Nobody Here But

Some people just know how to make the magic happen when the tape starts rolling. Writer producer Twist Turner found a Chicago cat that looks and sounds like a down home Jackie Wilson and makes it sound like something that was recorded after hours in Muscle Shoals. A big, bold sounding record that defines the divide between soul and blues, this is soul music right in line with the genre's best. Killer stuff sure to curl your toes.

Before Gate was able to rebuild a following stateside, he frequently toured Europe. He recorded the contents of this inexorably swinging set in France in 1973 with all-star backing by keyboardists Milt Buckner and Jay McShann, saxists Arnett Cobb and Hal Singer, among others. Brown indulges his passion for Louis Jordan by ripping through "Ain't That Just like a Woman" and "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" and exhibits his immaculate fretwork on the torrid title item.

Phil Harris - That's What I Like About Phil Harris (1988) {RCA DMC1-0826}
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© 1988 RCA Special Products ‎| DMC1-0826
Jazz / Vocal Pop / Vocal Music / Swing

There was a time when Phil Harris so epitomized the stereotype of "good old boy" that he could have copyrighted it. He gradually evolved his public personality from a southern-accented bandleader and singer to the boozy braggart on the "Jack Benny Program" and his own "Phil Harris - Alice Faye Show." In reality, he was rather shy and not too eager to push his career beyond radio and recordings. He was just about to fall into obscurity between two generations when his voice work as Baloo the Bear in Disney's "Jungle Book" put him right back on top again. This collection of his songs offers an excellent profile of his public persona as well as some clues to the creation of the Phil Harris character.

You have to admire New York Voices' diversity – this is a jazz vocal group that has embraced everything from modal post-bop and Brazilian jazz to Stevie Wonder pearls. And how many artists have devoted an entire album to jazz interpretations of Paul Simon tunes? Not everything the Voices have recorded is great, but more often than not, their sense of adventure and open-mindedness have served them well. After paying tribute to pop-rocker Simon in 1997, the Voices make big band music the main focus of Sing, Sing, Sing. This time, they are backed by a big band and turn their attention to gems associated with swing icons like Benny Goodman ("Sing, Sing, Sing," "Don't Be That Way"), Duke Ellington ("In A Mellow Tone"), Woody Herman ("Early Autumn"), and Artie Shaw ("Stardust"). Although many of these classics came out of the Swing Era, Sing, Sing, Sing also has its share of post-World War II gems. Ralph Burns' lovely "Early Autumn" is a gem that Herman recorded in 1948, when he was exploring bop with his Second Herd and the Four Brothers. And "Orange Colored Sky," which was a major hit for Nat "King" Cole in 1950, is quite relevant to the CD's big band theme because Cole recorded it with the Stan Kenton Orchestra.

This is an obscure 1955/56 session with Carole Creveling backed by a quartet of Bill Baker on piano, Jimmy Wyble on guitar, Bob Norris on Drums and Jack Coughlan on bass. Creveling's vocals are great; somewhat haunting on the ballads, swinging on the up tempo songs…