Annie Ross - Autumn Rain in The City: Songs for a Rainy Day

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2022
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:11
Size: 76,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:10) 1. Manhattan
(2:19) 2. I Love Paris
(2:41) 3. Gypsy In My Soul
(2:15) 4. The Lady's In Love With You
(2:26) 5. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
(2:22) 6. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
(2:26) 7. I've Told Every Little Star
(2:46) 8. 'T Ain't What You Do
(2:30) 9. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(2:56) 10. Skylark
(3:22) 11. I Didn't Know About You
(4:52) 12. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

Annie Ross has been an abundant contributor to the art of jazz for over 50 years. Born in the UK, she has been a permanent resident of the USA for many years and a US citizen since 2001. The following are some highlights of what has been a long and illustrious career in jazz:

Annie Ross is one of the pioneers of vocalese and the composer of "Twisted", one of the most well known examples of that art, as well as "Farmers Market", "Jackie" and many others. A founding member of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, considered the greatest jazz vocal ensemble of all time, her influence is present in all subsequent practitioners of vocalese. “Twisted“ has been recorded by a host of vocalists, including some not normally associated with jazz, including Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler.

Annie Ross toured in the 50’s with the extraordinary Lionel Hampton band that included Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, and Quincy Jones. Ms. Ross has recorded with James Moody, Kenny Clarke, Milt Jackson, Harry Sweets Edison, the Count Basie band, Louis Armstrong, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Chet Baker and many more. In this variety of settings, she became known as a great jazz singer, masterful at ballads and up tempos, with the ability to swing hard, improvise and make every lyric meaningful and revealing.

As a child, Annie Ross entered a talent show on the radio accompanied by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, which resulted an a six-month contract with MGM. She went to Hollywood at age eight where she appeared in "The Little Rascals" singing a jazz version of "Loch Lomond." At age eleven she appeared as Judy Garland’s sister in "Presenting Lily Mars." At age 14 she composed the song "Let's Fly", which was subsequently recorded by Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford.

In Paris in the late 40’s, she met up with musicians involved in modern jazz, including James Moody, Kenny Clarke, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Strayhorn, and displayed an unerring ear and savvy sense of harmony, which was much appreciated. At 19, she recorded “Le Vent Vert” with Moody. Back in the U.S. at age 21 she recorded for Savoy, along with Clarke, Milt Jackson and Percy Heath. She worked on 52nd St. with Max Roach, Tommy Potter and George Wallington and subbed for Billie Holiday at the Apollo Theater. The original recordings of “Twisted” and “Farmer’s Market” were done in 1952 with Wallington on piano and Art Blakey on drums.

Annie Ross has continued to bring the essence of jazz to a broad spectrum of listeners internationally, by touring, through her recordings, conducting workshops, writing, and appearances in film, television and radio.

Currently, Annie Ross is living in New York and is still active as a jazz performer, having recently performed in New York, Scotland, and Spain as well as having recorded a new CD, Let Me Sing.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/annie-ross

R.I.P.

Born: July 25, 1930, Mitcham, United Kingdom

Died: July 21, 2020, New York, New York, United

Autumn Rain in The City: Songs for a Rainy Day

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Various - Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 64:44

Size: 148.2 MB

Styles: Standards, Easy Listening

Year: 1991

Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Annie Ross - All Of You

[2:03] 2. Peggy Lee - Always True To You In My Fashion

[2:21] 3. Count Basie - Anything Goes

[3:26] 4. Gordon Macrae - Begin The Beguine

[2:44] 5. Martha Tilton - Blow, Gabriel, Blow

[3:47] 6. Stan Kenton - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

[1:50] 7. Peggy Lee - From Now On

[2:41] 8. Stan Kenton - I Get A Kick Out Of You

[2:53] 9. Judy Garland - I Happen To Like New York

[2:15] 10. Helen O'connell - In The Still Of The Night

[2:38] 11. Dinah Shore - It's All Right With Me

[2:35] 12. Louis Prima - I've Got You Under My Skin

[2:13] 13. Nat King Cole - Just One Of Those Things

[2:37] 14. Liza Minnelli - Looking At You

[2:08] 15. Frances Faye - Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today)

[2:25] 16. John Raitt - So In Love

[2:30] 17. Dean Martin - True Love

[1:51] 18. Keely Smith - What Is This Thing Called Love

[3:16] 19. Margaret Whiting - Why Shouldn't I

[2:48] 20. Jo Stafford - Wunderbar

[2:35] 21. Nancy Wilson - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

[2:35] 22. Jean Turner - You're The Top

[2:11] 23. Trudy Richards - Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)

[3:03] 24. Jeri Southern - Get Out Of Town

[2:50] 25. The Andrews Sisters - You Do Something To Me

As far as all-star Cole Porter compilations go, Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes is recommended as an entertaining sampler of 25 titles performed by some of the label's biggest stars. These include, on the hip end of the spectrum, Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Frances Faye, Jo Stafford, and Annie Ross, a disarming vocalist who collaborates warmly with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Peggy Lee is heard with George Shearing, Keely Smith with Louis Prima, Dinah Shore with Red Norvo, Tony Bennett with Count Basie and Chris Connor, and June Christy with Stan Kenton. Pop singers heard on this collection include Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Margaret Whiting, Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, and the Andrews Sisters. This mini-survey of great moments in mid-20th century pop culture is suitable for casual listening (and optional singalong) while cleaning house, preparing food, shampooing the cat, or operating heavy machinery during rush hour. ~arwulf arwulf

Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

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The Royal Bopsters - The Royal Bopsters Project

Styles: Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:22
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:36) 1. Music in the Air - Wildwood' as an instrumental
(5:33) 2. On the Red Clay - 'Red Clay' as an instrumental
(4:57) 3. Peace
(5:58) 4. Basheer, the Snake and the Mirror
(4:54) 5. Señor Blues
(6:22) 6. Invitation
(4:15) 7. Bird Chasin' - Chasin' The Bird as an instrumental
(6:21) 8. Music Is Forever
(4:59) 9. Bebop Lives - 'Boplicity' as an instrumental
(6:12) 10. Just Set Right Up
(4:24) 11. Nothing Like You Has Ever Been Seen Before
(3:45) 12. Let's Fly

