Miss Nancy Wilson's Wisdom

As I was saying, I saw Miss Nancy Wilson interviewed by great Chicago singer Kurt Elling at the January 2005 IAJE in Long Beach, CA. Here are some gems:

About singing jazz:
Though her grandmother wished she'd sing gospel, most of her family was supportive of her choices. "If God wanted me to sing like Shirley Caesar, he would have given me her pipes. If I'd sung gospel, I wouldn't have a voice today."

About the Capitol years:
"That was before 24 track--the day the music died. [audience laughter] Before 24 track, there was no going back and fixing it." Elling observed that most of her recordings were done in one take. She mentioned the importance of freshness in the studio.

About your people:
"Surround yourself with people you trust emotionally and musically. "I've never recorded anything I didn't like. Very few things I've recorded haven't been released." She's made more than 60 albums under her own name.

About self-possession:
She never questioned God's gift to her. "Singing was just what I did." She new exactly what she wanted when she went to New York in terms of musicians and manager.

About acting:
"Just look at it, read it, and go there."

Her favorite sound:
"Any of my four grandchildren saying 'Grandma'."

About technique:
"I've never done any vocal exercises, though I understand that I should." She mentioned drinking warm water and advised: "Don't push--don't reach, don't overdo it, don't abuse it."

About jazz as a living art form:
"We have to match the 13-year-old's dollar if we want things to change."

About choosing songs:
"I really either like a lyric or I don't and that's the God's truth. But I don't look at a piece of paper. I hear it."

About religion:
"I know that God IS. The church is trying to find itself. I worship God. I don't worship a church."

About the Internet and digital recording:
"It lacks warmth, humanity. I'm very concerned someone could exploit my music. All that to me lacks warmth. It's light. I don't feel it."

About motherhood:
When I asked her how she managed to have three children, she responded that her son wasn't so hard--that was just one child, and she had them "in two batches," with her two daughters coming later. "Always put the children first, and everything will fall into place." That said, "one of my daughters remembers all of the times I was there; the other remembers all the times I wasn't."