Carmen McRae - For Lady Day, Vol. 2

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:30
Size: 119,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:29)  1. Intro
(2:06)  2. Laughing At Life
(3:48)  3. You Ain't Gonna Bother Me No More
(2:53)  4. Easy Livin'
(4:41)  5. Yesterdays
(6:18)  6. My Old Flame
(2:50)  7. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(4:48)  8. Billie's Blues
(3:27)  9. Travelin' Light
(5:46) 10. Medley: If You Were Mine / It's Like Reaching For The Moon
(1:36) 11. I'm Painting The Town Red
(5:31) 12. You've Changed
(3:12) 13. Mean To Me

The second volume of Carmen McRae's heartfelt tribute to Billie Holiday, like the first, comes from a broadcast taped by WBGO-FM at the Blue Note in New York City on New Year's Eve, 1983. McRae takes a few minutes to explain the evolution of her tribute and she hardly attempts to sing Holiday's material in the same way, but utilizing her own powerful, emotional approach, often lagging behind the beat. McRae also delves into songs that Holiday performed but are not as readily associated with her, such as "Laughing at Life" and "You Ain't Gonna Bother Me No More." Her rhythm section, including pianist Marshall Otwell, bassist John Leftwich, and drummer Donald Bailey, provides strong support, with the occasional appearance of tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims (especially on "My Old Flame" and "Mean to Me") providing an added bonus. Like the first volume, this Novus CD was not released until after McRae's death, while this outstanding set makes jazz fans wonder why record labels don't mine public radio live broadcasts for similar performances more often.~Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/for-lady-day-vol-2-mw0000176927

Personnel : Carmen McRae (vocals); Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone);  Marshall Otwell (piano); John Leftwich (bass);  Donald Baily (drums).

For Lady Day, Vol. 2

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Carmen McRae - For Lady Day, Vol. 1

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1983
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:15
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:32)  1. Intro
(2:34)  2. Miss Brown to you
(4:21)  3. Good morning heartache
(4:24)  4. I'm gonna lock my heart and throw away the key
(6:23)  5. Fine and mellow
(1:26)  6. Them there eyes
(6:18)  7. Lover man
(2:20)  8. I cried for you (now it's your turn to cry over me)
(6:42)  9. God bless the child
(2:57) 10. I hear music
(3:17) 11. I'm pulling through
(4:06) 12. Don't explain
(2:50) 13. What a little moonlight can do

Carmen McRae always considered Billie Holiday to be the most important influence not only on her singing but on her life. Six years before she recorded her monumental tributes to Thelonious Monk and Sarah Vaughan, McRae performed a Billie Holiday set at New York's Blue Note Club that was broadcast over the radio; on the first of two volumes, McRae, who talks movingly about Lady Day at the beginning of the set and accompanies herself on piano on "I'm Pulling Through," is heard in prime form, combining the power and range of her earlier years with the emotional depth and behind-the-beat phrasing of her last period. Accompanied by her rhythm section of the time (pianist Marshall Otwell, bassist John Leftwich, and drummer Donald Bailey) and occasionally the tenor of Zoot Sims, McRae really digs into the material, interpreting the songs in her own style but with a knowing nod toward Holiday. This wonderful set is far superior to most of the Billie Holiday tribute albums and reminds one how much Carmen McRae is missed.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/for-lady-day-mw0000123562

Personnel: Carmen McRae (vocals, piano), Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone), Marshall Otwell (piano), John Leftwich (bass), Donald Bailey (drums).

For Lady Day, vol. 1

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Carmen McRae - The Diva Series

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:25
Size: 119,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:13) 1. Falling In Love With You
(3:49) 2. I Only Have Eyes For You
(3:10) 3. Speak Low
(4:15) 4. Midnight Sun
(2:24) 5. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
(2:30) 6. How Little We Know
(3:03) 7. Skylark
(4:16) 8. My Man's Gone Now
(2:46) 9. Comes Love
(2:25) 10. All The Things You Are
(3:19) 11. Ain't Misbehavin'
(2:53) 12. Do You Know Why?
(3:27) 13. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:09) 14. Any Old Time
(3:45) 15. That Old Devil Moon
(3:53) 16. I'm Glad There Is You

If you are making a shortlist of the best jazz singers, Carmen McRae had better be right at the top. She had a distinctive voice, able to do heartbreaking and lighthearted equally as thrillingly. She had an unerring sense of melody and her phrasing is a thing of beauty. This collection covers her work in the mid-'50s for Decca both with small groups and larger orchestras.

