Live At Montreaux

Recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 5, 1973, Live at Montreux captures Marlena Shaw in a powerful live setting, backed by pianist George Gaffney, bassist Ed Boyer, and drummer Harold Jones. Produced by George Butler, the album brings together jazz standards, soul classics, and Shaw’s own repertoire in a dynamic festival performance.

The set opens with The Show Has Begun, followed by interpretations of The Song Is You, Stevie Wonder’s You Are the Sunshine of My Life, and Twisted. The second side features But for Now, Save the Children, and Shaw’s celebrated composition Woman of the Ghetto, one of the defining songs of her repertoire.

Originally released on the Blue Note label, Live at Montreux has become one of Marlena Shaw’s most acclaimed recordings. The introduction to Woman of the Ghetto has also been sampled by artists including St. Germain, Blue Boy, Ghostface Killah, and Spanish hip-hop group Violadores del Verso.

Side One:

The Show Has Begun (H. Silver) / The Song Is You (J. Kern/O. Hammerstein II) / You Are the Sunshine of My Life (S. Wonder) / Twisted (A. Ross/W. Gray)

Side Two:

But for Now (B. Dorough) / Save the Children (M. Gaye/A. Cleveland/R. Benson) / Woman of the Ghetto (M. Shaw/R. Evans/B. Miller)

*A compelling live performance that captures Marlena Shaw at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973.