| The Queen of Silence
Jazz pianist and singer Shirley Horn excels at creating a gentle, sensitive atmosphere where silence is an integral part of improvisation. Miles Davis knew what he was doing when he invited her to perform at the Village Vanguard in New York in 1960, launching the career of a unique artist.
“Shirley Horn is a magician with her voice. In my opinion, she is the greatest of all vocalists working today, one of the most admirable that jazz has ever known,” said Alain Gerber.
Like Billie Holiday, she prefers to improvise on the lyrics themselves, almost without using scat. But this in no way detracts from her inventiveness. She excels at creating an atmosphere that is perfectly in tune with the subject matter; none of her choices are arbitrary, and the role she gives to silence, an integral part of the statement, gives her improvisations within the melody even greater power.
Marion Chrétien: vocals
Clément Simon: piano
Thomas Posner: double bass
