LH: I mean, in the nineties I was working with a producer and they wanted to turn me into the next Janet Jackson. I mean, to the point of, for example the album cover was me in Spandex with a Scrunchie in my hair. (Both laugh.)
Jazz Monthly: Oh my goodness.
LH: So it was a strange experience, but again, it was me trying to get my foot in the door of the business. Another reference to the title of the record, It’s About Time, means that now is the right time for me to be doing the record that I always wanted to do because it’s truly who I am as an artist versus being what somebody else thinks I should be.
Jazz Monthly: Very cool. Now, having said that, what is most prevailing about this record from your perspective?
LH: Oh boy. I hope that the most prevalent thing is that musically it’s coming from a really honest place. These are tunes that everybody has heard. It’s a standards record, but I’m hoping I’m bringing a fresh voice to it and a fresh perspective, and hopefully the people who listen to it will hear something a little different in these tunes that they haven’t heard before.
Jazz Monthly: Well said, I second that and I must say that you truly bring a fresh voice to this, a very strong, High Def, BluRay voice to these great tunes, and that’s saying something because, I mean, you’re doing Cole Porter songs, Duke Ellington, and Toots Thielemans songs. My goodness, I mean, Gershwin. I mean, these are fantastic classics of all time.
LH: Yeah.
Jazz Monthly: Yes, and you’re bringing something so real and so true to it, and it’s deep and your voice has the strength of a bull but the elegance of strawberry dipped chocolates with champagne. (Both laugh.)
LH: That’s one of the best analogies I’ve ever heard. I thank you so much and now I’m hungry. (Both laugh.)
Jazz Monthly: But that’s what you bring. I mean, when I listen, I visualize more so than I hear, most of the time, and I think the two complement each other. When you’re listening to great music, you automatically are audio and visual with the music, and I just envision this elegant convivial evening with someone very special that you’ll never forget. And that’s what your music brings to these great tunes and your voice because it’s just fantastic. It’s just over the top good.
LH: Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much.
Jazz Monthly: You’re so welcome.
LH: Thank you so much. I grew up with these songs. My father had a tradition on Sunday mornings of waking us up with music. He would go to the living room and start playing the piano and the organ. That meant it was time to get up and I remember sitting in the living room as a young kid learning these songs and singing these songs with my father while my mother was making breakfast in the other room, and they all have a very special place in my heart.
Jazz Monthly: We can’t put a price on what our parents do for us when we’re young that shapes who we will be in the future, and that’s a lesson for all parents with small children now.
LH: Mm-hmm.
Jazz Monthly: What they do now has a lot to do with what happens in the future with their children. So I often wonder, though, there’s your dad playing the piano. And you are now a singer, not a pianist.
LH: Right.
Jazz Monthly: Did you ever wonder “Why didn’t I gravitate to the piano itself? “
LH: Well, I do play piano. I certainly wouldn’t do it as a career. (Both laugh.) I play well enough to learn the music that I love. I think my father just wanted us to do music. And I don’t think he cared what form it took. My little brother played trumpet and my oldest brother dabbled on the piano, and he was just thrilled that all of us were taking an interest in music. But ironically enough, my father actually was not entirely supportive when I decided to make music a full-time career. He knew what a tough road it was.
Jazz Monthly: Yeah, and that’s understandable.
LH: Having experienced this himself, and that is the last thing he wanted for any of his children. So it took him a minute to sort of come around to the fact that I’m going to do this and I’m gonna try my best and if I can’t make it in the business, then I have my college degree. I can always go back and get a 9 to 5. But now I think he’s the proudest father in the world. (Both laugh.)
Jazz Monthly: And rightly so. So we must tip our cap to Dad.
LH: Yeah.
Jazz Monthly: Because he really gave you a very cool foundation to do what you do now and you do it so well and he has every reason to be proud. And I must say that if anyone hears your voice, be it live or studio, they can’t help but to be captivated, and I can’t put enough emphasis on the beauty of your voice and the strength of your voice because you bring so much soul and heart to every lyric, every note. It’s just a beautiful thing to behold and to listen to, it really is.
LH: Thank you. That’s a very high compliment and I take it humbly. (Both laugh.)
