Selene Kitt

Although not released until 2000, the tracks on Eartha Kitt's THINKING JAZZ were recorded at a studio session in 1991 and a German live date in September, 1992, towards the end of Kitt's self-imposed European exile. This is one of Kitt's most straightforwardly jazz-oriented albums, with none of her usual pop and cabaret overtones. The five-piece combo playing behind her-clarinet and tenor saxophone plus rhythm section-is tight and economical, and the arrangements give each member room to stretch out without dissolving into extended jams. Kitt's spectacular voice remains front and center throughout, although the instrumental "God Bless the Child" that provides the link between the studio and live material shows that even without her contributions, this would be a swinging album.

Eartha Kitt was an actress, singer, and cabaret star whose mother was African American and Cherokee, and whose father was a White-American. Very busy throughout the 1950's and 1960's as a performer, Kitt was also active in social and political movements. She spoke four languages and sang in seven, which she effortlessly demonstrated in many of her cabaret performances. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world"…

Eartha Kitt recorded for RCA Victor Records from 1953 to 1957, an association that produced five albums and assorted singles. The bulk of this material is contained on this two-CD set from the British reissue label Avid, which takes advantage of the 50-year copyright limit on recordings in Europe to assemble the collection, mastered from old records, without having to take the trouble to get permission or pay a licensing fee. The first of the four "classic" albums to be included is what is referred to the as the "American version" of That Bad Eartha. It might be more accurate to describe it as the 12" LP version of That Bad Eartha, which differed considerably from the initial ten-inch LP version…