Cleo Laine - All About Me

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1962/2015
Time: 36:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 84,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:42) 1. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
(2:38) 2. I Don’t Know Why
(2:49) 3. I Want to Be Happy
(2:43) 4. I Think of You
(2:58) 5. I Can Dream. Can't I?
(3:03) 6. All About Me
(1:54) 7. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
(4:27) 8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
(2:36) 9. I'm a Dreamer, Aren’t We All
(2:26) 10. I'm Just Wild About Harry
(2:56) 11. I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire
(3:03) 12. I'll Be Around
(1:03) 13. Reprise: All About Me

Sometimes fame and international acclaim come just a little bit too late.

When Cleo Laine was finally introduced to US audience in her 40s and everybody went mad about her & wondered why Brits were hiding what must have been national tresure, in her native UK she was well-known name for almost two decades. She worked jazz gigs with her husband John Dankworth, acted in theatre ("Flesh to a Tiger"), sung in musicals ("Valmouth") and classical work (Kurt Weill), not to mention famous weekly TV appearances ("That was the week that was") so at home she was fairly known presence - it just took a world little longer to discover her.

Which is pity because her later, much more famous work from 1970s was not as half as exciting as her 1960s recordings when voice was at its best - young Cleo in full strenght possesed one of the best voices in jazz ever, with multi-octave range, depth, feeling and sensuality I found unsurpassed. While her 1950s records showed promise, in 1960s Laine metarmophosed into first rate jazz-tigress who was passionate, sensual and seductive beyond belief. Almost all of her 1960s albums are out of print now (and that also goes for her 1964 masterpiece Shakespeare: And All That Jazz) and just occasionaly compiled, so is this one that has young Laine surrounded with big orchestra, swinging through dozen of standards and getting all sexy in ballads - one exception is old ditty "I'm just wild about Harry" from 1921. Brodway show "Shuffle along" (and later Harry Truman's 1948. campaign song) that starts with Laine mock-imitating 1920s singing style and than half-way through turning to swing. It's just slightly out of place with the rest of album but not bad in itself and it makes sense as material here is mostly pre-WW2 anyway. My favourites are ballads - what she does with old Bing Crosby/The Andrews Sisters standard "I Can Dream,Can't I?" is magnificent, same goes for Duke Ellington and his "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" that she always had soft spot for and recorded it several times through decades.

Everything Laine recorded in 1960s has magic dust spread all over it - no wonder this album was called All About Me as it shows her different talents and versality - when in the next decade she was catapulted into international stardom and eventually awarded with "Grammy" in 1980s, the voice was not the same anymore (still exceptional but not as elastic as here) and too many flirtings with pop have something diminished the fact what sensational jazz singer she had been at the start. Of course she would eventually return to jazz later as to make it full circle and today this is what she sings again, but these early 1960s albums for me are her best and I reccomend it to everybody as essential listening - if you want to hear Laine at her best,go for any of her 1960s albums. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/cleo-laine/all-about-me/

All About Me

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Cleo Laine, James Galway - Sometimes When We Touch

Styles: Vocal And Flute Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:56
Size: 107,1 MB
Art: Front

(4:21)  1. Drifting, Dreaming (Gymnopédie No.1)
(5:45)  2. Sometimes When We Touch
(3:04)  3. Play It Again, Sam
(3:25)  4. Skylark
(3:44)  5. How, Where, When? (Canon in D Major, P. 37)
(2:26)  6. The Fluter's Ball
(5:08)  7. Consuelo's Love Theme
(3:44)  8. Keep Loving Me
(2:51)  9. Anyone Can Whistle
(4:21) 10. Still Was the Night
(2:51) 11. Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark
(4:11) 12. Like a Sad Song

With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her parents sent her to vocal and dance lessons as a teenager, but she was 25 when she first sang professionally, after a successful audition with the big band led by Johnny Dankworth. Both Laine and the band recorded for Esquire, MGM and Pye during the late '50s, and by 1958, she was married to Dankworth. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Laine also gained renown for the first of three concert albums recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall, 1973's Cleo Laine Live! At Carnegie Hall. She also recorded two follow-ups (Return to Carnegie and The 10th Anniversary Concert) the latter of which in 1983 won her the first Grammy award by a Briton. She has proved a rugged stage actress as well, winning a Theater World award for her role in the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, (in addition to Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well). In 1976 she recorded a jazz version of Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles, and also recorded duets with James Galway and guitarist John Williams. Laine and Dankworth continued to tour into the 1990s, and she received perhaps her greatest honor when she became the first jazz artist to receive the highest title available in the performing arts: Dame Commander. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cleo-laine-mn0000120273/biography

