Remembering Shirley Horn

Click here to read Monifa Brown's poem in tribute to Shirley Horn

Many musicians have been influenced by the slow, delicate sounds of Shirley Horn. Before her recent passing, artists including Regina Carter, Stefon Harris and Lizz Wright came together to pay tribute to Horn in a special concert from the Kennedy Center. We bring you this concert TONIGHT in this evening's broadcast of JazzSet with DeeDee Bridgewater, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Click here for more.

If you've ever heard Shirley Horn perform, you're familiar with her beautiful musical presence. She goes beyond covering every base: her voice bounces at one moment, coos in the next. Her phrasing cuts crisply or lays way back in the time. She's never labored; she just allows the music to pour out of her.

Horn's ease at the piano, and with her voice, makes one feel like they're eavesdropping on the most intimate jam session. Maybe the lights are low and it's late in the evening. The musicians are letting their guards down through the sounds they create - a chord is allowed to ring longer than it normally would; a bass solo hauntingly echoes the melody. It is within these spaces that Shirley Horn exists - in the slow, quiet moments of jazz that makes one stop whatever it is they're doing and for a few moments remember just how gorgeous this music really is.

For more information, click below:

• Verve Records on Shirley Horn
• NPR's Fresh Air Interview with Shirley Horn, 1992