She shines on swinging tracks like "Comes Love," "Falling in Love With Love," and "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" and won't leave a dry eye in the house with her deeply emotional ballad singing. "Do You Know Why," "Midnight Sun," and the achingly beautiful "I'm Glad There Is You" are prime examples of McRae's way with a ballad.

Each of the 16 tracks here is like a primer on how to be a vocalist, jazz or otherwise. McRae's entry in Verve's Diva Series is a fine introduction to her 1950s recordings. by Tim Sendra
https://www.allmusic.com/album/diva-mw0000026453

The Diva Series

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Carmen Mcrae - Let There Be Love

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:23
Size: 82,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:13) 1. If You Never Fell In Love With Me
(2:28) 2. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
(2:33) 3. Let There Be Love
(2:28) 4. It Could Happen To You
(3:08) 5. I've Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(2:28) 6. Make Someone Happy
(2:15) 7. The Right To Love (Reflections)
(2:36) 8. Watch What Happens
(2:45) 9. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(2:57) 10. Alfie
(2:02) 11. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key)
(1:31) 12. Miss Brown To You
(3:10) 13. Stardust
(2:43) 14. Too Close For Comfort

NASHVILLE, TN - (December 2, 2022) - Hindsight Recordshas announced the release of a new album, Carmen McRae Let There Be Love. The new record is part of the Hindsight Records Reimagined Series, a collection of timeless recordings tastefully enhanced for today’s listeners. This new project was produced by John F. Forbes and executive produced by Thomas Gramuglia. Re-recording was done by John F. Forbes with the Sentimental Pops Orchestra. Stream and download Carmen McRae Let There Be Love on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Pandora and your favorite digital music platform at https://CarmenMcRae.lnk.to/LetThereLove.

“From the start, I loved the tonality of her voice, which really resonated in my heart. She touched me on an emotional level and gave me an immediate connection, more than most singers. Carmen McRae is like an instrumentalist who can play one note and really have a strong effect on listeners,” shared producer John F. Forbes. He continued by saying, “In this music with her trio, there are not as many leading lines as there are with most singers; instead there are moving chords. That gave her a lot more freedom to phrase and reshape the melodies in her own style. It also meant that I had a bit more freedom in writing the orchestrations, following her ideas rather than sticking overly close to the original themes. Since the music was originally recorded in stereo, unlike the earlier ones in this series, they lent themselves to a wider range of orchestration.”

“Carmen McRae comes up with fresh variations on these songs while digging deep into the lyrics, altering the melodies at times, while not losing the essence of these songs,” expressed executive producer Thomas Gramuglia. “The Carmen McRae Trio’s original recordings were enhanced with a few strings, flute, oboe, vibes, occasionally a French horn and bass clarinet, adding a touch of class by The Sentimental Pops Orchestra.”

Studio musicians included Norman Simmons (piano), Frank Severino (drums), Victor Sproles (bass on 1963 session) and Chuck Domanico (bass on 1969 session). The Reimagined Series also included additional production, recording, mixing and mastering by John Forbes at Forjam Studios. https://www.musiccitymelodies.com/post/hindsight-records-releases-carmen-mcrae-let-there-be-love-album

Let There Be Love

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Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:20
Size: 164,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:34) 1. Satin Doll
(2:27) 2. At Long Last Love
(4:22) 3. If the Moon Turns Green
(2:22) 4. Day by Day
(4:14) 5. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life
(4:12) 6. I Only Have Eyes for You
(9:13) 7. Medley: Easy Living, the Days of Wine and Roses, It's Impossible
(4:09) 8. Sunday
(4:46) 9. A Song for You
(2:20) 10. I Cried for You
(2:44) 11. Behind the Face
(3:28) 12. The Ballad of Thelonius Monk
(5:00) 13. There's No Such Thing as Love
(4:37) 14. They Long to Be Close to You
(1:58) 15. Three Little Words
(3:59) 16. Mr. Ugly
(2:52) 17. It's Like Reaching for the Moon
(3:54) 18. I Thought About You

