|
Founded in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, Savoy grew to become one of the great reputable jazz and blues labels. Reaching its zenith in the bebop ear, Savoy became renowned for its great recordings of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner, Miles Davis, The Ravens, George Shearing, Art Pepper and countless other famous names of Fifties Jazz. This compilation of Great Jazz Vocalistsis drawn entirely from the famous Savoy Jazz Catalogue and is the first time that a compilation of this depth has been made available.
Etta Jones (not to be confused with Etta James of “I Would Rather Be Blind” fame) was a powerful and classy blues influenced jazz singer who had a massive hit in 1960 with “Don’t Go To Strangers.” Up until her death in 2001, Etta Jones worked extensively with tenor player Houston Parson and it is from that collaboration that the tracks on this compilation come from; Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia” and “Stardust” are soulful renditions of timeless classics and “The Way You Look Tonight” is Jones and Parson reminiscent of Billie Holliday and Lester Young in their vocal / tenor sax telepathy.
Jimmy Scott, commonly known as “Little Jimmy Scott,” survives today as a cult jazz singer whose initial entry into the recording studios was via the Savoy label thanks to albums such as “If Only You Knew.” A vocalist’s vocalist, Scott was revered by greats such as Johnny Ray and Frankie Laine in the mid fifties and is currently revered by anybody making jazz recordings involving the human voice. If Soul needed a definition, then Scott’s outpouring of emotion, of anguish over a lost love, or the joy of discovering a new one are interpretations that get us closer to the meaning of Soul. Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1925, Scott eventually made his debut with the Lionel Hampton band in around 1948, making his recording debut with “I’ve Been A Fool” and “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” The Scott tracks on this compilation are all utterly indispensable in that they feature Little Jimmy at his contemporary peak rather than in his afterglow as a re-discovered septuagenarian cult genius; the tracks on this album are the real deal.
John Lee Hooker needs no introduction as the uncrowned King of both electric and acoustic blues whose idiosyncratic and unorthodox style has remained unmistakable since his first recordings in the very late 1940’s. Hooker started out as an acoustic solo bluesman recording under a wealth of pseudonyms such as Texas Slim, Delta John and Johnny Williams. However, Hooker invariably shone in the company of other musicians who in the main found it a particular challenge following his individual vocal phrasing. John Lee Hooker, like Jimmy Scott, found justified adulation in his later years from both musicians and an appreciative mass audience.
One cannot mention the Savoy Jazz label and not mention The Ravens, who were in no small part responsible for bringing the Rhythm and Blues vocal group to prominence in the USA, the influence lasting through to the glory days of Tamla Motown, Stax, Atlantic and the Philadelphia soul groups of the sixties and seventies. “Old Man River” was a hit for the group which also set the tone for their up-tempo presentation of other standards such as Gershwin’s “Summertime.”
A change in tempo to smooth ballads defines the work of Johnny Hartman, arguably the most underrated balladeer of his day and more than a match for the likes of Rudy Vallee, Mel Torme and Brook Benton. If anything, Hartman’s exquisite vocal style, itself at home with Coltrane, Dizzy, a small jazz group or a studio full of lush strings, was infinitely more adaptable than his more acclaimed contemporaries. One cannot but notice that Hartman’s influence on Chet Baker’s vocal efforts of the mid to late 1950’s was considerable.
Mildred Bailey, largely forgotten since her death in 1951 was at that time equal to Billie Holiday in status and commonly regarded as one of the leading ladies of pure, un-popularised jazz singing. Starting out with Paul Whiteman in 1929, Mildred was by common consent the first and foremost white lady jazz singer of the period who married the great Red Norvo, himself featured on the Jazz Groups collection in this series of compilations. Mildred went strictly solo in the mid forties and also had her own CBS radio programme featuring Norvo, Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman and others. Of American Indian origin, Bailey’s high pitched voice is unmistakable and shamefully ignored in comparison to other contemporary jazz divas such as Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald.
This vocal collection also features rarities by some great blues ladies such as Big Maybelle, Little Esther and Linda Hopkins. Big Maybelle shot to fame due to her stunning performance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival which was immortalised in the movie “Jazz on a Summer’s Day.” Little Esther became none other than Esther Phillips, whose rise to fame in the seventies saw her performing with the likes of Freddie Hubbard and recording for the CTI label, the first and foremost jazz cross over imprint. Veteran Linda Hopkins first recorded for the Savoy label in 1951 and went on to achieve fame on Broadway in her review, “Me and Bessie” about the life of the great Bessie Smith; her contribution to this set proves that she was more than up to the job.
Track listing:
CD1
1. ETTA JONES: Georgia On My Mind
2. JIMMY SCOTT: Someone To Watch Over Me
3. LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: All Or Nothing At All
4. JOHNNY LEE HOOKER: C. C. Rider
5. MILDRED BAILEY: In Love In Vain
6. THE RAVENS: Summertime
7. THE RAVENS: The House I Live In
8. MILDRED BAILEY: Lover Come Back To Me
9. J L HOOKER: Like A Woman
10. LINDA HOPKINS: Walkin’ And Alking’ Blues
11. LITTLE ESTHER: Longing In My Heart
12. NAPPY BROWN: Is It True
13. BILLY ECKSTINE: Sophisticated Lady
14. ETTA JONES: Save Your Love For Me
15. JOHNNY HARTMAN: I’ll Never Smile Again
16. JOHNNY HARTMAN: What’s To Become Of Me
17. LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: Recess In Heaven
18. JOHNNY LEE HOOKER: I Bought You A Brand New Home
CD2
1. THE RAVENS: Leave My Gal Alone
2. MILDRED BAILEY: Can’t We Be Friends
3. NAPPY BROWN: Little By Little
4. LITTLE ESTHER: Pitiful
5. J L HOOKER: Morning Blues
6. J L HOOKER: Miss Pearl Boogie
7. THE RAVENS: Marie
8. ETTA JONES: I Think I’ll Tell Him
9. BILLY ECKSTINE: In My Solitude
10. JIMMY SCOTT: Address Unknown
11. THE RAVENS: Once In A While
12. NAPPY BROWN: Just A Little Love
13. LINDA HOPKINS: Sad And Lonely
14. LADIES SING THE BLUES: Blues In My Heart
15. MISS RHAPSODY: Sugar
16. BILLY ECKSTINE: Serenade In Blue
17. LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: Oh What I Wouldn’t Give
18. JIMMY SCOTT: Everybody Needs Somebody
19. ETTA JONES: Stardust
CD3
1. MILDRED BAILEY: You Started Something
2. LITTLE ESTHER: So Good
3. BIG MAYBELLE: A Good Man Is Hard To Find
4. NAPPY BROWN: Bye Bye Baby
5. J L HOOKER: Low Down Midnite Boogie
6. ETTA JONES: The Way You Look Tonight
7. LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: It’s Over
8. JOHNNY HARTMAN: There Goes My Heart
9. MILDRED BAILEY: Me And The Blues
10. THE RAVENS: Old Man River
11. JOHNNY HARTMAN: Just You, Just Me
12. NAPPY BROWN: That Man
13. THE RAVENS: Time Is Marching On
14. J L HOOKER: Boogie Awhile
15. J L HOOKER: Boogie Woogie
16. BILLY ECKSTINE: I Love The Rhythm In A Riff
17. JOHNNY LEE HOOKER: How Long
18. NAPPY BROWN: Two Faced Woman
19. THE RAVENS: Count Every Star
|
