Norah Jones
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| Norah Jones | |
|---|---|
| Image:Norah Jones Berkeley.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Geethali Norah Jones Shankar |
| Born | March 30 1979 |
| Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Blues, folk, jazz, country, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, actress |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano & keyboards, guitar |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Label(s) | Blue Note (2002–present) |
| Website | http://www.norahjones.com/ |
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30 1979 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actress of American and Indian descent.
Jones's career was launched with her 2002 debut album Come Away with Me, a contemporary pop album with a sensual, plaintive soul/folk/country tinge, that sold over twenty million copies worldwide and received five Grammy Awards, with Jones winning "Best New Artist". Her second album, Feels like Home, was released in 2004, clocking more than a million sales in the first week of U.S. release. In 2007, she released her third album, Not Too Late, which debuted at number one on the world charts. She has become one of the most successful recording artists of the decade, racking up sales of more than 16 million records in the US and 39 million records worldwide. She is the daughter of musical maestro Ravi Shankar and half sister of sitarist Anoushka Shankar.
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[edit] Early life
Born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar in Brooklyn, New York, she changed her name officially to Norah Jones at the age of 16. The daughter of the sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and Sue Jones, she spent her childhood with her mother, who moved to the Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine, Texas, when Jones was four. She attended Colleyville Middle School, followed by a short period at Grapevine High School before transferring to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. She admitted that her only formal singing training was at Colleyville Middle School (where she took choir) and at Booker T. Washington (where she took a choir class also).While at Colleyville, she was in band as well and played the alto saxophone. She has always liked the music of Bill Evans and Billie Holiday among others from the 'oldies' section and considers Willie Nelson her idol. She has been quoted as saying, "My mom had this eight-album Billie Holiday set, I picked out one disc that I liked and played that over and over again."
Jones began singing in church choirs, taking piano lessons, and even briefly trying out the alto saxophone. She attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Grapevine High School, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas. While at high school, she won the DownBeat Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Vocalist (twice, in 1996 and 1997) and Best Original Composition (1996).[1] She then attended the University of North Texas, where she majored in jazz piano. Classmates included American Idol finalist Brandon Rogers and singer-songwriter David Angerstein. In 1999, two years into the program, Jones left for New York City. Since about that time she has been romantically involved with bassist Lee Alexander.[2][3]
[edit] Musical career
[edit] Early days
Jones was a lounge singer before becoming a recording artist.[4] Jones played with numerous artists and bands including Wax Poetic and the Peter Malick Group. Jones performed quite frequently with guitarist Charlie Hunter in 2001 and appeared on Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below album in a duet with André 3000 in 2003. While Jones is best-known for her sultry-yet-powerful vocal style, often compared to that of Billie Holiday or Nina Simone, her abilities as a jazz pianist have likewise been celebrated. On January 19 2003 Jones appeared as a guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR, performing jazz standards such as "September in the Rain" and "I Can't Get Started," and later that year she appeared again with McPartland at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, performing more standards such as "Lover Man" and "Walking My Baby Back Home". She has performed at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in both 2004 and 2005.
[edit] Debut album: Come Away with Me
Her debut album, Come Away with Me, debuted in February 2002 and was instantly celebrated for its blending of mellow, acoustic pop with soul and jazz. It hit number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, with the single "Don't Know Why" hitting number one on the Top 40 Adult Recurrents in 2003. It won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. She made a cameo appearance in the 2002 movie Two Weeks Notice playing the piano and singing "The Nearness of You" at the fundraiser. "Come Away With Me" has sold over 20 million copies and is the second-best selling album of the decade so far, behind The Beatles' 1[citation needed].
[edit] Second album: Feels like Home
Her second album, Feels like Home, was released on February 9 2004. Rather than repeat the softer, jazz mood of Come Away with Me, her second album was influenced by country music. Within a week of its release, Feels like Home had sold over a million copies, making it the highest-selling album in the history of Blue Note Records. Jones toured globally again, to promote the album with the Handsome Band, and the addition of backing singer Daru Oda. Time magazine included Jones on the Time 100, a list of the most influential people of 2004.[5] "Feels Like Home" has sold over 14 million copies.[citation needed]
[edit] Third album: Not Too Late
Her third album, Not Too Late, was released by Blue Note Records on January 30, 2007. The album is Jones's first for which she wrote or co-wrote every song, and according to her, some of them are much darker than those on her previous albums.[6] Not Too Late was mostly recorded at Jones's home studio and is the first album Jones recorded without producer Arif Mardin, who died in the summer of 2006. Jones described the sessions as "fun, relaxed and easy" and without a deadline; executives at Blue Note Records reportedly did not know they were recording an album. The song "My Dear Country" is a political satire; she wrote it before the United States Presidential election day in 2004.
