(Sheldon T. Nunn) – For many years, patrons of Da Camera’s Chamber Music and Jazz concert series have been electrified by a wide-array of jazz artists this one-of-a-kind performing arts organization has brought to Houston. In most instances the response from jazz lovers who appreciate artistic impressionism at its best has been overwhelmingly positive; so much so, the notion of Houston not being a jazz city is debunked and often laid to rest. On January 19th, Da Camera brings another jazz gem to Houston towards a goal of elevating the consciousness of jazz as “America’s most original art form.” Jazz aficionados, beginners and connoisseurs can expect another great season in 2019 with the arrival of Jazzmeia Horn, one of the newest and most significant female vocalists in jazz.
Born April 16, 1991 in Dallas, Texas, Horn attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts; upon graduation, she enrolled in the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In a very short span of time, she has become one of the most dynamic voices ever-heard during the 21st century. Beginning in 2008, Horn has garnered numerous accolades from Downbeat Jazz as well as winning the “Sarah Vaughan International Vocal and Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competitions” a number of times. Other jewels in Jazzmeia’s crown of achievements include being a finalist in the “2013 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program” at The Kennedy Center, the “2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Vocal Competition” and the “2015 16th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium Young Lioness Award.” In 2017 Jazzmeia Horn was voted “Best New Artist on the Jazz Times Critics Poll.” In retrospect and with that kind of jazz-activated spiritual energy, an album was sure to follow.
Jazzmeia’s 2017 release entitled ‘A Social Call’ debuted on the Prestige Record label with similar levels of enthusiasm. The album was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for “Best Jazz Vocal” and provided an exhilarating performance of Art Blakey’s “Moanin” during the 2018 GRAMMY Award Premiere Ceremony. ‘A Social Call’ spent nearly 8-weeks at #1 on the JazzWeek chart. In response to Jazzmeia Horn’s devotion to jazz impressionism, Downbeat Magazine has written:
“Jazzmeia Horn harbors both astounding technique and an acute artistic vision…Horn has a thrilling presence with a musical sensibility that strikes a deft balance between mid-century jazz and contemporary neo-soul.” Another quote from Jazz Times Magazine stated:
“Just 25, the Dallas-born Horn emerges as a fully realized stylist and a first-rate scatter whose vivacity, imagination, gutsiness and sociopolitical savvy echo the likes of Carter and Abbey Lincoln. Simply put, she is as exciting a discovery as Cécile McLorin Salvant or Gregory Porter.”
In the final analysis, patrons of Da Camera’s Jazz Series will be captivated and electrified by Jazzmeia Horn; who possesses the same last name as Shirley Horn, a jazz diva who set an immeasurable standard as one of the finest female vocalist of her generation.