On this popular two-LP set, singer Carmen McRae interprets songs by Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Michel Legrand, Warren & Dubin, Henry Mancini, and Jimmy Van Heusen, among others, but it is her rendition of a humorous Jimmy Rowles novelty ("The Ballad of Thelonious Monk") that is best remembered. Joined by pianist Rowles, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Chuck Domanico, and drummer Chuck Flores, McRae had what was at the time a rare opportunity to record a live, spontaneous, jazz-oriented set. She sounds quite enthusiastic about both her accompaniment and the strong repertoire, which includes "At Long Last Love," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Sunday," "I Cried for You," and "I Thought About You." By Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-great-american-songbook-vol-1-mw0000197138

Personnel: Carmen McRae - vocals, piano on "If the Moon Turns Green" and "Mr Ugly"; Jimmy Rowles - piano; Joe Pass - guitar; Chuck Domanico - double bass; Chuck Flores - drums

The Great American Songbook

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Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn - Sarah: Dedicated To You

Styles: Vocal Jazz

Year: 1991

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 77:06

Size: 177,2 MB

Art: Front

(3:54)  1. Poor Butterfly

(3:22)  2. I've Got the World On a String

(4:06)  3. Misty

(2:41)  4. Wonder Why

(3:49)  5. Send In The Clowns

(6:18)  6. Black Coffee

(5:18)  7. Tenderly

(2:34)  8. The Best Is Yet To Come

(2:35)  9. I Will Say Goodbye

(2:58) 10. The Lamp Is Low

(4:53) 11. It's Magic

(5:58) 12. Dedicated To You

(4:50) 13. I'll Be Seeing You

(3:37) 14. Sarah

(4:55) 15. If You Could See Me Now

(3:58) 16. Wave

(7:36) 17. Embraceable You

(3:34) 18. Sarah

The follow-up to the essential Carmen Sings Monk is a tribute to the recently deceased Sarah Vaughan that ranks at the same very high level. Carmen McRae's final recording finds the singer backed by the Shirley Horn Trio (unfortunately, Horn turned down McRae's request to sing a bit) on 13 numbers associated with Sassy, plus Carroll Coates' original "Sarah." On such songs as "Poor Butterfly," "Misty," "Tenderly," "I'll Be Seeing You" and even "Send in the Clowns," McRae brings back the spirit (and some of the phrasing) of Sarah Vaughan while still sounding very much like herself. This very well-conceived tribute is a classic of its kind and a perfect swan song for Carmen McRae. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sarah-dedicated-to-you-mw0000320725

Personnel: Carmen McRae (vocals); Shirley Horn (piano); Charles Ables (electric bass); Steve "Syco Steve" Williams, Steve Williams (drums).

Sarah: Dedicated To You

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Carmen McRae & Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz 
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:32
Size: 90,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:55)  1. When I Was Young
(3:03)  2. In Your Own Sweet Way
(3:03)  3. Too Young for Growing Old
(3:06)  4. Ode to a Cowboy
(4:42)  5. There'll Be No Tomorrow
(4:48)  6. Melanctha
(2:38)  7. It's a Raggy Waltz
(2:38)  8. Oh, So Blue
(5:30)  9. Lord, Lord
(2:59) 10. Travellin' Blues
(2:21) 11. Take Five
(1:44) 12. Easy as You Go

Around the time that she was participating in Dave Brubeck's Real Ambassadors, singer Carmen McRae appeared at Basin Street East with the backing of Brubeck's trio (no Paul Desmond on this set). The resulting live album finds McRae mostly interpreting the lyrics of Iola Brubeck; all dozen songs except Desmond's "Take Five" are Dave Brubeck originals. This interesting set finds McRae's voice in prime form, and her vocal versions of such songs as "In Your Own Sweet Way," "Ode to a Cowboy," "It's a Raggy Waltz" And "Travellin' Blues" are definitive.
~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/take-five-live-mw0000265922

Personnel:  Carmen McRae – vocal;  Dave Brubeck – piano;  Paul Desmond - alto saxophone;  Gene Wright – bass;  Joe Morrello - drums

