The Bebop Shop : Body & Soul: Billie, Ella & The Great Jazz Voices : Ladies In Satin: More Female Vocals
In 1954 Helen, gave up the band business to try her luck as a single. She appeared at the Crescendo club and elsewhere in Los Angeles, where she gained some traction, and Red Clyde, the West Coast producer for Bethlehem Records, signed Helen to the label. Her contract resulted in two excellent albums under her own name, as well as two songs she recorded as a guest singer in a Max Bennett date, with all sessions taking place in 1955.
Even though she died at a young age and remained largely unknown outside of the West Coast, Helen Carr left an undeniable mark as a jazz vocalist. Her recordings are few but sufficient to provide an eloquent example of how she understood a song and was able to communicate its essence to the listener. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
There is no question but that Anne Phillips has her own individuality. Sort of lazy and dreamy but with a purring quality which covers hidden, catlike strength and enticement. Exquisite, tender, richly arranged, “Born To Be Blue” will give you a sky-blue glow… Sort of a smoky sky-blue. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Pam’s creamy voice is as expressive and surprising as a jazz solo. The accompaniment Johnny Williams devised for Pam expresses her style exactly. Interwoven with strings is the excitement of a first-class rhythm section, and along with the freewheeling improvisation provided by Jack Sheldon’s trumpet, the beat and the lightness of jazz are always present. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
“Jane Brace looks like a schoolgirl lost in a nitery,” wrote a reviewer. Janet owned a voice capable of handling any dynamics that the situation called for—an instrument that allowed her to turn the end of a smoky, tender phrase into a kind of vocal overdrive. Her soft, intimate quality comes through handsomely thanks to excellent backing by the Don Elliott Quintet. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Patty McGovern’s clear, cool voice and direct interpretation are supported here by the fresh and moody arrangements of Thomas Talbert in a program of songs prepared with unusual intelligence and good taste. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Patricia Scot will resist all attempts of categorizing. Don’t be surprised if, the first time, you only think about how wonderful the songs are—that’s how good Pat is, and she’s why they’re wonderful. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
On the first, “Bistro Ballads”, she provides her own spare, sophisticated piano accompaniment, supported by the sensitive bass of Johnny Pate and the hushed cymbals of Charles Walton, as she brings her soulful style to bear on some untarnished ballads worthy of her skill and intelligence. On “The Voice of Audrey Morris,” she’s backed by a group of jazzmen plus a superb string section conducted and arranged by Marty Paich. (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
180g virgin vinyl pressing, limited edition of 1000 copies only - the complete album + 3 bonus tracks. (Proper Music) Price: £25.99
This excellent-value 101-collection features just about all of the A- and B-sides of her singles on the London, Decca, Roulette & Capitol labels. It includes her hit singles You Better Go Now, Occasional Man and Fire Down Below. Listeners will also find selected titles from her Decca albums Warm Intimate Songs In The Jeri Southern Style, “he Southern Style, When Your Heart's On Fire, Jeri Gently Jumps, Prelude To A Kiss and Southern Hospitality, her Roulette albums Southern Breeze, Jeri Southern Meets Johnny Smith and Coffee, Cigarettes And Memories, and her Capitol albums Jeri Southern Meets Cole Porter and Jeri Southern At The Crescendo.
This set provides a substantial cross-section of her recorded work, and an enjoyable showcase for her versatility and talent as a sophisticated song stylist and top class interpreter both of contemporary pop and the standards of the Great American Songbook. (Trapeze Music) Price: £19.99
Jeri Southern started her musical career as a pianist having been classically trained from an early age. During her musical training she had become interested in jazz and during the 1940s duly took off to begin her musical life playing the clubs. It was in these clubs that she began singing and was eventually signed to Decca in 1951. During the 1950s Jeri made a string of outstanding albums of which we have chosen what we consider to be four of her best. Her singing style was quintessentially what became known as the 'torch' style of jazz singing, world weary and somewhat downbeat, it was perhaps overlooked by some listeners because of it. However we think she was fabulous, as did many of the great names in jazz who had the privilege of accompanying her. That list would include the following... Marty Paich, Herb Geller, Georgie Auld, Don Fagerquist, Bud Clark and Mel Lewis. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
2 CD set covering a wide range of recordings from the 1950s, many with bands from the Netherlands but also including tracks with the Lars Gullin quartet and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. This collection of songs sets her wonderfully cool voice against a variety of backgrounds. Regardless of context, her artistry is supremely evident throughout. (Discovery Records) Price: £25.99
As a pair, Rita and Pim were an artistic marriage made in heaven from their first meeting, a fact mirrored in their real-life marriage. Serendipitously, the second album included here was the first record on which Rita Reys was heard at length with her soon-to-be husband’s trio. It was recorded in Hilversum on June 23, 1960, the same summer they were awarded first prize in the international competition at the “1er Festival Europeen du Jazz” in Antibes-Juan-les-Pins in July 1960; this last performance included here as a bonus.
