Over the years, I’ve developed a fondness for the singer Norah Jones, the soulfully exotic way she sings, and her large lovely dark eyes that always seem to convey wisdom beyond her years (she’s now 47).
But I never did the basic homework to understand her family roots. When I finally did, it turned out she is the daughter of the great Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar, who had such an enormous influence on George Harrison and the Beatles that it spread out to all the rest of us in the western world.
Her birth name was Geethali Norah Jones Shankar.
So that helps explain a few things. She is gifted at solo performances but she really comes alive in duets with just about anybody. Via YouTube I’ve seen her perform with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, Tony Bennett, John Mayer, Wynton Marsalis, and many more, but maybe my personal favorite is when she performed “Love Hurts” with Keith Richards.
I don’t know how to categorize her singing -- jazz, rock, country, folk -- but I’m not sure that matters, because in my mind she’ll always be that person who could have stolen any show if she chose to but instead helped others to shine.
That is how it goes in life and work -- collaborators and partners invariably accomplish more together than they ever would have alone.
And for those who like Jones as much as I do, check out the one movie she starred in -- “My Blueberry Nights,” a 2007 romance directed by Wong Kar-wai, and co-starring an all-star cast of Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman.
One of my favorite parts of the film concerns two lovable (and frustrating) addicts she meets on the road --an alcoholic and a gambler. Rarely have I seen addicts portrayed with a more honest human touch than in this gem of a film.
The soundtrack is also great, including a song Jones wrote called “The Story.” And this is one story that has a happy ending.
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