Take Five

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Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett - Vocal Encounters

Styles: Vocal, Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:02
Size: 133,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. That Old Black Magic
(3:14)  2. Summer Song
(3:58)  3. My Melancholy Baby (with Jimmy Rushing)
(1:56)  4. It's a Raggy Waltz
(3:06)  5. The Real Ambassador
(2:37)  6. My One Bad Habit
(3:17)  7. Because All Men Are Brothers
(2:06)  8. There'll Be Some Changes Made
(2:48)  9. Weep No More
(4:38) 10. Cultural Exchange
(2:54) 11. Travelin' Blues - Live
(3:21) 12. Ain't Misbehavin' (with Jimmy Rushing)
(5:27) 13. They Say I Look Like God
(2:29) 14. In The Lurch
(2:21) 15. Autumn In Our Town
(2:31) 16. Since Love Had Its Way
(4:37) 17. Blues in the Dark (with Jimmy Rushing)
(2:15) 18. Take Five (with The Dave Brubeck Quartet) - Single Version

Dave and Iola Brubeck wrote most of the songs on this vocal compilation, including excerpts from their show The Real Ambassadors. Culled from several early 1960s releases, each selection features a singer or singers. Two previously unreleased tracks are included: a take of “It’s A Raggy Waltz” with Carmen McRae and an arrangement of “Autumn In Our Town” with whispery singer Ranny Sinclair. The refreshing “Raggy Waltz” works well as a vocal number, while “Autumn In Our Town” proves to be much less effective. The combination of Sinclair’s pure, young and innocent voice alongside harsher pickups of guitar and piano creates problems. Precious moments include Paul Desmond’s few appearances, Tony Bennett’s “That Old Black Magic” thrill, the firm confidence of both Rushing and McRae, Louis Armstrong’s storytellin’ and LHR’s dazzling scat display. Brubeck and Desmond both provide examples of their best solo work on “Ain’t Misbehavin’” with Rushing. Lambert, Hendricks and Ross work hand in hand with Armstrong on The Real Ambassadors selections to remind the world that jazz is indeed a universal language. Featuring its own cast of expressive singers, the Vocal Encounters compilation offers the reader an interesting program  on CD. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vocal-encounters-dave-brubeck-columbia-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Dave Brubeck- piano; Paul Desmond- alto saxophone; Eugene Wright- bass; Joe Morello- drums; Danny Barcelona- drums; Trummy Young- trombone; Joe Darensbourg- clarinet; Louis Armstrong- trumpet, vocal; Tony Bennett, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Jimmy Rushing, Carmen McRae, Peter, Paul & Mary, Ranny Sinclair- vocals; other instrumentalists.

Vocal Encounters

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Sammy Davis Jr., Carmen Mcrae - Porgy And Bess

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:02
Size: 86,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:57) 1. Summertime
(3:39) 2. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
(4:15) 3. My Man's Gone Now
(3:27) 4. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
(4:50) 5. Bess, You Is My Woman
(3:54) 6. It Ain't Necessarily So
(3:47) 7. I Loves You Porgy
(3:58) 8. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
(3:26) 9. Oh Bess, Where's My Bess
(2:44) 10. Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way

The 1959 film Porgy and Bess was supposed to be the crowning achievement of the legendarily tyrannical producer Samuel Goldwyn’s career; he had wanted to film the Gershwin brothers’ ‘American folk opera’ since seeing it on stage in 1935. Instead, it was a disaster: the director was fired and replaced, the sets burned down just before filming started, the actors were suspicious of potentially insulting stereotypes, the critics didn’t like it, and the Gershwins hated it. About the only thing to recommend it was Sammy Davis, Jr.’s turn as the serpent-tongued Sportin’ Life. Nonetheless, the widespread anticipation for the movie, coupled with the manifest genius of the opera’s score led to the Porgy-and-Bess-ification of music in jazz circles in 1959. No fewer than ten jazz albums of Porgy and Bess’ score were released in 1959: Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, Ralph Burns, Mundell Lowe, Hank Jones, Bill Potts, Buddy Collette, Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams, Diahann Carroll with the André Previn Trio, and a duet album featuring Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne.

