In case you haven’t already heard, Lena Horne passed away yesterday in New York City. She was 92. (NY Times obit, CNN obit).
I come from a generation too young to remember Lena in her jazz-age prime, when she crossed paths and collaborated with legends like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Cab Calloway; performed in legendary spots like The Cotton Club and Cafe Society; and actively campaigned for civil rights here in the US. My impressions of her were limited to the times I saw her on television, on Sanford and Son, The Cosby Show or even The Flip Wilson Show. She was beautiful, charming and charismatic, and she had a dignified, graceful, seemingly Southern persona that belied her Brooklyn upbringing.
Her career path intersected with Sinatra’s on numerous occasions throughout the years. The first time was in the 1946 film, ‘Till The Clouds Roll By (watch online or free download). Their last came in 1993, on Sinatra’s Duets II album, where they performed Embraceable You. It was a touching rendition of the song that carried new meaning when sung by two aging greats in the twilight of their years – and it managed to rescue an otherwise disappointing album. Years later, it is the only song from the two Duets albums that I listen to with any frequency.
Her biography, Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne, was published last year.
She will be missed.
Comments on this entry are closed.