"Nancy Valentine is an expressive, tasteful and versatile jazz singer who has a very appealing voice that is quite haunting.  On her 'LOVESOME' CD, her voice is a perfect match for the music of Billy Strayhorn." - Scott Yanow   

    

     "A few years ago I met pianist, John di Martino.  He was impressed with the sound of my voice and the fact that I could easily glide through wide intervals.  He then introduced me to the Billy Strayhorn song, "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing".  I was intrigued by the word LOVESOME and I knew that I had to hear more of Strayhorn's music.  I was further drawn into his music after John introduced me to the very deep and compelling "Something To Live For" .  That's when we decided to do an entire album devoted to the music of Billy Strayhorn.  This was the beginning of a magnificent journey that not only led me to research the music and life of Billy Strayhorn but allowed me to meet and work with all the world-class musicians, arrangers, lyricists, engineers, authors, publishers, promoters, educators, photographers, journalists, radio hosts, reviewers, interviewers and many others along the way."

      Best known for his longtime association with Duke Ellington and for writing such songs as "Take The 'A' Train" and "Lush Life", Billy Strayhorn was a very inventive and original composer, arranger, pianist as well as a great lyricist.  Overshadowed during his life by Ellington, with whom he often collaborated during 1939-67, Strayhorn's reputation as one of America's great songwriters has grown considerably since his death.