While shooting Porgy and Bess in Hollywood in the second half of 1958, Sammy Davis, Jr. also laid down tracks for his own Porgy and Bess album, with which to capitalise on his star billing in the film. Joining him would be his Decca stablemate Carmen McRae, with whom he had already recorded a duet album, Boy Meets Girl. Carmen provided two cuts (“Summertime” and “My Man’s Gone Now”, both recorded in New York), and joined Sammy in Los Angeles for one duet (“I Loves You Porgy”). Sammy recorded the remaining songs solo. Sporting notable cover art by pop artist James Meese, Decca’s Porgy and Bess was released in March 1959, exactly three months before the film’s premiere at the end of June. Columbia also released an official Porgy and Bess soundtrack album in June, but contractually Sammy could not appear in it. Cab Calloway subbed in for Sportin’ Life’s two songs from the film, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “There’s a Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon For New York”. Despite this, the name Sammy Davis, Jr. is emblazoned across the reverse of the LP sleeve, and so for many years many people have assumed it is Sammy when it is not.

Decca’s Porgy and Bess marked Sammy’s first collaboration on record with arranger Buddy Bregman, well known at the time for his work with Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. Bregman and Sammy had been friends for years, and while Bregman was working on the charts for Porgy and Bess, the two were actually rehearsing together for a stage play production of The Desperate Hours at the Hollywood Centre Theatre. A full string orchestra and The Bill Thompson Singers were brought in to back Sammy and, believe it or not, the arrangements manage to overcome even Sammy’s powerful voice, at times swallowing him with brass or suffocating him with strings (perhaps an audio mixing issue). Despite this, you can tell that Sammy isn’t holding anything back Porgy and Bess was a labour of love for him, especially given how hard he lobbied Goldwyn for his role in the film in the first place. http://sammydavisjr.info/music/releases/original-albums/porgy-and-bess/

Personnel: Sammy Davis, Jr. - vocals (on all tracks but 1 and 3)Carmen McRae - vocals (1, 3, 7)

Porgy And Bess

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Carmen McRae - Song Time

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:21
Size: 103,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:02) 1. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart
(1:07) 2. Thou Swell
(2:26) 3. Fly Me To The Moon
(1:32) 4. Miss Brown To You
(2:28) 5. Make Someone Happy
(2:46) 6. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
(2:09) 7. Just A Gigolo
(3:48) 8. Just In Time
(2:46) 9. Guess Who I Saw Today?
(1:55) 10. He Loves Me
(2:21) 11. Sounds Of Silence
(2:43) 12. MacArthur Park
(3:08) 13. Star Dust
(2:21) 14. Day By Day
(3:08) 15. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(2:15) 16. The Right To Love
(2:58) 17. Alfie
(2:18) 18. Walking Happy

In the 1960s Carmen McRae did several sessions for a public-service radio series called The Navy Swings. They were 15-minute shows, with Navy recruiting spiels between songs, so the performances are miniatures two or three minuts long. The repertoire is familiar from her LPs of the time (when her voice was in its prime), but the intimate setting of the piano trio rather than the orchestral backdrop makes the rediscovery of these tapes especially welcome.~Les Line https://www.allmusic.com/album/song-time-mw0000120232

Song Time

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Carmen McRae - The Very Thought Of You: The Definitive Singles Collection Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: The Very Thought Of You: The Definitive Singles Collection Disc 1

André Previn - The Subterraneans

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:36
Size: 91,0 MB
Art: Front

(1:57)  1. Why Are We Afraid?
(3:07)  2. Guido's Blackhawk
(4:01)  3. Two By Two
(4:14)  4. Bread And Wine
(2:44)  5. Coffee Time
(3:27)  6. A Rose And The End
(2:28)  7. Should I
(1:32)  8. Look Ma, No Clothes
(5:37)  9. Things Are Looking Down
(4:20) 10. Analyst
(1:57) 11. Like Blue
(3:06) 12. Raising Caen

