Lorraine Feather Garners Grammy Nomination for “Attachments”
Lorraine Feather photo courtesy of Allaboutjazz.com.
Lyricist and Jazz Singer Lorraine Feather was born in Manhattan. Her parents named her Billie Jane Lee Lorraine after godmother Billie Holiday, her mother Jane (formerly a big band singer), her mother’s ex-roommate Peggy Lee, and the song “Sweet Lorraine.” She is the daughter of the late jazz writer Leonard Feather. With lineage like that, it’s no surprise where Feather is now in her own musical career. Feather has garnered a Grammy Nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her newest effort “Attachments” released in August 2013. The album consists of collaborations with Feather’s three longtime co-writers Shelly Berg, Russell Ferrante and Eddie Arkin.
Feather has released nine albums in the last dozen years, the first of which was New York City Drag, an all-Fats Waller album with her added lyrics, and accompaniment by pianists Dick Hyman and Mike Lang. She did a similar treatment with Ellington material on her 2005 release “Such Sweet Thunder” with music of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Her last three solo albums (“Ages,” “Tales of the Unusual” and “Attachments”) have focused heavily on songs written with living jazz composers, and were all Grammy-nominated. In 2013, Feather also released “Fourteen,” under the duo name Nouveau Stride, with young St. Louis stride piano phenomenon Stephanie Trick.
Feather’s albums have garnered extraordinary press. All Music Guide has called her “easily one of the most creative lyricists of her generation”; Down Beat has deemed her “enchanting, exceptional and extraordinary”; The New York Times has praised the “conversational ease,” “zany observations” and “antic playfulness” that characterize her live performances.
Her 2010 release, “Ages” featured songs with her lyrics as always, and music by Arkin, Berg, Ferrante, Dick Hyman and Béla Fleck. “Ages” was on all three jazz airplay charts consistently for several months, received an unprecedented number of rave reviews and reached the #2 spot in its category for Amazon downloads. It received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category.
Feather’s work has been heard on numerous records, in films and on television. Her songs have been covered extensively by artists such as Phyllis Hyman, Kenny Rankin, Patti Austin, Diane Schuur and Cleo Laine. Many of her own solo CDs have featured contemporary lyrics to formerly instrumental pieces written by Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and other pre-bop composers. For sound samples, and to order the CD, http://www.lorrainefeather.com/buy.html.
Category: Entertainment, Music