New York’s The Royal Bopsters, formed in 2012, bring a new and refreshing approach to the art of vocal jazz. Vocalists Amy London, Holli Ross, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk pay tribute to their jazz heroes through intricate harmonies and energetic delivery, bringing jazz classics and bebop style to the next generation and beyond. Their debut recording, The Royal Bopsters Project (Motéma, 2015), featuring vocal jazz legend Mark Murphy and NEA Jazz Masters Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, and Bob Dorough, garnered accolades from DownBeat Magazine (4.5 stars), JazzTimes (top 2015 releases), All About Jazz (top picks) and The New York Times (weekend picks) as well as rave reviews from Europe and the UK. The Royal Bopsters soon began performing at major festivals and notable clubs across the U.S. and Europe. Their sophomore release, Party of Four, celebrates both the proud history and the bright future of vocal jazz. A hard-swinging amalgam of vocal virtuosity, electrifying group chemistry, and masterful arranging, Party of Four displays the group’s stunning facility to swing deeply and sing passionately while navigating incredibly precise four-part harmonies. The album is dedicated to Bopster Holli Wasser Ross, o who sadly passed away in the late spring of 2020.

Cited as “expert practitioners of vocalese” in The New Yorker, The Royal Bopsters’ performances are masterclasses in the art of vocal jazz and vocalese, demonstrating the dazzling possibilities of four voices coming together as one. NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan - who began her career singing with Charlie Parker, and who now, with the passing of Annie Ross this July, has become the reigning Queen Matriarch of Vocal Bop, has commented “The Bopsters are my favorite vocal group.” The love is mutual, and The Bopsters include Sheila as a guest in their live shows wherever possible. Bob Dorough, who is most famous for writing Schoolhouse Rock, also guested frequently until his sudden death in 2018. He, Annie, vocalese master Jon Hendricks, and the inimitable Mark Murphy are all much loved and sorely missed by the Bopsters. Amy London, Pete McGuinness, and Dylan Pramuk are all renowned jazz educators, and collectively they instruct at the entire gamut of excellent jazz programs in the NYC area: The New School (London was a founder of the program), NYU, William Paterson, Manhattan School of Music, Montclair State, City College, Hofstra, and Jazz House Kids. The group’s vast collective knowledge of the history and technique of the art form of vocal jazz shines through on every note. http://royalbopsters.com/bios-2

Singers: Amy London, Holli Ross, Dylan Pramuk, Darmon Meader (on recording and has since been replaced by) Pete McGuinness.

Featured singers: Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough. Band: Steve Schmidt, Sean Smith, Steve Williams, Steve Croon, Cameron Brown

The Royal Bopsters Project

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Home Cookin'

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:30
Size: 92,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:26) 1. Home Cookin'
(2:18) 2. Halloween Spooks
(4:47) 3. Popity Pop
(3:52) 4. Blue
(3:17) 5. Mr P.C.
(5:27) 6. Come on Home
(3:05) 7. The New ABC
(2:33) 8. Farmer's Market
(3:06) 9. Cookin' at the Continental
(2:50) 10. With Malice Towards None
(3:45) 11. Hi-Fly

The premier jazz vocal act of all time, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross revolutionized vocal music during the late '50s and early '60s by turning away from the increasingly crossover slant of the pop world to embrace the sheer musicianship inherent in vocal jazz. Applying the concepts of bop harmonies to swinging vocal music, the trio transformed dozens of instrumental jazz classics into their own songs, taking scat solos and trading off licks and riffs in precisely the same fashion as their favorite improvising musicians. Vocal arranger Dave Lambert wrote dense clusters of vocal lines for each voice that, while only distantly related, came together splendidly. Jon Hendricks wrote clever, witty lyrics to jazz standards like "Summertime," "Moanin'," and "Twisted," and Annie Ross proved to be one of the strongest, most dexterous female voices in the history of jazz vocals. Together Lambert, Hendricks & Ross paved the way for vocal groups like Manhattan Transfer while earning respect from vocalists and jazz musicians alike.

The act grew out of apartment jam sessions by Lambert, a pioneering arranger and bop vocalist who had appeared in groups led by Gene Krupa and Buddy Stewart though he had also gained infamy leading a vocal choir on the disastrous "Charlie Parker with Voices" session recorded for Clef in 1953. That same year, Lambert met Jon Hendricks, who had similar vocal specialties that extended to lyrical changes. The pair debuted with a radically reworked version of "Four Brothers," which featured lyrics by Hendricks and note-for-note duplications of the original solos by Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Woody Herman. They recorded a few other sides but were unsuccessful until a chance meeting with solo vocalist Annie Ross hit paydirt.

The first LP by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross was 1957's Sing a Song of Basie. Though the trio originally intended to hire a complete vocal choir to supplement their voices, the general incompetence of the studio voices led them to multitrack their own voices. The results were excellent, incredible vocal re-creations of complete solos from Basie classics like "One O'Clock Jump," "Down for Double," and "Avenue C" with added lyrics by Hendricks. The next year's follow-up, Sing Along with Basie, featured the bandleader himself and his group in a supporting role. Perhaps realizing that multi-tracking was a bit of a gimmick, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross then recruited a straight rhythm trio and began touring and recording that way. The first studio effort, 1959's The Swingers!, represented a leap in quality and musicianship, leading to a contract with Columbia later that year. The trio recorded three albums for the label during the next two years, including a tribute to Duke Ellington.