MGM director Ronald McDougall didn't do much right in adapting Jack Kerouac's novel The Subterraneans for the big screen first, the lead character of Mardou Fox (played by Leslie Caron) was transformed from black to white, and future A-Team star George Peppard was miscast as Kerouac's alter ego, Leo Percepied. And don't even mention Robert Thom's clumsy, lightweight screenplay. But at least composer André Previn had the good sense to recruit cool jazz giants including Gerry Mulligan, Russ Freeman, and Dave Bailey to perform his Subterraneans score: jazz not only fueled Kerouac's work, but his prose sought to evoke the rhythms and energy of bebop. Indeed, this music comes far closer to accurately capturing Kerouac's writing than any of the film's dialogue. Previn also deserves credit for articulating the sadness of the original novel, deftly combining horns and strings to create a score that is dark and emotive. ~ Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-subterraneans-original-soundtrack-mw0000906573

Personnel: André Previn – piano, arranger, conductor; Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8–10);  Carmen McRae – vocals (track 5); Art Farmer (tracks 4 & 9), Jack Sheldon (1, 3, 6, 8 & 10 and 12) – trumpet; Bob Enevoldsen – valve trombone (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9); Art Pepper – alto saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 & 8–10 and 12); Bill Perkins – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6 and 9); Russ Freeman – piano (tracks 4, 9 and 12); Buddy Clark (tracks 4 & 9), Red Mitchell (tracks 1-3, 5–8, and 10–12) – bass; Dave Bailey (tracks 4 & 9), Shelly Manne (tracks 1–3, 5–8, and 10–12) – drums

The Subterraneans

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Various - The Very Best Of Cole Porter

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 66:26

Size: 152.1 MB

Styles: Jazz vocals, Easy Listening

Year: 2004

Art: Front

[3:46] 1. Ella Fitzgerald - Too Darn Hot

[2:07] 2. Peggy Lee - My Heart Belongs To Daddy

[3:24] 3. Tony Bennett - Begin The Beguine

[3:59] 4. Sarah Vaughan - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

[2:06] 5. Jeri Southern - It's De-Lovely

[2:30] 6. Dean Martin - True Love

[3:50] 7. Shirley Horn - Love For Sale

[3:05] 8. Helen Merrill - Anything Goes

[8:40] 9. Ella Fitzgerald - Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)

[3:27] 10. Eartha Kitt - Let's Misbehave

[2:59] 11. Billie Holiday - Easy To Love

[2:54] 12. Mel Tormé - What Is This Thing Called Love

[2:05] 13. Anita O'day - Just One Of Those Things

[6:18] 14. Dinah Washington - I Get A Kick Out Of You

[4:47] 15. Aaron Neville - In The Still Of The Night

[3:01] 16. Carmen Mcrae - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

[4:58] 17. Fred Astaire - Night And Day

[2:21] 18. Ella Fitzgerald - You Do Something To Me

The Very Best Of Cole Porter

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Carmen McRae - Carmen McRae

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1954
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:18
Size: 85,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:26)  1. You'd Be So Easy To Love
(3:17)  2. If I'm Lucky
(2:40)  3. Old Devil Moon
(2:40)  4. Tip Toe Gently
(2:09)  5. You Made Me Care
(3:05)  6. Last Time For Love
(3:53)  7. Misery
(2:33)  8. Too Much In Love To Care
(3:19)  9. Too Much In Love To Care (alt. take)
(2:37) 10. Old Devil Moon (alt. stereo)
(2:09) 11. You Made Me Care (alt. stereo)
(2:20) 12. Too Much In Love To Care (alt. stereo)
(3:03) 13. Last Time For Love (alt. stereo)

This is Carmen McRae's first recording as a leader. She's heard on four songs apiece with the Mat Mathews Quintet (a group including Herbie Mann on flute and tenor, and guitarist Mundell Lowe) and clarinetist Tony Scott's Quartet. On the emotional "Misery," Scott switches to piano and is the only accompanist to the singer. 

