RIP Marlena Shaw

[carlo]

The great Marlena Shaw sadly passed away yesterday [January 19th]. Her passing was confirmed by her daughter via a video post on her mother's Facebook page. Rest in peace, Ms. Shaw.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02eeQD6LEZfxzVAA8P1mz7gV H4E29jobTSgopvKj3CM54hSwU1X7gC4nFvaPFtXvbFl&id=100083534130712&mibextid=Nif5oz

https://youtu.be/CUosSQZSw5c?si=CYX4ZsE938BGEMpG


https://youtu.be/CUosSQZSw5c?si=CYX4ZsE938BGEMpG

[jack020]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7rQnFnN8Qg

One of my alltime favorite dance tracks

RIP

[sansradio]

There was nobody quite like her. Sad day, indeed.

[reese]

So sad to hear this news. I saw Marlena in person many times, including once at an office Xmas holiday party. She definitely will be missed.

[daviddesper]

She was one of those artists that I would see in stores but for some reason never gave her a chance. From the few things I have heard, I might have liked her. Sounds like she lived a full exciting life.

[Boogiedown]

So sad to hear this news. I saw Marlena in person many times, including once at an office Xmas holiday party. She definitely will be missed.

Lucky you! Did you get to see Marlena perform?? I can't recall her ever being in my area. I'm imagining a kind of supper club show with lots of sassy banter??

I have a personal memory associated with her. There was a classica/jazz record store on Castro that I didn't really visit , but for some reason on this day I did. They had a bin of discounted stuff and in it was a promo 12" copy of ITS BETTER THAN WALKING OUT [probably for 50 cents] it was an eye opener for me because as a Joe Blow on the street I suddenly realized there were special pressings being made that couldn't be bought [legally:p]. From then on the hunt was on!!

I already liked the song, was intrigued that it was pressed on this foreign , to me, BLUE NOTE label and especially liked Marlena's voice. I followed her after that and was delighted when her TAKE A BITE album became a huge club record in SF a few years later.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWpMaFtKlLM

Sort of the antithesis of I WILL SURVIVE

Wish I'd seen Miss Shaw perform. RIP Marlena Shaw

[Guy]

Sad news. Marlena had just been on my mind. I have all of her recordings and she was a favorite. I've seen her live a few times. Almost 20 years ago, I saw her at a club in downtown Manhattan that served barbeque. It was a nice place but because of the setting -- more restaurant than music venue -- I didn't expect her to be turned on. She lit up the joint with her exuberance and she sounded wonderful. Among others, she did "Look at me, look at you" and "I think I'll tell him" which had not be mainstays in her latter day repertoire. I cannot remember the name of the venue. She told a funny story in an interview once -- Marlena has the distinction of being the first female vocalist signed to the Blue Note record label. It almost didn't hapoen, she was negotiating to join United Artists record but Shirley Bassey objected because, according to Marlena, she didn't want any other females at the label. So Capitol moved Marlena over to Blue Note.

I have many favorites but "Davy" is the one that gets me.


https://youtu.be/LGOoxprpi7A?si=V-S9D3WG_6F2j7rS

[reese]

Lucky you! Did you get to see Marlena perform?? I can't recall her ever being in my area. I'm imagining a kind of supper club show with lots of sassy banter??


Yes, she played an intimate jazz club here often and I would take my dad with me. The first time, we had first row seats and it was almost like she was flirting with him. Of course, he was grinning from ear to ear.

The last time I saw her was when she was hired to perform at a Xmas party for a recording studio I used to sometimes work at. When I saw the sign with her name on it, I stopped mingling and made sure I had a good seat. I stayed through both of her sets and when she left, she touched me on the shoulder.

She has a really good live album recorded at Vine Street Bar and Grill. I really only knew her for GO AWAY LITTLE BOY but after buying the live cd, I picked up some of her other recordings as well. I love her version of TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

She was so sultry on "Go Away Little Boy" One of my favorites. She will be missed.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Lucky you! Did you get to see Marlena perform?? I can't recall her ever being in my area. I'm imagining a kind of supper club show with lots of sassy banter??