All three had pursued separate solo projects during the trio's run. After constant touring began to wear her out, Ross left the group in 1962. Lambert and Hendricks replaced her with Yolande Bavan, and continued recording for RCA. However, it was nearly impossible to replace a soloist of Ross' caliber, and the three albums Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan recorded between 1962 and 1964 were decidedly below par. The group broke up in 1964, and Lambert's death in a traffic accident just two years later quashed any hopes of a reunion. Both Hendricks and Ross continued to perform and record, with Ross doing much theater and film work as well.~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lambert-hendricks-ross-mn0000106987/biography

Home Cookin'

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 1

Styles: Vocal 

Year: 1996

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 60:22

Size: 140,8 MB

Art: Front

(3:18)  1. Charleston Alley

(2:33)  2. Moanin'

(2:17)  3. Twisted

(3:15)  4. Bijou

(2:15)  5. Cloudburst

(2:26)  6. Centerpiece

(2:57)  7. Gimme That Wine

(3:48)  8. Sermonette

(1:43)  9. Summertime

(4:10) 10. Everybody's Boppin'

(2:55) 11. Cottontail

(3:27) 12. All Too Soon

(1:18) 13. Happy Anatomy

(3:09) 14. Rocks In My Bed

(2:53) 15. Main Stem

(3:29) 16. I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I've Got

(2:48) 17. Things Ain't What They Used To Be

(2:32) 18. Midnight Indigo

(2:59) 19. What Am I Here For?

(3:28) 20. In A Mellow Tone - Vocal Version

(2:33) 21. Caravan

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Album: The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 2

Time: 61:18

Size: 142,6 MB

(5:26)  1. Come On Home

(3:05)  2. The New A B C

(2:32)  3. Farmer's Market

(3:07)  4. Cookin' At The Continental

(2:48)  5. With Malice Toward None

(3:44)  6. Hi-Fly

(4:26)  7. Home Cookin'

(2:18)  8. Halloween Spooks

(4:48)  9. Popity Pop

(3:50) 10. Blue

(3:17) 11. Mr. P. C.

(2:14) 12. Walkin'

(4:06) 13. This Here (Dis Hyunh)

(5:19) 14. Swingin' Till The Girls Come Home

(2:22) 15. Twist City

(2:22) 16. Just A little Bit of Twist

(2:43) 17. A Night In Tunisia

(2:43) 18. A Night In Tunisia - Alternate Version

The immortal vocal jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross recorded five albums during its career: one apiece for Impulse! and World Pacific and three for Columbia. This two-CD set has all of the music from LH&R's Columbia dates (The Hottest Group in Jazz, Sing Ellington, and High Flying), plus four previously unissued and three very obscure selections. Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross were all very talented jazz singers as individuals, and were masters of vocalese. Virtually every one of their performances was special and, in the long run, influential. With assistance from the Gildo Mahones Trio, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison (on the earliest album), and altoist Pony Poindexter (during the seven bonus tracks), the vocal group is heard in memorable form throughout the two-fer. Among the many highlights are "Twisted," "Cloudburst," Hendricks' hilarious "Gimme That Wine," "Everybody's Boppin'," "Cotton Tail," "All Too Soon," "Main Stem," "Farmer's Market," "Cookin' at the Continental," "Halloween Spooks," and "Popity Pop." Essential music for all serious jazz collections. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hottest-new-group-in-jazz-compilation-mw0000079757

The Hottest New Group In Jazz Disc 1, Disc 2

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Annie Ross - Handful Of Songs

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1963/ 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:07
Size: 85,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:24)  1. A Handful Of Songs
(2:36)  2. All Of You
(3:04)  3. Fly Me To The Moon
(2:35)  4. Nature Boy
(4:04)  5. What's New
(4:18)  6. Love For Sale
(1:57)  7. A Lot Of Livin' To Do
(2:50)  8. Let Me Love You
(2:57)  9. All The Things You Are
(3:06) 10. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
(3:26) 11. Like Someone In Love
(2:45) 12. Limehouse Blues

By 1963, Annie Ross had permanently moved back to England and had started working more as an actress than as a singer. This interesting set (reissued by DCC as an audiophile CD) features Ross backed by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Johnnie Spence. The obvious high point is one of the darkest and scariest versions of "Love For Sale" ever recorded; Ross' desperate-sounding rendition is haunting.Otherwise, she performs a variety of standards in lightly swinging fashion, not scatting or using vocalese but instead working on interpreting the lyrics. Other highlights include "All of You," "Nature Boy," "Like Someone in Love" and "Limehouse Blues." This worthy set was also put out on CD by the Fresh Sound label. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/sings-a-handful-of-songs-mw0000020817

R.I.P.
Born: 25 July 1930
Died: 21 July 2020

Handful Of Songs

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Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross - Sing The Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Songbook

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:36
Size: 109.0 MB
Styles: Vocalese, Jazz vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[2:28] 1. Lil Pony
[5:26] 2. Come Home
[2:15] 3. Twisted
[2:57] 4. Gimme That Wine
[2:32] 5. Farmer's Market
[2:15] 6. Cloudburst
[3:34] 7. Jackie
[5:47] 8. In Summer
[2:25] 9. Centerpiece
[3:45] 10. Doodlin'
[3:48] 11. Stockholm Sweetnin'
[6:46] 12. Music Is Forever
[3:31] 13. Jumpin' At The Woodside

Jon Hendricks (born September 16th 1921) is a renowned jazz vocalist, lyricist and exceptional improviser. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross went on to become one of the most successful vocal groups of all time. They toured the world and inspired other singers such as The Manhattan Transfer, and the New York Voices to perform vocalese, the setting of lyrics to instrumental music. The legacy of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross continues to live on. As the primary lyricist of the group Hendricks proved to the world that he had a tremendous gift for words.

