We Won't Forget You

It's no small thing to be called "The most creative and compelling singer-pianist since Shirley Horn,” but that's how Joel Siegel, Washington City Paper, described Dena DeRose. It is with great pleasure that HighNote Records welcomes Dena to their roster with her label debut recording "We Won't Forget You...An Homage To Shirley Horn" which features the understated, swinging side of the late, great Horn. As this year would have been Ms. Horns 80th birthday, it seems only appropriate for DeRose, also a triple threat vocalist, pianist, and arranger, to pay tribute to one of her major idols. Joining her trio of 15+ years - Martin Wind, bass and Matt Wilson, drums - are trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander and baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan. Boasting an imaginative set list of some lesser recorded gems and varied use of the instrumental colors available, Dena DeRose's first release on HighNote is jazz singing and playing of the highest order. With this being her 11th recording, Dena's performance credits range from appearances at NYC's Blue Note, Smoke, and Jazz Standard, The Kennedy Center Jazz Club"(D.C.), The Jazz Showcase (Chicago), The Widderbar (Zurich), The Pitt Inn and Body and Soul (Tokyo), among others. Major Jazz Festival performances world-wide include The Red Sea (Israel), San Francisco, Monterey, The North Sea and The Hague (Holland), Santiago (Chile), and has been a returning artist many times on The Jazz Cruise.