(July 11, 2019) Jazzmeia Horn was fated to make a mark as improvisational vocalist. Her grandmother, a pianist and jazz lover, named her Jazzmeia Horn when she was born in 1991. The talented Dallas native received her musical training at the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Art. Notable alumni from that school include the late, great trumpeter Roy Hargrove and soul singer Erykah Badu.
The world first heard Horn on her Grammy nominated debut album A Social Call, which was released in 2017. That record consisted of covers that included Great American Songbook standards such as the title track, and her acoustic jazz interpretation of R&B classics from the 1970s such as “People Make the World Go ‘Round” and “I’m Going Down.”
(July 11, 2019) Jazzmeia Horn was fated to make a mark as improvisational vocalist. Her grandmother, a pianist and jazz lover, named her Jazzmeia Horn when she was born in 1991. The talented Dallas native received her musical training at the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for Performing and Visual Art. Notable alumni from that school include the late, great trumpeter Roy Hargrove and soul singer Erykah Badu.
The world first heard Horn on her Grammy nominated debut album A Social Call, which was released in 2017. That record consisted of covers that included Great American Songbook standards such as the title track, and her acoustic jazz interpretation of R&B classics from the 1970s such as “People Make the World Go ‘Round” and “I’m Going Down.”
Horn’s vocal talent propelled her to victories in two highly competitive jazz competitions – The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition and the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. However, Horn is also a songwriter, and she showcases her lyrical chops on her sophomore project, Love and Liberation. That 12 track album, which is due out on Aug. 23, features eight Horn originals. However, SoulTrackers will be treated to the World Premierepremiere of one of the covers – Horn’s interpretation of Badu’s “Green Eyes.”
That’s is very exciting for me because “Green Eyes” is high on my list of Badu favorites, coming in a close second to “The Other Side of the Game.” Horn and her talented core of sidemen really flip the script on this version, transforming Badu’s mournful dirge about envy and unrequited love into a swinging waltz that features some high-quality piano creativity and Horn’s vocal flights of fancy. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes