Joe Hendricks

The best of that rather extraordinary body of music written, often hurriedly, to meet the ephemeral needs of the American entertainment industry between the two world wars has proved durable beyond all expectation. Each of the songs on the present recording is characterised by melodic originality of a most personal kind. George Gershwin’s idiom was tinged from the beginning with jazz and the blues, and this had an effect on his rhythm and harmony, both of which still possess much piquancy.
In most cases the lyrics are by the composer’s brother, Ira, and they are almost equally accomplished, matching the extremely varied moods of the music well…

From a label with no shortage of first-rate jazz material come this very attractive vocal sampler. Staying true to the Compact Jazz ethos, Best of the Jazz Vocalists favors quality over hits and comes with a budget price tag. The majority of songs are from the label's prime '50s and '60s run, including a cloud-bound "Summertime" by Helen Merrill and one of the all-time great versions of "If You Could See Me Now," compliments of Billy Eckstine. Continuing with this balancing act between the sexes, the collection also includes fine work by Bill Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, and Anita O'Day; latter-day entries include Lincoln's "I've Got Thunder and It Rings" from her 1990 Verve debut and Horn's "I Got Lost in His Arms" from 1988's Close Enough for Love. Nicely wrapped up with Nina Simone's Afro-percussion clarion call "Come Ye," this Verve roundup works as the perfect primer for more adventurous trips through the label's fertile stores of essential jazz.

"What A Wonderful World Of Jazz Singing" one would like to exclaim about the content of this gathering of 21 top jazz singers and their recordings made between 1946 and 1962. A musical spectrum spreads out that comes across as dazzling and multi-layered as these singing personalities, who come from all sources of the infamous American melting pot and have driven their roots deep into all ingredients of American popular music: into the blues of the Mississippi and the metropolises, the swing of the Jazz Age and the black ghettos and the New York ballrooms, the effervescent bebop and the cool jazz of the Californian West Coast…

Many of the Manhattan Transfer's recordings up to the point of Vocalese showed off their diversity and covered a wide variety of music, including jazz. This set was quite a bit different, for it is dedicated to the vocalese of the great Jon Hendricks. The Manhattan Transfer (singers Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel) perform a dozen songs using Hendricks' lyrics, including "That's Killer Joe," "Rambo," "Ray's Rockhouse" and "Sing Joy Spring." Utilizing their regular band of the period (which includes guitarist Wayne Johnson), the Count Basie Orchestra (directed at the time by Thad Jones), the Four Freshmen (on "To You"), tenorman James Moody, Bobby McFerrin (guesting on "Night in Tunisia"), McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie (on "Sing Joy Spring"), altoist Richie Cole, and Hendricks himself, among many others, the Transfer give these boppish tunes definitive vocal treatments. This is one of their finest jazz recordings and a classic of its kind.

Dave Brubeck - Vocal Encounters (2001) {Columbia–Legacy ‎CK61551 rec 1960-1971}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 356 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 138 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 25 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960-71, 2001 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | ‎CK 61551
Jazz / Cool / Modal Music / West Coast Jazz / Piano / Vocal Jazz

The typical jazz fan may not realize that Dave Brubeck has accompanied a number of singers, because most of these recordings took place during his tenure with Columbia. This CD anthology has several tracks which were previously available only on the long out-of-print LP Summit Sessions; they include the impromptu concert collaboration between Tony Bennett and the Dave Brubeck Quartet during an invigorating "That Old Black Magic," and Peter, Paul & Mary join the pianist for "Because All Men Are Brothers" (whose music is adapted from J.S. Bach's "St. Matthew Passion").