The jazz world honors a legend and welcomes a rising star.

Syndee Winters Sings Lena Horne, a 10-track tribute released via Wake Your Words/Bassline Live and distributed digitally by The Orchard/Sony Music, arrived on what would have been Lena Horne’s 108th birthday, marking both a celebration of legacy and a powerful artistic arrival.

Broadway powerhouse and jazz vocalist Syndee Winters (Hamilton, Motown, The Lion King) merges theatrical polish with deep jazz roots in this luminous project, produced by revered jazz pioneers Eulis Cathey and Carl Griffin. A 2024 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition 1st Runner-Up, Winters reimagines classics such as “Stormy Weather” and “If You Believe” with elegance, emotional depth, and narrative clarity. The album also features “Alive,” a contemporary anthem of resilience written by Andromeda Turre, bridging past and present.

Winters is joined by a stellar lineup of musicians, including Michael Eckroth, Freddie Hendrix, Warren Wolf, Alexis Lombre, John Davis, Brad Allen Williams, Jason Ennis, Allan Mednard, Edward Perez, and Grammy Award winner Ben Williams, resulting in a collection that feels both reverent and refreshingly alive.

Taking the Jazz Radio charts by surprise, debuting in the Top 40 on Jazzweek, critics are taking notice. Upscale Magazine writes, “Syndee Winters, a powerhouse performer with Broadway chops and jazz lineage, delivers a dazzling performance across every track… She doesn’t mimic Lena. She honors her.” Right On! Digital calls the album “jam-packed with wonderful, classic music,”* while critic Van Taylor affirms that Winters’ unique style “brings Horne’s music to life for a new generation.”

Pressed on vinyl for discerning listeners, "Syndee Winters Sings Lena Horne" is a tribute, a statement, and the emergence of an essential new voice.