Five alternate takes augment this set, which emphasizes ballads. Overall the music is pleasing but not too memorable and one wishes there were more variety. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/carmen-mcrae-bethlehem-mw0000178616

Personnel:  Carmen McRae - vocals
Tracks 1-4:  Herbie Mann - flute, tenor saxophone;  Mat Mathews – accordion;  Mundell Lowe – guitar;  Wendell Marshall - double bass;  Kenny Clarke - drums
Tracks 5-8:  Tony Scott - clarinet, piano (on "Misery");  Dick Katz – piano;  Skip Fawcett - double bass;  Osie Johnson - drums

Carmen McRae

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Carmen McRae - Lover Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:17
Size: 105.9 MB
Styles: Vocal, Standards
Year: 1962
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Them There Eyes
[4:51] 2. Yesterdays
[2:31] 3. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away The Key)
[2:46] 4. Strange Fruit
[2:26] 5. Miss Brown to You
[4:05] 6. My Man
[2:51] 7. I Cried for You
[4:18] 8. Lover Man
[2:19] 9. Trav'lin' Light
[3:02] 10. Some Other Spring
[3:30] 11. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
[3:23] 12. God Bless the Child
[3:27] 13. If the Moon Turns Green
[3:55] 14. The Christmas Song

Carmen McRae is definitely one of jazz's underrated vocalists as this tribute to her idol, Lady Day clearly shows. Carmen proves she is a mean swinger on tracks like Them There Eyes, I Cried For You & especially Miss Brown To You, where her response at the end of the horn solo is just a slice of jazz heaven. On the ballads, Carmen is mellow & tender on numbers like Lover Man and has that bittersweet cynicism on torch songs like Yesterdays. Carmen never tries to imitate Lady Day but leaves her own unique stamp on each & every one of these Holiday classics. An album easily recommended for any Carmen fanatic or someone looking for the ideal place to start one's love affair with one of jazz's top songbirds or vocal jazz in general. ~Le Real Luc Ow

Lover Man

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Betty Carter, Carmen McRae - Duets: Live at the Great American Music Hall

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:43
Size: 141.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1996
Art: Front

[6:45] 1. Am I Blue
[7:56] 2. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:58] 3. Isn't It Romantic
[3:35] 4. Sophisticated Lady
[2:51] 5. I Hear Music
[8:08] 6. Love Dance
[4:21] 7. What's New
[3:38] 8. Stolen Moments
[5:54] 9. But Beautiful
[5:33] 10. Ballad Medley: Glad To Be Unhappy/Where Or When
[6:10] 11. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
[3:48] 12. That Old Devil Moon

Betty Carter - vocals; Carmen McRae - vocals, piano; Eric Gunnison - piano; Jim Hughart - double bass; Winard Harper - drums.

This project is an unusual matchup between two very individual vocalists that generally works. Both Carmen McRae and Betty Carter show a lot of good humor during their duets, cracking occasional jokes and often jamming quite spontaneously. With suitable support from pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Winard Harper along with a very enthusiastic audience at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, Carter usually takes vocal honors while McRae comes up with the most humorous lines. Some of the ensembles are ragged but this encounter is overall quite successful. The CD reissue adds three previously unreleased selections that feature McRae without Carter. Now if only someone had teamed together Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan for a full album. ~Scott Yanow

Duets

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Carmen McRae - The Sound Of Silence

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:25
Size: 88.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 1968/2005
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. The Sound Of Silence
[3:25] 2. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
[3:58] 3. MacArthur Park
[2:33] 4. Watch What Happens
[4:03] 5. Stardust
[2:14] 6. Don't Go Away
[4:02] 7. Gloomy Sunday
[3:40] 8. I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
[2:17] 9. Poor Butterfly
[2:31] 10. My Heart Reminds Me
[4:26] 11. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
[2:12] 12. Can You Tell

Carmen McRae (v), Shorty Rogers (dir, a), Jimmy Jones (con, a), Gene Cipriano, James Horn, John Lowe (sax), Marion Childers, Jack Sheldon, Jimmy Zito (t), Lew McCreary, Dick Nash (tb), Vince DeRosa (frh), Michael Deasy, Al Hendrickson, Tommy Tedesco, Francois Vaz (g), Max Bennett, Joe Comfort, Bob West (b), Norman Simmons (p, elp), John Collins, James Gordon, Paul Humphrey (d), Larry Bunker, Emil Radocchia (per), Herman Clebanoff, Sam Freed, David Frisina, Anatol Kaminsky, Nat Kaproff, Bernard Kundell (vn), Robert Helfer (unk), Lou Raderman (cm).

The Sound Of Silence, arranged & conducted by Shorty Rogers & Jimmy Jones. There is no stopping Mcrae & her golden voice, moving in a more jazzy sophisticated realm here & reminiscent of the likes of Marlena Shaw & Nancy Wilson.