She was already considered a top jazz vocalist with her own swinging style—Europe’s First Lady of Jazz. In Kenny Clarke’s own words, “she’s just great, she’s just... well she is RITA!” (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
She moved to Capitol, with which she made her next two albums, “Change of the Scenery” and “Have You Forgotten”. For these the label wheeled out the big guns – Neal Hefti arranged and conducted the orchestra for the first, while on the second she sings in front of three different backgrounds – a large string section, a full brass section and a rhythm section plus vibes and guitar, conducted and arranged by Sid Feller. (Discovery Records) Price: £25.99
Limited edition of 550 copies - 180g vinyl, the complete album + 2 bonus tracks. (Proper Music) Price: £25.99
Her repertoire on these albums covered most of the better standards, and the tasteful arrangements by Michael Colicchio and her husband Coleridge Perkinson provided an engaging framework. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
For her debut Harper, who had already made an impact as an almostbaby singer, was backed by none other than Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Alvin Stoller. On display were all the traits that had made her a success: a good voice, a knack for swing, and brilliant intonation. She had traces of Sarah Vaughan in her singing, without ever becoming derivative or getting stuck in any one style.
All I want now, she said, is to become a good, versatile singer. To underline that, this fine release also includes two recordings she did with Dizzy Gillespie, four tunes issued on two singles with an orchestra under the direction of Buddy Bregman; two tracks from her appearance on the TV show Stars of Jazz, and one last song arranged and conducted by Marty Paich - a handful of great performances by an outstanding singer. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
The two excellent albums on this set, Lady Lonely and Night Mood, were a rewarding showcase for the adult Miss Harper, whose cool approach to a series of low-key ballads and easy, swinging touch on the up-tempo songs reveal a singer with more than a fine appreciation of jazz feeling.
For a vocalist with such jazz and pop affinities and a repertoire of attractive originals and superior standards, the great arranger-conductor Marty Paich was ideal. Using groups with strings, horns and woodwinds, and others with reeds and brass, he featured the artistry of Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Jack Sheldonthree of his favorite jazz soloistsand first class rhythm sections, with results that are a must for anyone with a taste for great scoring, fine playing and equally assured singing. (Fresh Sound Records) Price: £17.99
Blake had a touching ballad style, free of gimmickry, but she disappeared from the scene and little is known about her. She died 2001. (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
This comprehensive collection includesalbums made firstly with Nelson Riddle and then Billy May plus several singles. (Discovery Records) Price: £25.99
For the 3 LPs included on this double CD she was provided with some first-class arrangements, while the studio musicians included top rank players such as Art Pepper, Jack Sheldon, Bud Shank and Frank Rosalino. (Discovery Records) Price: £25.99
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On “Steveireneo!,” her second album, she handles a dozen of Steve Allen’s songs with complete command. Under the direction of Al Cohn, the band consists of front-rank East Coast personnel delivering fine solos in a savoury showcase for a superior singer. (Discovery Records) Price: £17.99
After such a promising start, Pat Bowie would never make another record, at least according to discographies. These two albums never really became classics, as such - but with the superb musicians present, and Bowie’sindividual approach there is much for the jazz enthusiast to enjoy here. (Discovery Records) Price: £11.99