Not Too Late reached the #1 position in twenty countries and reached #1 on the United World Chart with sales over 720,000 in its first week. It is the third best first week album sales of 2007 after Avril Lavigne's third album The Best Damn Thing and Linkin Park's third album Minutes to Midnight. The album became the 800th album to reach the top spot on the UK chart. It also reached #1 in the U.S. with 405,000 copies sold. According to a press release from EMI, Not Too Late is certified gold or platinum in twenty-one countries as of February 2007.[7] The album has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, according to media traffic.[8] But with shipment it sold 4 million copies. The first single, "Thinking About You", became Jones's first single to chart on the U.S. Hot 100 since "Don't Know Why".[9]
[edit] Tours
Throughout 2002 and 2003 Jones appeared on stages, globally, for her first tour with the Handsome Band, travelling throughout Asia, America, Europe and Oceania. The tour was received with numerous sell-out concerts and positive critical acclaim.
Jones began a United States concert tour to promote her third album, Not Too Late, on April 13, 2007, and ending with a free concert in New York City on July 6 2007. Pre-sales of tickets to the shows were made available to her fan club members, and many sold out well before the performance date. She begins her European tour on July 9 2007 in Paris, and finishing with a concert in London on August 27 2007, in Sopot on August 31 and in Reykjavík, Iceland on September 2 2007 [10].
While playing with the Handsome Band, Jones & co. are known to play several known hits from her albums, modified for stage performance with guitar solos and additional percussion. Additionally, shows may also feature several covers of country, jazz, blues, or folk songs, ranging from the ubiquitous to the obscure. Artists covered have included, among others, Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons, Randy Newman, and Tom Waits.
Jones is working with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2007 summer tour.[11] The Singer also performed at Bryant Park on July 6 as part of Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series.[12]
[edit] Nominations and awards
Come Away with Me was heavily nominated for the Grammy Awards of 2003. Of the eight awards for Come Away with Me, Jones personally received five. "Don't Know Why" was also performed on an episode of Sesame Street, in which Jones changed the lyrics to "Don't know why Y didn't come," and thereby introduced the letter Y to the young audience.
Jones received three awards at the Grammy Awards of 2005, including "Record of the Year" and "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for her collaboration with Ray Charles on the song "Here We Go Again". She personally earned her eighth Grammy (and eleventh overall) for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" for her song "Sunrise". That year, Jones appeared on the self-titled record by Amos Lee.
Jones also collaborated with the Foo Fighters on their 2005 record In Your Honor, singing vocals with Dave Grohl on "Virginia Moon". The song was nominated for a "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" in 2006.
[edit] Grammy Awards
Source: Grammy official site
| Year | Category | Recording | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | ||||
| 2003 | Best Pop Vocal Album | "Come Away With Me" | Won | |
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | "Don't Know Why" | Won | ||
| Best New Artist | Herself | Won | ||
| Album Of The Year | "Come Away With Me" | Won | ||
| Record Of The Year | "Don't Know Why" | Won | ||
| 2005 | Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals | "Here We Go Again" | Won | |
| Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | "Sunrise" | Won | ||
| Record Of The Year | "Here We Go Again" | Won | ||
[edit] On screen
Norah Jones's cameo in the 2002 film Two Weeks Notice shows her briefly at the piano, singing for a charity benefit.
In the latter part of 2003, rumors emerged that veteran Indian filmmaker Dev Anand was planning to make the film Song of Life, inspired by Jones's troubled relationship with her father, Ravi Shankar. Both Jones and Shankar were enraged by the rumors; Jones commented, "[Anand] has no idea of our story, and he's not going to represent it in a truthful way, I'm sure. It's sad because it's personal stuff and nobody's business but ours."
Jones appeared in the 2004 special Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On.[13]
In February 2006, Screen International reported that Jones would make her acting debut in a film directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film, My Blueberry Nights, was the opening film for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival as one of the 22 films in competition.
In January 2007, Norah Jones recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road. The episode that she shared with John Mayer and Richard Ashcroft was aired in the UK on Channel 4 in March 2007 and in the USA on the Sundance Channel in June 2007.
She has appeared twice on the PBS series Austin City Limits, first on November 2, 2002 and second on October 6, 2007. The latter appearance was the season opener for the long-running series.
[edit] Collaborations
- Liberation Prophecy
- Jones sings on track 3 - "Lonely Lament" - on Liberation Prophecy's 2006 album "Last Exit Angel" Incidentally, Liberation Prophecy is the group where multi-Grammy winner Norah Jones had her humble beginnings.
- Charlie Hunter Quartet
- Jones sings on two tracks - "More than This" and "Day is Done" - on the 2001 album "Songs from the Analog Playground."
- Laszlo "Butterflies"
- Laszlo "Butterflies" was formed in the late 1990s in Denton, TX. The band rereleased the CD "Butterflies" in June 2007. This CD features Norah Jones on vocals, Jerome Covington on guitar, Aaron Crouch on keyboard, Marc Rogers on electric bass and Bill Campbell on drums.
- The Little Willies
- The Little Willies is a band formed in 2003. It features Jones on piano and vocals. The other members of the band are Richard Julian on vocals, Jim Campilongo on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass and Dan Rieser on percussion.
