Couples, jazz fans, friends and families braved the tundra-esque wind chill Feb. 10 to hear the smooth, spontaneous sounds of “old school soul” vocal jazz artist Jazzmeia Horn.
It was an intimate show that took place at the City Winery Boston. Guests were seated in long rows of candlelit tables and served dinner and wine while the performance took place.
The show started promptly at 7:30 p.m., and Horn needed no time to warm up her voice on stage. She combined written lyrics with passages of scat singing, an improvised jazz vocal style that uses nonsense syllables instead of words, and incredible freestyle solos from other members of her ensemble, which included a pianist, a bassist and a drummer.
Named by her grandmother, who had a deep love for jazz before her conception, Horn was seemingly destined to be a talented musician. Her career kicked off when she won first place in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition and gained further traction in 2018 when she performed her song “Moanin” at the premiere of the 60th Grammy Awards.
In between songs, Horn paused and told stories that sparked the inspiration for the tune that lay ahead. She told amusing tales of being from Dallas and living in the Bronx, her two children and of unfaithful and deceptive love interests, all while splicing her natural musical touch in between.
She playfully taunted her all-male band with stories of how men would challenge her musical talent during her time at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York. Now, she said, laughing, men look at her complicated music wide-eyed after seeing how tough it is to play. “Ha, ha,” she shouted, sparking cheers from the crowd.
During instrumental solos, Horn walked around and conducted her troupe to stay together, politely but firmly snapping and shouting to get them on beat.
Horn is currently on tour and will play shows in San Francisco, Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, Cincinnati, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Philadelphia and many more cities in the coming weeks and months.
