Jazzmeia Horn

Whether she’s singing a hard-swinging jazz standard or an expertly crafted original song, Jazzmeia Horn’s music channels the greatest moments of jazz past while sounding totally of this moment.

Horn’s career took off after winning the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and then the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition, and she hasn’t looked back since. The socially conscious singer has earned Grammy nominations for each of the full-length albums she’s released so far—and she only turned 30 this spring. Horn’s compositions effortlessly weave the warmth and feeling of classic jazz with tasteful touches of R&B and hip-hop, all held together by her fleet scatting and intuitive vocal phrasing.

Berkeley audiences were introduced to Horn’s artistry in her Cal Performances at Home video last spring, and now have a chance to experience her music firsthand. For her latest project, developed during the pandemic, Horn has crafted a new set of songs that offer a positive message of triumph over adversity.

“Horn is among the most exciting young vocalists in jazz, with a proud traditionalism that keeps her tightly linked to the sound of classic figures like Nancy Wilson and Betty Carter, but a vivacity of spirit and conviction that places her firmly in the present” (The New York Times).

The run time for this performance is approximately 1 hour, without intermission.