- Ray Charles
- Jones worked with Ray Charles on his 2004 album, "Genius Loves Company"
- Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
- Jones sang lead vocals with Ryan Adams in the song "Dear John" which is on the album "Jacksonville City Nights" by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, released September 27th, 2005.
- Peeping Tom
- Peeping Tom is an experimental collaboration album by Mike Patton released in 2006. Jones collaborated on the album, appearing on track 10 "Sucker".
- El Madmo
- On May 12, 2006; Jones (disguised in a blonde wig, heavy make-up, fishnets and short shorts) played guitar and sang vocals in the tongue-in-cheek punk band El Madmo.[14] They opened for the band Pela. The band consists of "El" (Handsome Band's Daru Oda), "Maddie" (Norah Jones) and "Mo"(Handsome Band's Andrew Borger).
- Foo Fighters
- Jones contributed to the Foo Fighters' 2005 album In Your Honor. She played piano and sang (together with Dave Grohl) on "Virginia Moon", an acoustic jazz track on the second disc of the album.
- Outkast
- Jones played the piano and sang for a track on Outkast's sixth album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below entitled "Take Off your Cool."[15]
- Wyclef Jean
- Jones collaborated on the song "Any Other Day" with Wyclef Jean for the Hurricane Katrina benefit album Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now.[16]Critics heralded the track "..her finest collaboration to date, Jones goes with Wyclef to areas neither has shown before..."
- Talib Kweli
- The collaboration is on Kweli's third solo album Ear Drum. She provided the hook for the Madlib-produced track "Soon The New Day".
- Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale
- On the album Breathing Under Water by her half-sister Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale (released 2007-08-28) she sings and plays the piano on the song "Easy".
- The Hottest State - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Released 7 August 2007 - Hickory Records.
- Norah sings and plays piano on the following tracks written by Jesse Harris for the soundtrack of the motion picture The Hottest State
- Track 2: "Always Seem To Get Things Wrong" Norah Jones - piano (Performed by Willie Nelson).
- Track 8: "Crooked Lines" Norah Jones - piano, backing vocals (Performed by M.Ward).
- Track 9: "World Of Trouble" Norah Jones - vocals & piano (Performed by Norah Jones).
- Herbie Hancock - River
- The Joni Letters:On the album River: The Joni Letters by Herbie Hancock, (released September 25, 2007 on Verve), Norah sings on the opening track Court And Spark.
- Various Artists -- Goin' Home
- A Tribute To Fats Domino:Released September 25, 2007 - Vanguard On the tribute album to Fats Domino Norah sings "My Blue Heaven" in a quasi-jazzy style.
[edit] Discography
- First Sessions (2001) (demo EP)
- Come Away with Me (February 26, 2002) – Diamond (10x Platinum) (U.S.); 18.7 million (worldwide)
- Feels like Home (February 10, 2004) – 4x platinum (U.S.); 13 million (worldwide)
- Not Too Late (January 30, 2007) – 2x Platinum (U.S.); 4 million (worldwide)
[edit] Filmography
- Two Weeks Notice (as Herself, 2002)
- My Blueberry Nights (directed by Wong Kar Wai)
[edit] Awards
Jones has won multiple awards, most notably her Grammy Awards.
Grammy Awards:
- 2003 "Best Pop Vocal Album" — Come Away with Me
- 2003 "Album of the Year" — Come Away with Me
- 2003 "Record of the Year" — "Don't Know Why"
- 2003 "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" — "Don't Know Why"
- 2003 "Best New Artist"
- 2005 "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" — "Here We Go Again" (with Ray Charles)
- 2005 "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" — "Sunrise"
- 2005 "Record of the Year" — "Here We Go Again" (with Ray Charles)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=466959
- ^ http://in.news.yahoo.com/040210/139/2bewp.html
- ^ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/01/29/norah_joness_new_dark_streak_is_a_nice_touch/
- ^ Glide Magazine article at http://www.glidemagazine.com/index.php?task=Articles§ion=94&id=46253&issue=1&PHPSESSID=53031
- ^ Farley, Christopher John. "The 2004 Time 100 - Artists & Entertainers - Norah Jones" Time.
- ^ Interview with Katie Couric. 60 Minutes. February 11 2007.
- ^ "Norah Jones' "Not Too Late" debuts at #1 in the world's key markets". EMI. February 7 2007. Retrieved February 13 2007.
- ^ media traffic
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0hbsa9cgq23k~T51
- ^ Complete tour schedule at [1]
- ^ http://www.reverbrock.org/site/
- ^ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/SummerConcert/popup?id=3351991 Norah Jones Performs at Bryant Park, ABC
- ^ "Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On (2004) (TV)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
- ^ http://www.villageindian.com/village_indian/2006/05/no_jo_the_delan.html
- ^ http://www.outkast.com
- ^ Hurricane Relief: Come Together Now liner notes
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Unofficially Norah Jones
- Norah Jones Fansite
- Norah Jones Music Archive
- Norah Jones Interview with Blender
- Norah Jones at the Internet Movie Database
- Norah Jones Interview
- Come Away With Me Performance on GMA
- ABC Interview
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