Bofill

But "I love perform," she haltingly tells our colleague DeNeen Brown, and she needs the money -- so she's touring still: A band sings her songs, while Bofill sits on stage and narrates.

Read this: '70s jazz singer Angela Bofill hits the road, sans singing voice The Reliable Source 2011

He called Dave Valentin, the legendary flutist who helped Bofill get her first record deal.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

"I have been listening to her since I was 12 or 13 years old," Maysa says of Bofill.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

Bofill, who was born to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother, was raised in the Bronx, where she grew up listening to Latin music, soul and jazz.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

"I love perform," says Bofill, 56, her syntax fractured, her rhythm stop-and-start.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

In the Philippines, Bofill was a guest of politician Imelda Marcos.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

"All of a sudden, I feel an explosion inside the head," Bofill recalls.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

The next year, Bofill released "Angel of the Night," featuring the hit, "I Try."

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

Bofill was the Latina songstress who crossed over from jazz to R&B.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011

The show is like a memorial concert, except Bofill is still very much alive.

Jazz singer Angela Bofill makes a comeback without voice that made her famous DeNeen L. Brown 2011