Here's to Life

Here's to Life
Here's to Life
Studio album by Shirley Horn
Released	1992
Recorded	September 1991
Genre	Vocal jazz
Label	Verve
Producer	Johnny Mandel
Shirley Horn chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	^[2]

Here's to Life is a 1992 studio album by Shirley Horn, arranged by Johnny Mandel (also the composer of three of the songs on the album), who received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)^[3] on this album.

The title track "Here's to Life" became Horn's signature song. The music was written by Artie Butler and the poignant lyrics were written by Phyllis Molinary. The lyric is known, world-wide, as one of her finest works and the song is considered a "modern day jazz standard."^[4]

"If You Love Me" is her interpretation of the passionate "Hymne à l'amour", made famous by Edith Piaf.

"Summer" is the first English version of the Italian standard "Estate". Horn ordered English lyrics after hearing Joao Gilberto's version, which spread the song's worldwide fame.

Track listing[edit]

"Here's to Life" (Artie Butler, Phyllis Molinary) – 5:37
"Come a Little Closer"/"Wild Is the Wind" (John Wallowitch)/(Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington) – 7:27
"How Am I to Know?" (Jack King, Dorothy Parker) – 3:23
"A Time for Love" (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) – 6:45
"Where Do You Start?" (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Johnny Mandel) – 4:36
"You're Nearer" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 3:32
"Return to Paradise" (Tiomkin, Washington) – 5:09
"Isn't It a Pity?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:47
"Quietly There" (Morgan Ames, Johnny Mandel) – 6:09
"If You Love Me" (Marguerite Monnot, Geoff Parsons) – 6:02
"Summer (Estaté)" (Bruno Brighetti, Bruno Martino, Joel E. Siegel) – 7:38

Personnel[edit]

Shirley Horn – vocals, piano
Charles Ables – bass
Steve Williams - drums
Johnny Mandel - arranger, conductor
Wynton Marsalis - trumpet (tracks 4 & 9)
Richard Todd, French horn, (track 1)

References[edit]

^ Allmusic review
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
^ "Winners. 35th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1992)".
^ Eli Zeger, "Here’s to Life — ‘a meditation for those entering their later years’", Financial Times, September 18, 2018.

[1] Allmusic review

[Penguin-2] Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

[3] "Winners. 35th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1992)".

[4] Eli Zeger, "Here’s to Life — ‘a meditation for those entering their later years’", Financial Times, September 18, 2018.

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v t e Shirley Horn
Discography
Studio albums	Embers and Ashes (1960) Loads of Love (1962) Shirley Horn with Horns (1963) Travelin' Light (1965) Where Are You Going (1972) A Lazy Afternoon (1978) All of Me (1987) Softly (1988) Close Enough for Love (1989) You Won't Forget Me (1991) Here's to Life (1992) Light Out of Darkness (A Tribute to Ray Charles) (1993) The Main Ingredient (1996) Loving You (1997) I Remember Miles (1998) You're My Thrill (2001) May the Music Never End (2003)
Live albums	All Night Long (1981) Violets for Your Furs (1981) The Garden of the Blues (1984) I Thought About You (1987) I Love You, Paris (1994) Live at the 4 Queens (2016)
Compilation albums	But Beautiful: The Best of Shirley Horn (2005)
Soundtracks	For Love of Ivy (1968)
With others	Cat on a Hot Fiddle (Stuff Smith, 1959) Sarah: Dedicated to You (Carmen McRae, 1991) The Art of the Song (Charlie Haden, 1999) A Tribute to Oscar Peterson – Live at the Town Hall (1996)