“One of the most heartbreaking standards”: Norah Jones discusses her first favourite piano player
Most are likely to associate Norah Jones with the early 2000s influx of talented singer-songwriters. ‘Don’t Know Why’ was a broken-heart staple long before Love Actually, while her intimate vocals in ‘Come Away With Me’ naturally aligned with the decade’s fixation with gentle, wistful romance. “I feel like I never reached that level of success again,” Jones admits, but there’s no sadness in such an observation – in fact, it’s a relief.
Since her prime, Jones’ releases haven’t met the same success for lack of trying. Rather, she followed her heart in every musical endeavour but didn’t stress too much when it came to external validation. Plus, the entire concept of modern success seems a little off-putting to the singer, who isn’t sure she even wants to replicate such triumphs. “It’s such a weird, strange, modern thing that is maybe a little unnatural,” she explains, delving into the dark side of the spotlight.
That said, Jones’ complicated relationship with fame never dimmed her appreciation for music. Even as a youngster, she remembers admiring the greats, and no amount of media attention would disturb that. When she discusses her musical favourites, you can see how she instantly becomes transported to a simpler time, like when she mentions The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album. Evans, in particular, “was always my favourite piano player,” the singer admits, recalling the ways she would listen to his music when she was younger.
“It was all Bill Evans, all the time,” she states, adding that her love for jazz sparked her appreciation for the pianist. Her mother took her to see Tony Bennet live in Texas when she was in eighth grade, but she only discovered The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album when she was in college. Immediately, she realised she had stumbled across beauty in “two of my favourite musicians”.
“It’s all piano and voice,” Jones describes, deeming it a “really beautiful album” and particularly singling out ‘Some Other Time’ as “one of the most heartbreaking standards”. Without listening to the composition, it’s easy to tell by the lyrics alone that this is a song filled with tragic longing as Bennett sings, “Where has the time all gone to? / Haven’t done half the things we want to / Oh well, we’ll catch up some other time”.
According to Jones, Bennett and Evans wasn’t a partnership that seemed destined to succeed. Still, after some convincing, they ended up working together and creating one of the most beautifully dynamic jazz piano records in history. The chemistry between the two musicians is palpable, and it’s difficult to imagine the modern jazz scene without the impact of their recordings.
Considering Jones’ own ability to convey intense sensitivity in voice and simplistic musical arrangements alone, it makes complete sense why she would have sought solace in such an intricate album. From start to finish, Evans provides expressive accompaniment to Bennett’s soulful interpretations of the songs, marking an album filled with the pinnacle of jazz’s ability to convey timelessness and raw emotion.