Sing The Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Songbook mc
Sing The Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Songbook zippy

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Annie Ross - Annie By Candlelight (Feat. Tony Crombie) (Bonus Track Version)

Size: 99,9 MB
Time: 42:40
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1956/2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. Gipsy In My Soul (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:36)
02. I Love Paris (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:14)
03. I Didn't Know About You (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (3:19)
04. The Lady's In Love With You (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:10)
05. Taint What You Do (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:41)
06. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (4:45)
07. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:21)
08. Don't Worry 'bout Me (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (2:16)
09. I've Told Every Little Star (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (Bonus Track) (2:23)
10. Manhattan (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (Bonus Track) (2:06)
11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (Bonus Track) (2:24)
12. Skylark (Feat. The Tony Crombie Quartet) (Bonus Track) (2:55)
13. Stop It (Feat. Tony Crombie And His Orchestra) (Bonus Track) (2:24)
14. All Of Me (Feat. Tony Crombie And His Orchestra) (Bonus Track) (2:08)
15. Perdido (Feat. Tony Crombie And His Orchestra) (Bonus Track) (3:35)
16. Love You Madly (Feat. Tony Crombie And His Orchestra) (Bonus Track) (2:15)

Not just the canary female whose dexterous vocals highlighted recordings by the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Annie Ross recorded more than a dozen albums of solid vocal jazz and appeared in many movies. Though she was the last member to join LH&R, she had been pursuing the same pioneering fusions of vocal music with bop delivery for several years before she joined Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks.

Born Annabelle Lynch in Surrey, England, she moved to Los Angeles at the age of three, with the musical comedienne Ella Logan (either her mother or her aunt, according to differing accounts). By the age of five, she had begun acting and landed roles in the Our Gang series. She later studied acting in New York, then moved back to England where she began singing in nightclubs. Her recording debut came in Paris, with a quartet including James Moody. By 1952, Ross was back in New York and recording with most of the Modern Jazz Quartet for her first album, Singin' and Swingin'. Later that year, she recorded an album with vocalese pioneer King Pleasure. Though she featured on only four tracks of King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, her reprise of tenor Wardell Gray's solo on the song "Twisted" became a vocalese landmark.

During 1953, Annie Ross toured throughout Europe with one of Lionel Hampton's best bands (including Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Quincy Jones, and Gigi Gryce). She stayed there for several years and recorded albums for HMV and Pye before returning to America in 1957 when a New York nightclub engagement beckoned. While there, she did a vocal session with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, who were working on an album of Basie solos transposed for vocals. Realizing they shared much in common, Ross was invited to join the group, naturally christened Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

An immediate success with their first album, 1957's Sing a Song of Basie, the trio revolutionized vocal music with a set of light-speed scats that treated words as mere tools in the construction of exciting feats of vocal musicianship. Relentless touring and rumors of a falling out with Hendricks finally led to Ross' exit from the band in 1962. (Though LH&R soon became LH&B with the addition of Yolande Bavan, it was quite clear that Ross' role had been an important one, and the group disbanded less than two years later.)

Even while involved with the group, Annie Ross had continued her solo career with few interruptions. In late 1957, she recorded Sings a Song with Mulligan for the World Pacific label, with West Coast stars Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker in support on a set of bright standards that highlighted her interpretive skills as well as a few flights of vocal fancy. Two additional LPs followed for World Pacific, A Gasser! (with Zoot Sims) and a straight rendition of the Broadway hit Gypsy. After LH&R split, she moved back to England and resumed her stage and film career, recording only three more albums during the '60s. A few years back in Los Angeles gained her parts in high-profile movies during the '80s and '90s, including Superman III, Pump Up the Volume, and Robert Altman's Short Cuts. For the latter film, she recorded several numbers for the soundtrack, and re-emerged with a new recording for 1995, Music Is Forever. ~by John Bush

Annie By Candlelight

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Annie Ross - Loguerhythms

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 77:30

Size: 177.4 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz, Poetry

Year: 1962/2014

Art: Front

[3:57] 1. Bellini

[4:30] 2. The Ballad Of The Water And The Flame

[3:31] 3. The Ass' Song

[5:17] 4. The Liberal Man

[3:45] 5. Johnny

[4:27] 6. Sick Man

[3:32] 7. Things

[0:50] 8. He

[3:10] 9. Go To The Wall

[5:25] 10. The Ballad Of The Ape And The Judge

[1:02] 11. The General

[2:58] 12. Western Ladies

[1:42] 13. Lithe Girl, Brown Girl

[2:07] 14. Steep Gloom Among Pine-Trees

[0:13] 15. Sometimes It's Like You're Dead

[1:54] 16. Drunk As Drunk On Turpentine

[1:43] 17. Wings Whirr By Moon And Midnight

[1:37] 18. Can You Trap Shadows Like This

[3:15] 19. Tonight, I Write Sadly

[3:00] 20. The Way You Look Tonight

[2:38] 21. I'm Beginning To Think You Care For Me

[2:17] 22. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

[3:11] 23. Everytime

[3:11] 24. The Song Is You

[2:44] 25. Jackie

[3:18] 26. The Time Was Right

[2:06] 27. I Want You To Be My Baby

English poet Christopher Logue wrote screenplays for Ken Loach and Ken Russell and appeared as Cardinal Richelieu in the latter’s The Devils. Jazz singer Annie Ross was the driving force behind the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. The two are uneasily paired in a Cherry Red’s set that reissues an album of Ross’ jazz adaptations of Logue’s poetry. Originally released in 1963, Loguerhythms‘ dozen tracks are supplemented by Logue’s own readings. The two vocalists’ deliveries could not be more different, and even though Ross is the headliner, the performing poet comes off better.

Ross’ set, recorded live with drummer Tony Kinsey’s jazz combo band begins with “Bellini,” a song in the vein of witty song play like Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top,” that namechecks Billie Holiday but also Ho Chi Minh and Jean-Paul Sartre. It’s an auspiciously playful start, but “The Ballad of the Water and the Flame” sinks the album quickly, its music and lyrics ponderous in lines like “With the water I drown Hell.” Loguerhythms gives this set its name, but it’s the weakest material here, lyrically witty but musically forced. That forced writing can come across in Ross’ phrasing, which strains to make vocal conversation out of poetry that doesn’t sound conversational at all. Ross was the star of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross because of her sex appeal, smarts and comic timing, the group’s sultry face and its most distinct musician. But her solo work shows that sometimes she needs a straight man or two.

