Norah Jones to Perform in Orlando this March
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 14, 2016
Norah Jones first emerged on the world stage with the February 2002 release of "Come Away with Me," her self-described "moody little record" that introduced a singular new voice and grew into a global phenomenon. The album swept the 2003 GRAMMY Awards, signaling a paradigm shift away from the prevailing pop music of the time. Since then, Norah has sold over 45 million albums worldwide and has won 9 GRAMMY Awards. She has released a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful solo albums: "Feels like Home" (2004), "Not Too Late" (2007), "The Fall" (2009) and "Little Broken Hearts" (2012). She has also released albums with her collective bands The Little Willies and Puss N Boots. The 2012 compilation "...Featuring Norah Jones" showcased her incredible versatility by collecting her collaborations with artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Outkast, Herbie Hancock and Foo Fighters. "Little Broken Hearts," which was produced by Danger Mouse, was a fascinating step in the artistic evolution of one of the music world's most consistently intriguing singer-songwriters.
When Norah first moved from Texas to New York City in the summer of 1999, it was with the hope of being a jazz singer, and she quickly found gigs singing jazz standards in restaurants and clubs around town. She met Jesse Harris, her future collaborator, and soon fell into the singer-songwriter scene at the Living Room on Manhattan's Lower East Side. By the time she recorded "Come Away With Me," which featured her breakout song "Don't Know Why," her sound had changed direction and evolved into something much broader and more her own. But her jazz influences - from Bill Evans and MiLes Davis, to Billie Holliday and Nina Simone - have always remained.
In 2014, Norah travelled to Washington, D.C. to take part in the Kennedy Center's historic "Blue Note at 75" concert, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the legendary label that Norah has called home since signing in 2000 with the late Bruce Lundvall. Surrounded by a family of Blue Note musicians including McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Robert Glasper and others, Norah was inspired. After performing a gorgeous solo piano rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," she was joined by "one of the best bands [she'd] ever played with," which featured Shorter on saxophone, Brian Blade on drums, John Patitucci on bass and Jason Moran on piano. The group presented a stunning version of Jesse Harris's song "I've Got to See You Again" that appeared on "Come Away With Me." Her thrilling experience planted a seed.
Norah has now come full circle with "Day Breaks," a remarkable new album that finds her returning to her jazz roots while also proving her to be this era's quintessential American artist, the purveyor of an unmistakably unique sound that weaves together the threads of several bedrock styles of American music: country, folk, rock, soul and jazz. "Day Breaks" is a kindred spirit to "Come Away With Me," though it is unquestionably the work of a mature artist who has lived life and grown immensely in her craft. The album features jazz luminaries including saxophonist Wayne Shorter, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith and drummer Brian Blade. "Day Breaks" is a set of 9 originals written or co-written by Norah with collaborators Sarah Oda and Pete Remm. Themes on the album range from love in all its guises to the socio-political. It also features 3 covers of songs by Horace Silver ("Peace"), Duke Ellington ("Fleurette Africaine") and Neil Young ("Don't Be Denied').
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