This great-value 48-track 2-CD set consists entirely of such records, all of which featured in charts like the Your Hit Parade chart in the years before the Billboard record sales chart was introduced in 1940, or in one or other version of the Billboard charts after that, all of them reaching the Top 25 places. Alongside those “featured vocalist” and duet hits, pride of place goes to her 1944 solo No. 2 “Time Waits For No One”. It includes seven No. 1s - “They Say” and “Thanks For Ev'rything” with Artie Shaw, “I Don't Want To Walk Without You”, “Mister Five By Five”, “I Had The Craziest Dream” and “I've Heard That Song Before” with Harry James and “Taking A Chance On Love” with Benny Goodman. It also features a continuous run of seven Top 10 hits with Dick Haymes. It’s not only a fine and varied showcase for Helen’s talent and versatility as a popular performer with the top bands of the day, but it’s an evocative trawl across the popular music of a significant era in both music and what was going on in the wider world. (Acrobat Music) Price: £12.99
Due to the short length of the original Look to the Rainbow album, we have added six songs from her fourth album for Verve called A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness. This album was a collaboration with Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley, best known for his international instrumental hit Summer Samba. Astrud presents a vocal version of this same song here. (Verve Music Group) Price: £9.99
The trio's playing meshes perfectly with Astrud's vocals, especially on the perfect "Summer Samba (So Nice)," highlighted by an astonishing Wanderley solo pitched somewhere between jazz great Jimmy Smith and the Zombies' Rod Argent. Other gems include the two title tracks, the enormous hit single "Call Me," and an uncharacteristically peppy version of the standard "It's A Lovely Day Today." The CD reissue is digitally remastered and includes extensive liner notes. (Verve Music Group) Price: £9.99
This 73-track set includes early singles on the Decca, Capitol and Bethlehem labels, some with Stan Kenton’s orchestra, plus some ‘live’ recordings with Claude Thornhill’s orchestra. Tracks are lifted from her albums Sings Lullabys Of Birdland, Sings Lullabys For Lovers and This Is Chris for Bethlehem, and Chris Connor and He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not for Atlantic. It includes performances with the orchestras of Claude Thornhill, Stan Kenton, Sy Oliver, Ralph Burns and Ray Ellis, plus the Ellis Larkins Trio, Vinnie Burke Quartet and small groups featuring Herbie Mann, Milt Hinton, J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, John Lewis, Oscar Pettiford and Connie Kay. This is a fine showcase for an artist who has not received the attention she merits over the years. (Trapeze Music) Price: £16.99
The aforementioned 10-inch album is complemented here with nine George Gershwin ballads taken from a brilliant series of 1957 sessions on which she is backed by such jazz luminaries as Milt Jackson, Herbie Mann, Joe Newman, Oscar Pettiford, and Mundell Lowe, among many others.
Limited edition of 550 copies - 180g vinyl. (Proper Music) Price: £25.99
A series of firsts greet our first selection of our tribute to legendary jazz vocalist Chris Connor, "Sings Lullaby of Birdland". Her first job singing with a trio, her first recording contract and her first LP record! The trio in question comprises Ellis Larkins on piano, Everett Barksdale (from Art Tatum’s band) on guitar and Beverly Peer on bass. Her second album "Chris" features tracks from her first date for Bethlehem which were arranged and conducted by Sy Oliver. For her third album "This Is Chris" her reputation was beginning to grow as can be seen in her fine company of musicians. Chris is joined by Ralph Sharon on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, Osie Johnson on drums, Joe Puma on guitar, Herbie Mann on flute and Kai Wiinding and JJ Johnson on trombones. Her performance is one of an artist who has arrived, an artist who has established herself amongst her contemporaries. As these three albums we made up of selections from Bethlehem sessions from December 1953 - April 1955 we have presented the tracks in chronological order instead of album order. On "Chris Connor" from February 1956 Chris once again shows off her ability to choose interesting and unconventional songs, often long forgotten or overlooked. Moving away from her jazz roots for another 1956 recording date Chris "turns frankly sentimental" for "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not". Chris is here accompanied by a large orchestra made up of strings, woodwind, reeds and rhythm, conducted by Ralph Burns who also wrote the arrangements. All four albums have been digitally re-mastered. (AVID Entertainment) Price: £8.99
