Shirley Horn was born and raised in Washington, D.C.. Encouraged by her grandmother, an amateur organist, Horn began piano lessons at the age of four. Aged 12, she studied piano and composition at Howard University, later graduating from there in classical music. Horn was offered a place at the Juilliard School, but her family could not afford to send her there. Horn formed her first jazz piano trio when she was 20. Horn's early piano influences were Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal, and moving away from her classical background, Horn later said that "Oscar Peterson became my Rachmaninov, and Ahmad Jamal became my Debussy." She then became enamored with the famous U Street jazz area of Washington (largely destroyed in the 1968 riots), sneaking into jazz clubs before she was of legal age.
Horn first achieved fame in 1960, through her association with Miles Davis. Davis' praise had particular resonance in two respects: because he was so highly respected as a musician, and because he rarely offered public praise for fellow musicians at that time. Horn had, though, recorded several songs with violinist Stuff Smith in 1959 both as a pianist and a singer. After her discovery by Davis, she recorded albums on different small labels in the early 1960s, eventually landing contracts with larger labels Mercury Records and Impulse Records. She was popular with jazz critics, but did not achieve significant popular success.
Quincy Jones attempted to make Horn into a pure vocalist in several recording sessions, something he later hinted may have been a mistake. Horn was also disturbed by the changes in popular music in the 1960s following the arrival of The Beatles. Largely rejecting efforts to remake her into a popular singer, she stated: "I will not stoop to conquer."[4] From the late-1960s, she concentrated on raising her daughter Rainy with her husband, Shepherd Deering (whom she had married in 1955), and largely limited her performances to her native Washington, D.C.
Miles Davis made a rare appearance as a sideman on Horn's 1991 album You Won't Forget Me. Although she preferred to perform in small settings, such as her trio, she also recorded with orchestras, as on the 1992 album Here's to Life, the title song (lyrics by Phyllis Molinary, music by Artie Butler) of which became her signature song. A video documentary of Horn's life and music was released at the same time as "Here's To Life" and shared its title. At the time, arranger Johnny Mandel commented that Horn's piano skill was comparable to that of the noted jazz great Bill Evans. A follow-up was made in 2001, named You're My Thrill.
Horn worked with the same rhythm section for 25 years: Charles Ables (bass) and Steve Williams (drums). Don Heckman wrote in the Los Angeles Times (February 2, 1995) about "the importance of bassist Charles Ables and drummer Steve Williams to Horn's sound. Working with boundless subtlety, following her every spontaneous twist and turn, they were the ideal accompanists for a performer who clearly will tolerate nothing less than perfection".
Her albums Here's to Life, Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) and I Love You, Paris all reached number one on the Billboard jazz charts.
Due to health problems in the early 2000s, Horn had to cut back on her performances. After 2002, a foot amputation (from complications of diabetes) led her to leave the piano playing to pianist George Mesterhazy. In late 2004, Horn felt able to play piano again, and recorded a live album for Verve, at Manhattan's Au Bar with trumpet player Roy Hargrove, which did not satisfy her.[citation needed] It remains unreleased except for tracks on But Beautiful - The Best of Shirley Horn.
A breast cancer survivor, she had been battling diabetes when she died of complications from the condition, aged 71. She is interred at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Horn was nominated for nine Grammy Awards during her career, winning the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards for I Remember Miles, a tribute to her friend and mentor (the album's cover featuring a Miles Davis drawing of them both).
She was officially recognized by the 109th US Congress for "her many achievements and contributions to the world of jazz and American culture", and performed at The White House for several U.S. presidents. Horn was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the Berklee College of Music in 2002.
She was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award in 2005 (the highest honors that the United States bestows upon jazz musicians).
How Insensitive
Shirley Horn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I must have seemed
When he told me that he loved me
How unmoved and cold
I must have seemed
When he told me so sincerely
Why he must have asked
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
What can you say
When a love affair is over?
Now he's gone away
And I'm alone
With a memory of his last look
Vague and drawn and sad
I see it still
All the heartbreak in his last look
How he must have asked,
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
What was I to say?
What can you say
When a love affair is over?