Part of the problem is that Ross is singing music that rhythmically confines her. The vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, whose vocalese repertoire took instrumental jazz compositions and wrote lyrics not just for the heads but for solos, was the best showcase for her talent. Their take on saxophonist Wardell Gray’s ‘Twisted” is classic vocalese that challenges Ross, who takes the role of lead instrument and rises to the occasion. Logue’s poetry constrains Ross, caging her rhythmic chops. The arrangements don’t help. The long “The Ballad of the Ape and the Judge” even resorts to a circus rhythm, then to nearly unaccompanied vocals which leave Ross out in the cold without a groove. This is more dramatic reading than jazz. Ross is a good actress – see her performance in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, but she’s only as good as her material, and Logue’s mannered language understandably gives Ross some trouble. Who would sound natural singing about an ape and a judge?

Logue’s own jazz version of his poetry, originally released on the 1959 EP Red Bird Jazz & Poetry, follows Ross’ set. His mannered delivery is accompanied by the same Tony Kinsey combo that backed Ross, but in a more relaxed setting. Logue’s style of dramatic readings with jazz accompaniment is not the kind of thing I seek out, but it suits his material more naturally than Ross’ Loguerhythms. Logue sounds like he’s leading the band, while Ross, uncomfortable with material that just isn’t right for her, too often sounds like the band leads her. On paper, a track like “Can You Trap Shadows Like This” sounds like it shouldn’t work. Logue performs an up-tempo reading of his poem over a bright jazz combo. The poet doesn’t have what anyone would call jazz chops, but he has good timing, and his confident interplay with the band makes it work better than anything in the headliner’s set.

Cherry Red packs the CD to run a generous 77+ minutes with Annie Ross performances of jazz standards with Gigi Gryce and other simpatico combos. This material is better suited to Ross’ gifts than the Logue material, but she still sounds curiously out of sorts. The version of “Jackie” included here lacks the confidence of the version Ross recorded with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Annie Ross may be the marquee name on this set, but fans of Christopher Logue may find it more satisfying.

Loguerhythms    

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Buddy Bregman And His Dance Band - Swinging Standards / Gypsy (Feat. Annie Ross)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 65:16

Size: 149.4 MB

Styles:

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[2:36] 1. My Buddy

[3:03] 2. All Of You

[4:37] 3. In A Mellotone

[4:03] 4. I Love Paris

[3:44] 5. It's All Right With Me

[2:35] 6. Too Close For Comfort

[2:24] 7. Baubles, Bangles, And Beads

[3:06] 8. Imagination

[4:08] 9. My Heart Stood Still

[3:39] 10. Just In Time

[3:43] 11. Gypsy Overture

[3:44] 12. Everything's Coming Up Roses

[3:29] 13. You'll Never Get Away

[4:09] 14. Some People

[3:00] 15. All I Need Is A Boy

[2:39] 16. Small World

[4:36] 17. Together Where You Go

[3:37] 18. Let Me Entertain You

[2:15] 19. Roses

Twofer: Tracks #1-10 from the 12" LP "Swingin' Standards" (World Pacific STEREO-1024). Tracks #11-19 from the 12" LP "Gypsy" (World Pacific STEREO-1028).

Personnel on "Swingin' Standards": Al Porcino, Stu Williamson, Ray Triscari, Conte Candoli, John Audino (tp); Frank Rosolino, Joe Howard, Lloyd Ulyate, Marshall Cram (tb); George Roberts (b-tb); Richie Kamuca, Bob Cooper, Bill Holman (ts); Bill Perkins (bs); Russ Freeman (p); Jim Hall (g); Monty Budwig (b) and Mel Lewis (d). Recorded at United recording Studios, Hollywood, on April 21 (#6-10), 22 (#1-5), 1959. Personnel on "Gypsy": Annie Ross (vcl); Pete Candoli, Al Porcino (tp); Frank Rosolino (tb); Bud Shank (as); Richie Kamuca, Bill Perkins (ts); Russ Freeman (p); Jim Hall (g); Monty Budwig (b) and Mel Lewis (d). Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on July 7 & 8 (#11,13,14,15), 1959.

Not yet 30 and dubbed Hollywood's wonder-boy of music when he recorded these sessions, Buddy Bregman had already amassed an incredible list of radio, television and motion picture credits, and had done backgrounds for everybody from Ella to Bing Crosby.

In 1959, he had a show every Sunday on NBC titled Buddy Bregmans Music Shop, where he appeared leading the powerful dance band with which he recorded the album Swingin Standards. The band featured the best of front rank Hollywood musicians, with fine soloing from brass and reeds and an excellent rhythm section authoritatively driven by Mel Lewis and the tasteful beat of guitarist Jim Hall. That same year, Buddy assembled a reduced version of his band to accompany Annie Rossone of the most versatile, brilliant and the swingingnest female jazz singer of the momentto record an album dedicated to the Broadway show Gypsy, with music composed by Buddys uncle Jule Styne, and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim. Miss Ross has never been more hip, sultry and just plain enjoyable. Listening to the ripe, full sound the band gets suggests awesome power carefully under control. This is the flamboyant swing of Buddy Bregmans band.

