Billie Holiday

 

Now we have the first of three great singers that need no introduction !!

Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic is a live album by jazz singer Billie Holiday, originally recorded on February 12, 1945 and October 3, 1946 at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and at Carnegie Hall on June 3, 1946.

The liner notes on the original LP quote a review from Down Beat, praising the album:

"These were recorded at a JATP concert in LA in 1946, and never again will Billie sound this wonderful. The years that have passed since then have taken their toll on the great stylist, but this all happened on a night when she had everything, and you don't find this LP to be one of the most emotional half-hours you've ever spent, there's something wrong. Certainly one of the outstanding records in years."

 

1. Body And Soul......Live at The Philharmonic Auditorium Los Angeles 1945

2. Strange Fruit......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

3. I Cried For You.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

4. Fine And Mellow......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

5. He's Funny That Way......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

6. The Man I Love.......Live At Carnegie hall 1946

7. Gee Baby Ain't i Good To You.......Live At Carnegie 1946

8. All Of Me.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

9. Billie's Blues......Live At Carnegie Hall 1946

10. Trav'lin Light......Live At The Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles 1946

11. He's Funny That Way...Live At The Shrine Auditorium Los Angeles 1946

12. Norman Granz Announcement.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1947

13. You Better Go Now.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1947

14. You've Driving Me Crazy.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1947

15. There Is No Greater Love........Live At Carnegie Hall 1947

16. I Cover The Waterfront.......Live At Carnegie Hall 1947

17. Norman Granz Announcement Of Billie Holiday & Intermission Carnegie Hall 1947

18. Announcement By Willis Conover.....Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

19. Announcement By Johnny Mercer...Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

20. Fanfare From Oh Lady Be Good.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

21. Nice Work If You Can Get It......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

22. Willow Weep For Me.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

23. My Man.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

24. Lover Come back To Me.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

25. Lady Sings the Blues.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

26. What A Little Moonlight Can Do.......Live At Newport Jazz Festival 1957

27. Fanfare From Oh Lady Be Good with Conover Announcement...Newport 1957

28. Announcement By Leonard Feather... From The Seven Ages Of Jazz Festival 1958

29. I Wished On The Moon......Live From The Seven Ages Of Jazz Festival 1958

30. Lover Man...Live From The Seven Ages Of Jazz Festival 1958

Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP, was the title of a series of jazz concerts, tours and recordings produced by Norman Granz from 1944 through 1983. Billie Holiday would go on to perform at Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts numerous times, even joining the troupe in 1954.

Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic was originally released as a 10 inch LP in 1954, her fourth LP for Norman Granz's Clef label. After the 10 inch form was discontinued, the 8 tracks would be rereleased as parts of various compilations.

          13. You Better Go Now

Annie Ross & Zoot Sims

Annabelle McCauley Allan Short (25 July 1930 – 21 July 2020), known professionally as Annie Ross, was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

1. I'm Just a Lucky So And So

2. You're Nearer

3. I'm Nobody's Baby

4. Lucky Day

5. Invitation To The Blues

6. Your Driving Me Crazy

7. Invitation To The Blues

8. Everything I've Got

9. I Didn't Know About You

10. I Was Doing All Right

11. You Took Advantage of Me

12. I Don't Want To Cry Anymore

13. Bones For Zoot

14. Funky Old Blues

15. Brushes

She recorded seven albums with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross between 1957 and 1962.

Ross left the group in 1962 and in 1964 opened a nightclub in London. Annie's Room hosted Joe Williams, Nina Simone, Stuff Smith, Blossom Dearie, Anita O'Day, Jon Hendricks, and Erroll Garner.

Most of this record contains one of singer Annie Ross' finest sessions away from the premiere jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. She is joined by either Zoot Sims or (on two numbers) Bill Perkins on tenor, pianist Russ Freeman, Billy Bean or Jim Hall on guitar, bassist Monty Budwig and Mel Lewis or Frankie Capp on drums. Ross' renditions of such tunes as "I'm Nobody's Baby," "Invitation To The Blues," "I Didn't Know About You" and "You Took Advantage Of Me" are highlights. 

Also on this set are five instrumentals taken from samplers that showcase the talents of Zoot Sims and Russ Freeman.

          9. I Didn't Know About You

         12. I Don't Want To Cry Anymore

Anita O'Day

The album was recorded in Los Angeles on January 31, 1957. In addition to vocalist O'Day, the musicians were pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and Milt Holland or John Poole on drums.

Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919[1] – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances that shattered the traditional image wearing a band jacket and skirt as opposed to an evening gown. She changed her surname from Colton to O'Day, pig Latin for "dough", slang for money. 

As a live performer, O'Day began performing in festivals and concerts with musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Dinah Washington, George Shearing, Cal Tjader and Thelonious Monk. She appeared in the documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, which increased her popularity. She admitted later that she was probably high on heroin during the concert.

1. S'Wonderful / They Can't Take That Away From Me

2. Tenderly

3. Old Devil Moon

4. Love Me Or Leave Me

5. We'll Be Together Soon

1. Stella by Starlight

2. Taking A Chance On Love

3. Them There Eyes

4. I've Got The World On a String

5. You Turned The Tables On Me

6. Bewitched Bothered And Bewildered

         3. Them There Eyes

Benny Goodman & His Band

We are now in the 60's !... 30th Of May 1962  according to the back sleeve if I have translated it correctly !...nostalgia galore !! this one comes from a wet rainy day in Belguin Via Bob...Isn't it great to hear the great music of yesteryear !!..and this one swings to perfection !!