The Sound Of Silence

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Joe Williams, Carmen McRae And Friends - Blues In My Heart

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:03
Size: 142.1 MB
Styles: Urban blues, Jazz vocals
Year: 2001/2015
Art: Front

[3:08] 1. Suivez Le Chef
[2:56] 2. Work Song
[3:11] 3. Blues In My Heart
[6:39] 4. Just The Way You Are
[4:52] 5. Rock Rhythm
[3:19] 6. It Don't Mean A Thing
[3:53] 7. Them There Eyes
[5:48] 8. Body And Soul
[4:48] 9. Bowling Green
[4:32] 10. 'tis Autumn
[2:20] 11. Bye Bye Blackbird
[5:21] 12. Jungle Trap
[2:52] 13. End Of A Beautiful Friendship
[6:58] 14. Backbone
[1:19] 15. For Jammers Only

Blues In My Heart

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Dave Brubeck & Carmen McRae - Tonight Only!

Styles: Vocal, Saxophone And Piano Jazz

Year: 1960

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 57:50

Size: 133,1 MB

Art: Front

(10:02)  1. Melanctha

( 2:53)  2. Weep No More

( 4:27)  3. Talkin' And Walkin'

( 2:58)  4. Briar Bush (Aka Southern Scene)

( 2:07)  5. Paradiddle Joe

( 6:21)  6. Late Lament

( 2:42)  7. Strange Meadowlark

( 5:02)  8. Tristesse

( 7:32)  9. Tonight Only

( 4:33) 10. There'll Be No Tomorrow

( 1:38) 11. Easy As You Go

( 2:23) 12. Summer Song

( 2:29) 13. In The Lurch

( 2:37) 14. My One Bad Habit

One of the more obscure Dave Brubeck albums is really a showcase for the young singer Carmen McRae who performs nine numbers: six composed by the pianist/leader, one song apiece by altoist Paul Desmond and bassist Eugene Wright and the lesser-known standard "Paradiddle Joe." McRae is in fine voice but strangely enough all of the songs (except for "Strange Meadowlark") have been long forgotten. Stronger material would have resulted in a more memorable session. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/tonight-only-mw0000856833

Personnel:  Dave Brubeck (piano);  Paul Desmond (alto sax);  Joe Morello (drums);  Eugene Wright (bass);  Carmen McRae (vocal).

Tonight Only!

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Carmen McRae - Bittersweet

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:34
Size: 97,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:46)  1. When Sunny Gets Blue
(3:05)  2. How Did He Look?
(3:32)  3. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(2:46)  4. Meaning of the Blues
(2:05)  5. If You Could Love Me
(6:18)  6. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
(3:35)  7. Second Chance
(2:48)  8. If You Could See Me Now
(2:41)  9. Here's That Rainy Day
(3:19) 10. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life
(3:05) 11. Ghost of Yesterday
(2:50) 12. I'm Lost
(2:38) 13. Come Sunday

Carmen McRae made many worthwhile albums during her long career, but this session of mostly melancholy ballads never received the exposure it deserved, possibly because it was done for Mort Fega's small independent label, Focus. But the singer, who is in top form throughout the date, responds beautifully to pianist Norman Simmons' well-crafted charts; the rest of the cast includes drummer Curtis Boyd; bassist Victor Sproles; and a last minute but valuable substitute, guitarist Mundell Lowe. 

Her dramatic lagging behind the beat in "The Meaning of the Blues" adds to its appeal. "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" is the only extended piece and was already a regular part of her repertoire by the time of this recording, so her effortless take is no surprise. McRae was an excellent pianist and accompanies herself on the defiant "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life." Duke Ellington's meditative "Come Sunday" provides a ray of hope among the otherwise bittersweet songs on this CD. Fortunately, Koch had the wisdom to reissue this lost treasure, and it easily ranks among Carmen McRae's best recordings. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/bittersweet-mw0000215902

Personnel:  Curtis Boyd - Drums;  Mundell Lowe - Guitar;  Carmen McRae - Piano, Vocals;  Norman Simmons - Piano;  Victor Sproles - Bass

Bittersweet

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