Shirley Horn's song "How Insensitive" is a poignant reflection on the end of a love affair. The lyrics describe the singer's inability to express emotion when her lover confesses his love for her, and her subsequent regret now that he is gone. The opening lines of the song, "How insensitive I must have seemed / When he told me that he loved me," set the tone for the singer's remorse. The word "insensitive" suggests that she was not able to fully appreciate the depth of his feelings for her, and that she failed to respond in a way that would have conveyed her own emotions. The next line, "How unmoved and cold I must have seemed," underscores this idea, suggesting that the singer's emotional walls prevented her from engaging with her lover on a deeper level.
The singer then imagines her lover asking why she "just turn[ed] and stare[d] in icy silence" when he professed his love. This is a powerful line, because it speaks to the idea that words are not always enough to convey emotions - sometimes we need physical gestures, facial expressions, or other nonverbal cues to communicate our feelings effectively. The singer suggests that she was not able to provide these cues, and that her failure to do so led to the demise of their relationship. The final stanza of the song is perhaps the most heartbreaking, as the singer laments her solitude and the memory of her lover's sad, final look. The line "What can you say when a love affair is over?" encapsulates the entire song, in a way - the singer is reflecting on her own inability to express herself, and acknowledging that sometimes, there are no words to repair a broken relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
How insensitive
I must have appeared unfeeling
I must have seemed
I gave off the impression
When he told me that he loved me
When he confessed his affection for me
How unmoved and cold
I appeared unemotional and distant
I must have seemed
I gave off the impression
When he told me so sincerely
When he expressed his feelings honestly and sincerely
Why he must have asked
He probably wondered
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
If I just stared back without any emotion
What was I to say?
What response could I give?
What can you say
What is appropriate to say
When a love affair is over?
When a romantic relationship ends
Now he's gone away
He has departed
And I'm alone
I am by myself
With a memory of his last look
Recalling his final expression
Vague and drawn and sad
Unclear, depressed, and prolonged
I see it still
It is still vivid in my mind
All the heartbreak in his last look
The expression embodied all of the sadness and pain of the ending of our relationship
How he must have asked,
He probably wondered
Did I just turn and stare in icy silence
If I just stared back without any emotion
What was I to say?
What response could I give?
What can you say
What is appropriate to say
When a love affair is over?
When a romantic relationship ends
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim, Norman Gimbel, Vinicius De Moraes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ryanjstew
i have watched and watched this video over and over and over again. And every time, I just get goosebumps. It's like I'm mesmerized and can't turn away. I miss Shirley Horn.
@jacquelineroman7608
Saw Mrs. Horn at Kennedy Center and was stunned by her voice, her timing and phrasing, her presence and her beautiful playing. She was a true diva and performed flawlessly. There were times so quiet that you could hear the person next to you breathing!! The Washington Post did a beautiful story on her right after the show and she died a short time later. What an irreplaceable gem, A Time For Love...mmmm-mmm!!
@Winston-op5de
Jacqueline Roman -How sad, thanks for sharing. I didn't know she died. What a big loss for the music world and the world in general. What an incredibly talented woman she was. I can hear here voice and her playing over and over again and never get tired of listening to her incredible talent.
May she rest in peace and continue delating the people who still listen to her music.
@prcty
A musical Genius like Ms. Shirley really understands the importance of silence . She has a way of making the listeners crave her performance. Its hypnotizing . Great musicians hypnotize their audiences. Carmen Mcrae, Sarah Vaughn, Diane Reeves and Shirley Horn can turn a ballad into a moving testimony
@michaelscott7462
Truly there are beautiful notes in that wonderful silence.
@annettebrent
She packs so much emotion in each word so effortlessly. A true Great.
@briankellow2182
"What can one say?", indeed. She was truly a singular artist. Every breath, every note, is poetry.
@nancydrew5
It, s hard to watch Madam Horn and take regular breaths at the same time. She has my lungs in the palm of her hand. Her timing and phrases the way she keeps me on edge...so intense.
@richardcondon3797
+nancydrew5 hey, if you recognize that you too can develop a distinctive voice. it';s in the ear and bred in the bone. she had in common with jobim and bernstein that they would hum along as they played. maybe it;s that way we learn as children to love music. most people can't sing as they become overcome with the emotion it creates.
@richardcondon3797
One of the great performances of the 20th century by the most accomplished of musicians in a very full field.