 
2. Mission To Moscow

Flambards.TV Series

  This is the music from a late 70's Television Series....Even if you haven't seen the Series the music stands on its own.... The tracks are catchy and beautiful and there's a whistle tune that if you download it you will be whistling all day !!!.....If any of you out there get a chance to see this great T/V Series or get the DVD (which I have) then go for it you wont be disappointed....

P.S. This is definatly one of the best "Mood Music" that I have in my collection and I hope that most of you out there will have a listen and give an opinion!!....as I said above the music stands on its own so you don't realy have to see the "Series" to appreciate it...BUT it does help !!! 

 

1. Flambards Theme

The Pajama Game (Film ).

 This is definitely taken from the soundtrack....usually they go into the studio and record the songs but this one is different the tracks are longer and you can hear the dance steps on some of the tracks....so if you have seen the film you will know what I mean...Every song is well known and it says on the back that the film is not much different to the stage play in fact all the original stage players are in the film... only Doris Day has been replaced !!!


1. The Pajama Game / Racing With The Clock...Eddie Foy & Cast
2. I'm Not In Love....Doris day & Girls
3. I'll Never Be Jealous Again....Eddie Foy & Reta Shaw
4. Hey There....John Raitt
5. Once A Year Day....Doris Day & John Raitt

1. Small Talk....Doris Day & John Raitt
2. There Once Was A Man....Doris Day & John Raitt
3. Steam Heat....Carol Haney & Kenneth LeRoy & Buzz Miller
4. Hernando's Hideaway....Carol Haney & Cast
5. Seven And A Half Cents...Doris Day & Jack Straw & Cast
6. Finale

3. Steam Heat

The Double Six Of Paris

Some jazz singing now from France......This is a great L/P well worth a listen !!

Les Double Six (also known as the Double Six of Paris) was a French vocal jazz group established in 1959 by Mimi Perrin. The group established an international reputation in the early 1960s. The name of the group was an allusion to the fact that the sextet used double-tracking techniques to enhance and "fatten" the sound, very much like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys did in the recording studio. The membership of the group varied from recording to recording. The six members would all sing once to a recording track, then sing the exact duplicate performance again to a second track, "doubling" each individual vocal part.

Singing in French, they performed jazz standards.Inspired by several American groups, the singers vocalized in the manner of instruments, reconstructing brilliant improvisations of saxophones, trumpets or trombones.

The Double Six were nominated for Best Vocal Group Performance at the 1965 Grammy Awards for their LP The Double Six of Paris Sing Ray Charles, but were beaten by The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night".

1. One Mint Julep

2. Yes Indeed

3. Ruby

4. Lonely Avenue

5. Sherry

6. Let The Good Times Roll

1. Georgia On My Mind

2. Hallelujah I Love Her So

3. Hit The Road Jack

4. From The Heart

5. Stompin' Room Only

          5. Sherry

David Rose & Orchestra

Strings Strings !! on holiday with the stripper !!.......a great selection of sweeping strings and great orchestral arrangement's

1. Holiday For Strings

2. The Stripper

3. Waltz Of The Bubbles

4. 420 a Min

5. California Melodies

6. Like Young

1. Dance Of The Spanish Onion

2. Taco Holiday

3. The Tiny Ballerina

4. Rose Of Bel Air

5. Gay Spirits

6. Wig Wam

          2. Taco Holiday
 

          6. Wig Wam

Barry Manilow

There's something ghastly spooky about Barry Manilow's "My Dream Duets."  Released on the week of Halloween, this album finds the 71 year-old crooner opening the crypt to find his duet partners where most of them are already nothing but mere bones.  In fact, all of Manilow's dream duet partners are all dead for scores of years.  Manilow certainly adds a new varnish of meaning to the immortal phrase "I hear dead people." 

Manilow singing with Jimmy Durante "The Song's Gotta Come from the Heart," where he wisely opens, that the inherent beauty of the song does not reside in its sui genesis but with the way one sings it.  And the way he interacts with Jimmy Durante sounds as if the two were both in the same booth trading lines with each other.....Manilow has to jigger his way around the recorded vocals of Frankie Lymon's "Goody Goody," he doesn't sound deferent.  Rather, he sounds alive and engages with Lymon satisfactorily.  Adding a harmonica ending where John Denver's "Country Roads" fades out their duet "Sunshine on My Shoulders," one can't help but shed a tear at how death has such of way of robbing many such great talents.

The true gem that deserves a million house lights is Manilow's duet with powerhouse Whitney Houston.  Their duet here is Houston' soundtrack "I Believe in You and Me."  Never trying to out stage Houston, Manilow allows Houston to build the song effortlessly before she adds her Gospel music-influenced long-note holding liberties to this gorgeous love ballad that has the way of sky scraping the heavens and digs deep enough into the recesses of our hearts.  From Houston's pop ballad, Manilow goes big band with his favorite female artist Judy Garland on "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart."  But Manilow is not just one that works his vocals alongside his partners.  On his duet with Louis Armstrong, Manilow and Bruce Sussman wrote a brand new song "What a Wonderful Life" that seamlessly flows into one of America's most iconic songs for world peace "What a Wonderful World."  

Hearing Andy Williams singing in his prime "Moon River," one can't help but notice how much Manilow and Williams share the same range and vocal nuances in so many areas.  At the end of the day, this isn't a mere crypt keeper project.  Rather, it's a refreshing way of re-introducing these great voices to a new generation by an artist who is dynamic and knows how to bring out the best in himself and his partners.  And unlike his partners, he's no stiff........

Barry Manilow “My Dream Duets” (Revised) Album Review

By Timothy Yap Oct 28, 2014 From JubileeCast 

      3. Dream A Little Dream Of Me