“Come away with me, in the night” crooned a 22-year-old singer-songwriter named Norah Jones, her voice warm and languorous, her fingers unhurriedly tracing the piano keys. Where did she come from, wondered the album’s discoverers, and – given that its 14 tracks drew from folk, country, blues, pop and jazz without exclusively belonging to any of them – why was she signed to a legendary jazz label?

Blue Note knew what they were doing. But perhaps nobody could have anticipated that this lovely, unassuming record and its impressionistic palette would go on to sell more than 27 million copies worldwide, win a staggering eight Grammy Awards and create an iconic cultural moment. Or that today, amid the distractions and chaos, the anxieties, artifice and oversharing, its soothing brand of classic, authentic musicianship would find a whole new audience.

Even back then, “Come Away with Me’s” cosy counterculture vibe offered a riposte to the era’s highly produced sounds. A sultry collection of intimate covers and acoustic originals built around the piano, it captured the spirit of a clutch of Americana-leaning jazz musicians including guitarists Jesse Harris, and Bill Frisell and drummers Kenny Wollesen and Brian Blade – yes, that Brian Blade, of the Wayne Shorter Quartet. Its spacious arrangements came courtesy of Jones, Harris and producer Arif Mardin.

Yes, that Arif Mardin, the late legendary Turkish American producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who produced and arranged for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross.

For despite its late-night jam session allure, its ‘let’s make an album right here’ anti-maximalism, “Come Away with Me” is a work that was crafted by a crew of seriously good players and helmed by an elder who knew what to leave in and what to leave out. Jones’ pianism, initially underrated by critics, speaks to her studies in jazz piano at the University of North Texas and years spent playing coffee shops in her hometown of Dallas, Texas, then at jazz clubs and piano bars in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

The daughter of Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar, Norah Jones always resisted being defined as a jazz artist. Nevertheless, listen to tracks such as “Come Away with Me” and “Don’t Know Why”, a tune laced with longing and vulnerability, and her jazz aesthetic is evident in her phrasing, harmonic choices and rhythmic flexibility, in her intuitive understanding of the power of silence.

Sure, songs including “Lonestar” and “Cold, Cold Heart”, that classic originally written and performed by Hank Williams, spoke to the influence of country music, and “Seven Years” (“As fragile as a leaf in autumn, just fallin’ to the ground without a sound”) had a vibe of folk storytelling, but the sophistication and subtlety, the nuance and restraint, had the dynamics of jazz. They had its chops, too.

Still, it might also be said that “Come Away with Me” pre-empted the increasingly fluid musical landscape of today, from the routine genre-blending of artists to the eclectic listening habits encouraged by streaming platforms and practiced by audiences. The jazz-adjacent Jones (and indeed, the visionary Blue Note) helped demonstrate that listeners were more open-minded than industry gatekeepers assumed. That attention could be trusted, earned, rather than fought for.

“Come Away with Me” never chased trends. Emotionally intelligent, it stood, and stands, as a reminder that some music is meant to unfold slowly, rewarding those who choose to spend time with it. Nine solo albums later, her current recording, “Visions”, was released on Blue Note in 2024, Jones has remained relatively private and eminently durable. She has followed her musical interests wherever they led, working with artists as varied as Willie Nelson, OutKast, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles and Danger Mouse.

In 2022 she launched “Norah Jones is Playing Along”, a podcast featuring candid conversations and impromptu collaborations with guest musicians ranging from rock figures Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, to gospel legend Mavis Staples, jazz pianist Jason Moran to classical virtuoso Lang Lang.

As of 2026, Jones has not formally announced a new studio album, though her spring tour road-tested a tranche of new, unreleased material. That her work continues to be recognised at the highest levels reinforces the significance of her debut. The Recording Academy’s decision, in March this year, to honour Jones with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award acknowledges both her achievements and her wider cultural impact. Her music bridges divides, between genres, generations and audiences.

All these qualities were present on her debut, a clear, confident album that – listened to now – seems to exist outside of the era that produced it. Its longevity and expressive softness are winning over new fans who appreciate that comfort listening doesn’t mean background music, and that mass appeal and musicianship can coexist.

Because when, in an age of constant noise, when Jones quietly sings “Come away with me”, who wouldn’t want to go away with her?

_{Original Publicity Photos for Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. Photos: Joanne Savio / Blue Note Records.}

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Jane Cornwell is an Australian-born, London-based writer on arts, travel and music for publications and platforms in the UK and Australia, including Songlines and Jazzwise. She’s the former jazz critic of the London Evening Standard.

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