianist Shirley Horn. (If one is looking for name dropping on this recording, I might mention Kenny Burrell on guitar.) The first song, a Johnny Mercer number, lends the recording its title: This is without a doubt the best version of "Travelin' Light" I've ever heard; I'm sure a few Billie Holiday fans out there won't like this fact, but that's too bad. The ballad, "You're Blase," is marvelous. And although I'm not a Lennon-McCartney fan, Horn does a very good job on the last track, "And I Love Him." A few of these numbers swing (not like Ella, but swinging nonetheless); they are "Sunday in New York" and "Big City." One can certainly hear on this recording the effect Horn has had on the younger, less sophisticated, and less mature Diana Krall (who is admittedly a Horn fan). But Krall does not have Horn's maturity or jazz presence (if you've ever seen Krall in concert, you'll understand--she plays with her stringy hair too much). I like this Horn better than the Horn on "Here's to Life" The theme here is one of a quiet and sophisticated mood.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the young Horn, September 9, 2004

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travelin Light (Audio CD)

What's better than Shirley Horn? Two Shirley Horn's. I know of no other major vocalist who so clearly has two different periods which translate into two completely different personas. On this disk you get a sassy, swinging and young cross between Dinah Washington and Peggy Lee. It is my favorite early period Horn and one of my three all time favorite Horn's. You will like it a lot!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like Diane Krall, you will also like this CD, January 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Travelin Light (Audio CD)

It is very easy to be seduced by this music. The voice is rich and expressive, the phrasing is intellegent and witty, the piano is like another voice and the back-ups adds just the right dimension. Although it is easy to listen to, it is not by any means "easy listening." The artest is one of the most origional and has been copied by many current aspiring female singers. Some, such as Diane Krall, give her credit for being a major influance. If you are a Krall fan you will recognize that infulance immediatly.
One of Shirley's hallmarks is the moods she is able to evoke. Both "Sunday in New York" and "Big City" are so evacative of NYC that either one could be the theme song for that city. "You're Blase" is a perfect portrait of the bored and world-weary, sung by someone who obviously has the oppisite point of view. There is a witty humor here also - in songs like "Confession" and "Yes, I Know When I've Had It." If you like the blues you will love "Some of my best friends are the Blues". In Shirley's later recordings her voice has deteriated, although she lost none of her musical and power. I enjoy her later recordings, but here, her voice is fresh, and she has an optimism mixed with shophistocation which is very appealing. The only downside to this recording is that the cuts are fairly short by today's standards. Short though they may be, each is a gem to be enjoyed and heard over and over again.