I have a personal memory associated with her. There was a classica/jazz record store on Castro that I didn't really visit , but for some reason on this day I did. They had a bin of discounted stuff and in it was a promo 12" copy of ITS BETTER THAN WALKING OUT [probably for 50 cents] it was an eye opener for me because as a Joe Blow on the street I suddenly realized there were special pressings being made that couldn't be bought [legally:p]. From then on the hunt was on!!

I already liked the song, was intrigued that it was pressed on this foreign , to me, BLUE NOTE label and especially liked Marlena's voice. I followed her after that and was delighted when her TAKE A BITE album became a huge club record in SF a few years later.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWpMaFtKlLM

Sort of the antithesis of I WILL SURVIVE

Wish I'd seen Miss Shaw perform. RIP Marlena Shaw

Never heard this before, Boogie. Had I heard it back in the day, we would have surely tripped over each other while racing to the record store to get it!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7rQnFnN8Qg

One of my alltime favorite dance tracks

RIP

It's one of my very favorites, too, Jack. A Meco masterpiece for sure in which Marlena shines beautifully throughout from start to finish from her album "Take A Bite".

PS: Dance medleys just don't get much better than this!

[Graham Jarvis]

God Bless her, and one of my favourites of Marlena's


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF8dY_PxccQ

[Boogiedown]

Never heard this before, Boogie. Had I heard it back in the day, we would have surely tripped over each other while racing to the record store to get it!
I believe that!

This one made for high drama on the dance floor ....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc4pGYg5bcI

yes had this 12" back then too .....and still do have [both].

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I believe that!

This one made for high drama on the dance floor ....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc4pGYg5bcI

yes had this 12" back then too .....and still do have [both].

I have it, too, Boogie -- on CD! Real good stuff!

[Guy]

Marlena was a very versatile vocalist. By the time I saw her live she had settled back into her persona as a jazz singer -- i.e. standards and scatting -- but it's surprising that her dance-oriented stuff was so well-received. Personally, I loved her pop/soul balladry the most.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z6NSybw_hQ&pp=ygUXbWFybGVuYSBzaGF3IHlvdSBhbmQgbWU%3D

[sansradio]

I loved all her incarnations, but her soul-jazz of the late '60s-early '70s has a special place in my heart:


https://youtu.be/DeYJxXBPtRU?si=k0AAkRyEjZs1A0CQ

[jack020]

A Motown connection: A side of this album produced by Johnny Bristol!

https://www.discogs.com/release/1815236-Marlena-Shaw-Let-Me-In-Your-Life/image/SW1hZ2U6NjY5NDM3Ng==

https://i.discogs.com/oFKwE1_AFNEDnyIZx_RCzkw_7vFuQYpI-Jwm80mlWEQ/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MTUy/MzYtMTMzNDE2MDAw/OC5qcGVn.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/rHQVrbC14CFefNvq51kpoWsL4QdBr1mqhmvvQwkJJuk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:592/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MTUy/MzYtMTMzNDE2MDAz/MC5qcGVn.jpeg

[sansradio]

A Motown connection: A side of this album produced by Johnny Bristol!

https://www.discogs.com/release/1815236-Marlena-Shaw-Let-Me-In-Your-Life/image/SW1hZ2U6NjY5NDM3Ng==

https://i.discogs.com/oFKwE1_AFNEDnyIZx_RCzkw_7vFuQYpI-Jwm80mlWEQ/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:598/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MTUy/MzYtMTMzNDE2MDAw/OC5qcGVn.jpeg

https://i.discogs.com/rHQVrbC14CFefNvq51kpoWsL4QdBr1mqhmvvQwkJJuk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:592/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE4MTUy/MzYtMTMzNDE2MDAz/MC5qcGVn.jpeg

Yes! And sadly, this album appears to be the only one in her catalog that's unavailable for download/streaming.

[Guy]

LET ME IN YOUR LIFE has Johnny Bristol producing one side and Webster Lewis on the other. On paper, that sounds like a magical collaboration but the album came up short on inspiration. "Without You In My Life" is the highlight, the other tracks are not memorable for me. I found it on vinyl about 20 years ago.


https://youtu.be/ssDeGY-iOQ8?si=D23cW476iyuilN09

[sansradio]

At long last, the New York Times obit. Hope you can access it, because the paywall is not my friend:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/28/arts/music/marlena-shaw-dead.html