Swinging Standards  Gypsy 

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Everybody's Boppin'

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:35
Size: 112,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:21)  1. Charleston Alley
(2:37)  2. Moanin'
(2:18)  3. Twisted
(3:19)  4. Bijou
(2:18)  5. Cloudburst
(2:29)  6. Centerpiece
(3:01)  7. Gimme That Wine
(3:49)  8. Sermonette
(1:46)  9. Summertime
(4:13) 10. Everybody's Boppin'
(4:28) 11. Home Cookin'
(3:51) 12. Blue
(5:29) 13. Come on Home
(2:57) 14. Cotton Tail
(2:32) 15. Midnight Indigo

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross made their debut on Columbia in 1959, and this CD contains not only all of the music from their first CBS album, but five titles from two later records. This set has many memorable classics from the great singers Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks (the top vocalese lyricist) and Annie Ross. Highlights include the upbeat "Charleston Alley," a remake of Ross' "Twisted," the heated "Cloudburst," Hendricks' humorous "Gimme That Wine," "Summertime" (a recreation of Miles Davis' version with Gil Evans), and "Come on Home." Although Lambert, Hendricks and Ross only lasted a few years, their influence on other vocal groups was enormous. This set is a perfect place for collectors to begin to explore their vocal magic. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/everybodys-boppin-mw0000653429

Personnel:  Vocals – Annie Ross, Dave Lambert , Jon Hendricks;   Bass – Charles "Ike" Isaacs;  Drums – Jimmy Wormworth , Walter Lee Bolden;  Piano – Gildo Mahones;  Trumpet – Harry Edward Edison

Everybody's Boppin'

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Annie Ross, The Gerry Mulligan Quartet - Annie Ross Sings A Song With Mulligan

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:37
Size: 72.4 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1959/2010
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. I Feel Pretty
[2:47] 2. How About You
[2:58] 3. I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face
[3:20] 4. This Time The Dream's On Me
[3:40] 5. Let There Be Love
[2:16] 6. All Of You
[3:31] 7. Give Me The Simple Life
[4:17] 8. This Is Always
[3:37] 9. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
[1:38] 10. It Don't Mean A Thing

Baritone Saxophone – Gerry Mulligan; Bass – Bill Crow, Henry Grimes; Drums – Dave Bailey; Trumpet – Art Farmer, Chet Baker; Vocals – Annie Ross.

Singer Annie Ross' first solo album after joining Lambert, Hendricks & Ross finds her at the peak of her powers. Ross is joined by two versions of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet with either Chet Baker or Art Farmer on trumpet, Bill Crow or Henry Grimes on bass, and drummer Dave Bailey. Annie Ross is at her best (and most appealing) on "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face," "Give Me the Simple Life," "How About You," and "The Lady's in Love With You," but all the selections are quite rewarding and her interplay with baritonist Mulligan is consistently memorable. This date plus its follow-up A Gasser are both essential. ~Scott Yanow

Annie Ross Sings A Song With Mulligan

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Various - Capitol Sings Duke Ellington

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 71:57

Size: 164.7 MB

Styles: Easy Listening

Year: 1994

Art: Front

[ 5:04] 1. Duke Ellington - Duke's Place

[ 2:20] 2. Nancy Wilson - Satin Doll

[ 3:49] 3. Sarah Vaughan - Solitude

[ 3:20] 4. Nat King Cole - Mood Indigo

[ 2:53] 5. June Christy - Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'

[ 4:46] 6. Annie Ross - I'm Just A Lucky So And So

[ 2:44] 7. Lou Rawls - Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)

[ 3:06] 8. Dinah Washington - I Didn't Know About You

[ 3:49] 9. Dinah Shore - I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues

[ 3:08] 10. Nat King Cole - Don't Get Around Much Anymore

[ 2:54] 11. Hank Jones - In A Sentimental Mood

[ 3:04] 12. Harry James & His Orchestra - I'm Beginning To See The Light

[ 5:31] 13. Duke Ellington - I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

[ 2:10] 14. Peggy Lee - Jump For Joy

[ 2:15] 15. Dinah Washington - Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me

[ 2:43] 16. June Christy - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

[ 2:42] 17. Nat King Cole - Caravan

[ 2:29] 18. Nancy Wilson - Sophisticated Lady

[ 2:42] 19. The King Sisters - Take The A Train

[10:17] 20. Duke Ellington - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

If you like Duke Ellington's music, you will love this collection. The disc includes some very well known versions of Ellington's big hits. As expected from the title, all the versions are from the Capitol Records' vault. I miss Ella Fitzgerald. A few cuts from her would have made this album perfect. But that's a minor point as the overall collection of artists represented here is outstanding. The artists range from Duke's own orchestra to Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls and the King Sisters. The title track, "Mood Indigo" is performed by Nat King Cole - simply the best.

The songs have been digitally remastered and the sound is as close to perfect as modern technology can make it. The music is as clean and bright on this album as it was when it was originally recorded. Great songs; great artists; excellent sound -- so, turn up the volume and swing the house! Highly recommended! ~Penumbra

Capitol Sings Duke Ellington

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - High Flying

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 40:13
Size: 92,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:32)  1. Come On Home
(3:11)  2. The New A B C
(2:36)  3. Farmer's Market
(3:10)  4. Cookin' at the Continental
(2:53)  5. With Malice Toward None
(3:48)  6. Hi-Fly
(4:30)  7. Home Cookin'
(2:21)  8. Halloween Spooks
(4:52)  9. Popity Pop
(3:55) 10. Blue
(3:19) 11. Mr. P. C.

High Flying, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross' third album for Columbia, features more of the group's inventive and playful vocalese, including a vocal adaptation of John Coltrane's "Mr. P.C." The group's active imagination leaves no stone unturned, finding musical inspiration in the alphabet ("The New ABC"), shopping at the "Farmer's Market," and shivering through the seasonal hijinks of "Halloween Spooks." Dave Lambert and company cover kindred soul Slim Gaillard's "Popity Pop," and answer their critics with a disarmingly straightforward vocal group performance on "With Malice Toward None." The Ike Isaacs Trio provides instrumental accompaniment on this delightful outing that was the group's final album with Annie Ross. The album was reissued in its entirety with different cover art as The Way-Out Voices of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. ~ Greg Adams http://www.allmusic.com/album/high-flying-mw0000894932

Personnel:  Bass – Ike Isaacs;  Drums – Jimmy Wormworth;  Piano – Gildo Mahoneys;  Vocals – Annie Ross, Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks .

High Flying

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Annie Ross - Annie By Candlelight

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 22:43
Size: 52.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1965/2011
Art: Front

[2:37] 1. The Gypsy In My Soul
[2:20] 2. I Love Paris
[3:23] 3. I Didn't Know About You
[2:10] 4. The Lady's In Love With You
[2:41] 5. Tain't What You Do
[4:46] 6. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
[2:22] 7. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
[2:20] 8. Don't Worry 'bout Me

Bass – Lennie Bush; Clarinet – Bob Burns; Guitar – Roy Plummer; Piano – Tony Crombie.

Not just the canary female whose dexterous vocals highlighted recordings by the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Annie Ross recorded more than a dozen albums of solid vocal jazz and appeared in many movies. Though she was the last member to join LH&R, she had been pursuing the same pioneering fusions of vocal music with bop delivery for several years before she joined Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks. Born Annabelle Lynch in Surrey, England, she moved to Los Angeles at the age of three, with the musical comedienne Ella Logan (either her mother or her aunt, according to differing accounts). By the age of five, she had begun acting and landed roles in the Our Gang series. She later studied acting in New York, then moved back to England where she began singing in nightclubs. Her recording debut came in Paris, with a quartet including James Moody. By 1952, Ross was back in New York and recording with most of the Modern Jazz Quartet for her first album, Singin' and Swingin'. Later that year, she recorded an album with vocalese pioneer King Pleasure. Though she featured on only four tracks of King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, her reprise of tenor Wardell Gray's solo on the song "Twisted" became a vocalese landmark. During 1953, Annie Ross toured throughout Europe with one of Lionel Hampton's best bands (including Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Quincy Jones, and Gigi Gryce). She stayed there for several years and recorded albums for HMV and Pye before returning to America in 1957 when a New York nightclub engagement beckoned. While there, she did a vocal session with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, who were working on an album of Basie solos transposed for vocals. Realizing they shared much in common, Ross was invited to join the group, naturally christened Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. An immediate success with their first album, 1957's Sing a Song of Basie, the trio revolutionized vocal music with a set of light-speed scats that treated words as mere tools in the construction of exciting feats of vocal musicianship. Relentless touring and rumors of a falling out with Hendricks finally led to Ross' exit from the band in 1962. (Though LH&R soon became LH&B with the addition of Yolande Bavan, it was quite clear that Ross' role had been an important one, and the group disbanded less than two years later.) Even while involved with the group, Annie Ross had continued her solo career with few interruptions. In late 1957, she recorded Sings a Song with Mulligan for the World Pacific label, with West Coast stars Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker in support on a set of bright standards that highlighted her interpretive skills as well as a few flights of vocal fancy. Two additional LPs followed for World Pacific, A Gasser! (with Zoot Sims) and a straight rendition of the Broadway hit Gypsy. After LH&R split, she moved back to England and resumed her stage and film career, recording only three more albums during the '60s. A few years back in Los Angeles gained her parts in high-profile movies during the '80s and '90s, including Superman III, Pump Up the Volume, and Robert Altman's Short Cuts. For the latter film, she recorded several numbers for the soundtrack, and re-emerged with a new recording for 1995, Music Is Forever. ~ bio by John Bush

Annie By Candlelight

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - The Swingers

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:50
Size: 96,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Airegin
(3:16)  2. Babe's Blues
(3:32)  3. Dark Cloud
(2:04)  4. Jackie
(5:07)  5. Swingin' 'Til the Girls Come Home
(4:13)  6. Four
(3:30)  7. Little Niles
(2:57)  8. Where
(2:58)  9. Now's the Time
(3:46) 10. Love Makes the World Go Around
(6:49) 11. Clap Hands! Here Somes Charley

One of the lesser-known sets by the classic jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, this LP holds its own with their more famous recordings. Assisted by tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, pianist Russ Freeman, and guitarist Jim Hall, among others, Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross sound at their best on such numbers as "Airegin," "Jackie" (a feature for Ross), "Swingin' 'Til the Girls Come Home," "Four," and "Now's the Time." 

This album is recommended to fans of this unique and influential vocal trio. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-swingers!-mw0000194210

Personnel:  Vocals – Annie Ross, Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks;  Bass – Ed Jones;  Drums – Sonny Payne;  Guitar – Freddie Green;  Piano – Russ Freeman;  Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims

The Swingers

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Annie Ross & Pony Poindexter - With The Berlin All-Stars

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:34
Size: 99.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2004/2016
Art: Front

[ 4:36] 1. Saturday Night Fishfry
[11:40] 2. All Blues
[ 4:54] 3. Home Cookin'
[ 6:23] 4. Jumpin' At The Woodside
[ 3:39] 5. Moody's Mood For Love
[ 4:01] 6. Goin' To Chicago
[ 8:18] 7. Twisted

Annie Ross & Pony Poindexter With The Berlin All Stars Feat. Carmell Jones And Leo Wright, Recorded At The Tenth German Jazz Festival In Frankfurt.

