Dee Dee Bridgewater 2020

Two CD set. Singer and actress Dee Dee Bridgewater recorded four albums for the Warner Brothers group of labels between 1976 and 1980, one for Atlantic and three for Elektra; for the very first time Robinsongs have combined these albums in this collection. Dee Dee Bridgewater, the Atlantic album, kicks the package off and features 'Going Through The Motions' and both the fast and ballad versions of 'My Prayer', which were released as singles. The album Just Family completes the first disc and this Stanley Clarke produced album featured a who's who in the jazz funk world, including George Duke, Harvey Mason, Ronnie Foster and Chick Corea to name but a few. Stanley Clarke also played bass on selected tracks. The Just Family album includes 'Sweet Rain' and 'Just Family', both released as singles and a fantastic version of Elton John's 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word'. Disc Two kicks off with the George Duke produced Bad For Me album, and the title track was also a Billboard Top 40 R&B hit. As per previous albums, it also featured some amazing players such as Sheila E on percussion, Greg Phillinganes on keyboards, Alphonso Johnson on bass and Roland Bautista of Earth Wind & Fire fame on guitar. Completing Disc Two is the self-titled Elektra album which was produced by Bell & James and Thom Bell. This 1980 album features the single 'One In A Million (Guy)' and the club classic 'Lonely Disco Dancer'.

One of the best jazz singers of her generation, Dee Dee Bridgewater had to move to France to find herself. She performed in Michigan during the '60s and toured the Soviet Union in 1969 with the University of Illinois Big Band. She sang with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra (1972-1974) and appeared in the Broadway musical The Wiz (1974-1976). Due to erratic records and a lack of direction, Bridgewater was largely overlooked in the jazz world by the time she moved to France in the '80s. She appeared in the show Lady Day and at European jazz festivals, and eventually formed her own backup group. By the late '80s, Bridgewater's Verve recordings started to alert American listeners to her singing talents. Her 1995 Horace Silver tribute disc (Love and Peace) was a gem, and resulted in the singer extensively touring the U.S, reintroducing herself to American audiences.

The third Web Web album "Worshippers" is the richest and perhaps best Web Web album so far. It testifies to maturity and is the logical continuation of the two preceding albums. In a way, it is a concept album in Web Web's journey through Afro- and Spiritual Jazz.

There are no less than 20 CD compilations on the market with the words "Jazz Divas" in the title, and another eight that use the phrase "Divas of Jazz." Those two nouns, so carelessly bandied about, describe improvising female vocalists whose works are an extension of a tradition established by Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, Mildred Bailey, Ivie Anderson, Valaida Snow, Una Mae Carlisle, and Lee Wiley, none of whom appear on Verve's 2007 double-disc anthology titled Jazz Divas: Gold. Although a collection this diverse is vulnerable to criticism, particularly in regards to the song choices that were made, the temporal range – May 1938 through June 1997 – allows for a healthy overview of stylistic evolution. Thirty singers are represented here, with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone checking in twice (each of the five has her own volume in Verve's Gold series). This is a mainstream selection; while the omission of Ada Moore, Jeanne Lee, and June Tyson is therefore not surprising, the absence of Pearl Bailey, Betty Roché, and Etta Jones is most unfortunate. On the positive side, it's an entertaining survey of mostly great recordings made over a span of six decades by a variegated assortment of female jazz vocalists.

There are no less than 20 CD compilations on the market with the words "Jazz Divas" in the title, and another eight that use the phrase "Divas of Jazz." Those two nouns, so carelessly bandied about, describe improvising female vocalists whose works are an extension of a tradition established by Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, Mildred Bailey, Ivie Anderson, Valaida Snow, Una Mae Carlisle, and Lee Wiley, none of whom appear on Verve's 2007 double-disc anthology titled Jazz Divas: Gold. Although a collection this diverse is vulnerable to criticism, particularly in regards to the song choices that were made, the temporal range – May 1938 through June 1997 – allows for a healthy overview of stylistic evolution. Thirty singers are represented here, with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone checking in twice (each of the five has her own volume in Verve's Gold series). This is a mainstream selection; while the omission of Ada Moore, Jeanne Lee, and June Tyson is therefore not surprising, the absence of Pearl Bailey, Betty Roché, and Etta Jones is most unfortunate. On the positive side, it's an entertaining survey of mostly great recordings made over a span of six decades by a variegated assortment of female jazz vocalists.

Wagram Music Presents RFM 80 album original hits and the original artists genre Pop Rock.

Wagram Music Presents RFM 80 album original hits and the original artists genre Pop Rock.