WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Support local, independent journalism on WWNO with your Member Fest gift now! Click the donate button or Call 844-790-1094.

American Routes Shortcuts: Norah Jones

Norah Jones
Norah Jones

I first visited with Norah Jones almost 20 years ago– you can see her hanging out at our old studios on the American Routes website. She was touring then with her first record, “Come Away With Me.” That went on to garner five Grammys. We dug into our archives for the second interview with Norah in 2011, talking about her country group, the Little Willies, and musical friends, including singer songwriter Richard Julian. Norah says the band owes a debt to “Wurlitzer Prize” by Willie Nelson’s old friend, the late Waylon Jennings.

Norah Jones: I got the sweetest letter from his wife; it just made me so happy that I was able to be a part of that. It actually was kind of the start of the Little Willies because when I did that song, I had Richard come sing on it and play guitar. That’s kind of when we clicked together on country music because we’d been friends for a while, and we’d talked about Tony Bennett and Bill Evans albums and you know all other kinds of music, but then I had this gig at the Living Room, and so I said, “Richard why don’t you come and sing ‘The Wurlitzer Prize’? We’ll do that one because it’ll be a good addition to the set.” We were trying to do mostly country songs. And that’s kind of how the band started.

Nick Spitzer: How is it different to be in an ensemble like this where you’re really doing more country, how is that different from jazz and some of the other setups you’ve had, arrangements and bands you’ve had?

NJ: Well it’s just really fun because we’re all old friends and intensely old friends, I mean it’s almost like just a great excuse for us to get together and hang out and play music. It’s nice to be able to be part of a group and not have to have all of the pressure of being the front person, making all the decisions, all that stuff that actually makes this job kind of challenging sometimes.

NS: Well what are the demands of playing some of this upbeat country music for you as a singer and a piano player? Some of this goes by, rips right along. It’s dancehall music in some cases.

NJ: Yeah actually sometimes we play, and I think, “I really want people to be dancing.” That’s kind of what I wish, I wish people were just talking over us and dancing and having a good time. On the nights that are best for us, people are a little rowdy. They’re not being too precious about listening. It’s not theater music.

NS: Did you enjoy country and feel compelled to play it when you were a kid? NJ: No I definitely rebelled against it, but I enjoyed roller-skating to it at the roller rink, you know. After I moved from Texas to New York when I was about twenty was when I really really realized how important this music was in my whole upbringing and how close I actually felt to it. And maybe I missed Texas a little when I moved to New York, and I started sort of tinkering around with it.

To hear the full program, tune in Saturdays at 5 and Sundays at 6 on WWNO, or listen at americanroutes.org.