With The Berlin All-Stars

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Annie Ross - I Love Paris

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:12
Size: 103.5 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[2:18] 1. I Love Paris
[2:45] 2. 'taint What You Do
[2:26] 3. I've Told Every Little Star
[2:28] 4. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
[2:17] 5. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
[2:40] 6. Gypsy In My Soul
[2:15] 7. The Lady's In Love With You
[2:16] 8. Don't Worry 'bout Me
[3:28] 9. You'll Never Get Away
[2:34] 10. Small World
[4:50] 11. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
[2:54] 12. All I Need Is A Boy
[4:35] 13. Together
[2:11] 14. Lucky Day
[3:30] 15. I Feel Pretty
[1:37] 16. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Not just the canary female whose dexterous vocals highlighted recordings by the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Annie Ross recorded more than a dozen albums of solid vocal jazz and appeared in many movies. Though she was the last member to join LH&R, she had been pursuing the same pioneering fusions of vocal music with bop delivery for several years before she joined Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks. Born Annabelle Lynch in Surrey, England, she moved to Los Angeles at the age of three, with the musical comedienne Ella Logan (either her mother or her aunt, according to differing accounts). By the age of five, she had begun acting and landed roles in the Our Gang series. She later studied acting in New York, then moved back to England where she began singing in nightclubs. Her recording debut came in Paris, with a quartet including James Moody. By 1952, Ross was back in New York and recording with most of the Modern Jazz Quartet for her first album, Singin' and Swingin'. Later that year, she recorded an album with vocalese pioneer King Pleasure. Though she featured on only four tracks of King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, her reprise of tenor Wardell Gray's solo on the song "Twisted" became a vocalese landmark. During 1953, Annie Ross toured throughout Europe with one of Lionel Hampton's best bands (including Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Quincy Jones, and Gigi Gryce). She stayed there for several years and recorded albums for HMV and Pye before returning to America in 1957 when a New York nightclub engagement beckoned. While there, she did a vocal session with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, who were working on an album of Basie solos transposed for vocals. Realizing they shared much in common, Ross was invited to join the group, naturally christened Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. An immediate success with their first album, 1957's Sing a Song of Basie, the trio revolutionized vocal music with a set of light-speed scats that treated words as mere tools in the construction of exciting feats of vocal musicianship. Relentless touring and rumors of a falling out with Hendricks finally led to Ross' exit from the band in 1962. (Though LH&R soon became LH&B with the addition of Yolande Bavan, it was quite clear that Ross' role had been an important one, and the group disbanded less than two years later.) Even while involved with the group, Annie Ross had continued her solo career with few interruptions. In late 1957, she recorded Sings a Song with Mulligan for the World Pacific label, with West Coast stars Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker in support on a set of bright standards that highlighted her interpretive skills as well as a few flights of vocal fancy. Two additional LPs followed for World Pacific, A Gasser! (with Zoot Sims) and a straight rendition of the Broadway hit Gypsy. After LH&R split, she moved back to England and resumed her stage and film career, recording only three more albums during the '60s. A few years back in Los Angeles gained her parts in high-profile movies during the '80s and '90s, including Superman III, Pump Up the Volume, and Robert Altman's Short Cuts. For the latter film, she recorded several numbers for the soundtrack, and re-emerged with a new recording for 1995, Music Is Forever. ~ John Bush

I Love Paris

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London-Meader-Pramuk-Ross - Royal Bopsters Project

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:47
Size: 141.4 MB
Styles: Vocalese, Group harmony vocals
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[4:35] 1. Music In The Air
[5:30] 2. On The Red Clay
[4:55] 3. Peace (Feat. Sheila Jordan)
[5:54] 4. Basheer, The Snake & The Mirror
[4:52] 5. Senor Blues (Feat. Mark Murphy)
[6:19] 6. Invitation
[4:13] 7. Bird Chasin'
[6:16] 8. Music Is Forever (Feat. Annie Ross)
[4:57] 9. Bebop Lives
[6:09] 10. Just Step Right Up
[4:21] 11. Nothing Like You Has Ever Seen Before (Feat. Bob Dorough)
[3:41] 12. Let's Fly

Amy London, Darmon Meader, Dylan Pramuk and Holli Ross: vocals; Steve Schmidt: piano; Sean Smith, Cameron Brown: bass; Steve Williams: drums; Steven Kroon: percussion; Roni Ben Hur: guitar; Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough; Jon Hendricks; Sheila Jordan; Annie Ross: vocals.

Central to this recording is vocalist Mark Murphy, who can only be considered in the same thought as Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure in the field of vocalese. He is featured on 4 of the 12 selections on the disc, with the other "Royal Bopsters" showing up on one each. Murphy's contributions are the highlights of the release. He reprises his 1970 recording of Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" as "On the Red Clay." Murphy is in excellent voice. He also re-addresses his take on Horace Silver's "Senor Blues," which he sings with punch and vigor. Amy London provided be lyrics to Charlie Parker's "Chasin' the Bird" retitled "Bird Chasin'" which includes a spirited reading of passages from Jack Kerouac's On The Road, bringing the entire Beat theme to a full boil. The pinnacle of the recital occurs on a re-tooling of Murphy's interpretation of Miles Davis' "Boplicity" (presented here as "Bebop Lives") in cooperation with Holli Ross. It is exquisite.

This is not to short change the other royals. Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame member Bob Doroough presents his "Nothing Like You has Every Been Seen Before" and remains vital in his early 90s as does Jon Hendricks on "Music in the Air." Shelia Jordan percolates on Horace Silver's "Peace," while the inestimable Annie Ross kills on "Music is Forever." This project unites a new voice in Jazz Quartet singing, whose ideas are fresh and plans are set. The project is well framed by excellent liner notes provided by New York City Music writer James Gavin, whose own Deep in a Dream remains the definitive cultural commentary on the life of trumpeter Chet Baker. If all musical projects could be this well programmed... ~C. Michael Bailey

Royal Bopsters Project

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Annie Ross - Skylark

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:18
Size: 77,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:42)  1. Gypsy In My Soul
(2:20)  2. I Love Paris
(3:23)  3. I Didn't Know About You
(2:15)  4. The Lady's In Love With You
(2:46)  5. 'tain't What You Do
(4:52)  6. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
(2:28)  7. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
(2:22)  8. Don't Worry 'bout Me
(2:27)  9. I've Told Every Little Star
(2:10) 10. Manhattan
(2:31) 11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
(2:57) 12. Skylark

This little-known set (reissued on CD) from 1956 features singer Annie Ross four years after she originally recorded "Twisted" but a year before the formation of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Based in London at the time, Ross avoids scatting and vocalese in favor of conventional swinging and jazz-oriented interpretations of standards. Backed tastefully by pianist Tony Crombie, clarinetist Bob Burns, guitarist Roy Plummer and bassist Lennie Rush, Annie Ross shows that she could have been a successful solo artist if she had not met up with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks; at times she almost sounds like Susannah McCorkle. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/skylark-mw0000079344

Personnel: Annie Ross (vocals); Bob Burns, Jr., Robert Burns (clarinet); Tony Crombie (piano).

Skylark

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