Rivaled in fame among contemporary flutists only by Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway has earned both runaway popularity and critical respect. He has embraced the flute repertoire of all eras, including contemporary music. Part of his popularity is due to his sparkling, lively stage personality, which occasionally leads observers to compare him to a leprechaun. In one interview, piqued by this recurrent comment on his Irishness, he pointed out that he came not from idyllic emerald green surroundings, but from the sooty industrial region of Belfast, within sight of the shipyard where the Titanic was built. He began to play the penny whistle when he was two years old, and he often uses the instrument in his encores. At least one of the concertos written for him also calls for him to substitute whistle for flute in several passages. When he started regular flute lessons, he developed quickly and won three top prizes in a local flute contest just two years later. At that point Galway decided to make flute playing a career. He studied at London's Royal College of Music and Guildhall School. His first professional job was with the wind band at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. He then spent 15 years as an orchestral player, most notably as first-chair flutist in the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan (1969-1975). Finally he decided to give up the security of an orchestral job to become a touring soloist and chamber player. In his first season he made 120 appearances. Soon his charm and the rich yet light tone of his gold-plated A.K. Cooper flute were familiar to concert audiences around the world. He also held a teaching position at the Eastman School of Music in the United States. Galway's success has been due partly to the wide range of his repertoire. He has performed traditional flute repertoire in both orchestral and chamber settings. 

He is committed to renewing that repertoire through the introduction of new music and has commissioned works from composers including Henri Lazarof, Thea Musgrave, John Corigliano, and Lowell Liebermann. And, though he once stated that he intended to avoid pops or crossover repertoire, he has often released top-selling recordings of this kind. His personality transmits well over television, and part of his unusually wide popularity for a classical musician has come through broadcasts on the BBC and elsewhere. He has participated in Irish music recordings, often with the famous Irish band The Chieftains (as on 2002's Celtic Spectacular, and in the 1980s he collaborated with the U.S. country singer Sylvia on The Wayward Wind. The late 1990s saw the release of such Galway albums as Unbreak My Heart, consisting of flute-and-orchestra settings of top cinematic hits, and Tango del Fuego, Galway's contribution to the growing tango craze. In 2001, Galway was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2003, his flute was heard on the soundtrack of the popular film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. His wife Jeanne Galway is also an accomplished flutist who has performed together with her husband and on her own. Galway has also contributed much to the cause of flute scholarship in editing old flute works for publication, for example Theobald Boehm's 1848 12 Grand Studies, Op. 15. ~ Rovi Staff https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-galway-mn0000118056/biography

Personnel:  Flute – James Galway; Vocal - Cleo Laine 

Sometimes When We Touch

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Cleo Laine And The Tubby Hayes Quartet - Round Midnight

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:13
Size: 97,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:16)  1. Round Midnight
(2:36)  2. Hand Me Down Love
(2:45)  3. Mean to Me
(3:51)  4. Old Devil Moon
(3:25)  5. Just A'Sittin' and A'Rockin
(6:42)  6. All Members
(7:44)  7. Ah-Leu-Cha
(7:51)  8. Young and Foolish
(2:59)  9. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter

With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her parents sent her to vocal and dance lessons as a teenager, but she was 25 when she first sang professionally, after a successful audition with the big band led by Johnny Dankworth. Both Laine and the band recorded for Esquire, MGM and Pye during the late '50s, and by 1958, she was married to Dankworth. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Laine also gained renown for the first of three concert albums recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall, 1973's Cleo Laine Live! At Carnegie Hall. She also recorded two follow-ups (Return to Carnegie and The 10th Anniversary Concert) the latter of which in 1983 won her the first Grammy award by a Briton. She has proved a rugged stage actress as well, winning a Theater World award for her role in the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, (in addition to Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well). In 1976 she recorded a jazz version of Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles, and also recorded duets with James Galway and guitarist John Williams. Laine and Dankworth continued to tour into the 1990s, and she received perhaps her greatest honor when she became the first jazz artist to receive the highest title available in the performing arts: Dame Commander. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cleo-laine-mn0000120273/biography

Round Midnight

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Mel Tormé, Cleo Laine - Nothing Without You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:22
Size: 128,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:01)  1. I'm Nothing Without You (You're Nothing Without Me)
(3:47)  2. I Thought About You
(5:05)  3. Where Or When
(3:07)  4. I Wish I Were In Love Again
(5:05)  5. Girl Talk
(4:40)  6. After You've Gone
(4:15)  7. Brazil / Baia
(2:49)  8. Birdsong
(4:01)  9. Isn't It A Pity
(3:30) 10. Love You Madly
(4:30) 11. Angel Eyes
(4:48) 12. Two Tune Medley
(3:42) 13. I Don't Think I'll Fall In Love Today
(2:55) 14. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Mel Tormé is in typically fine form on this Concord set; the problem is his musical partner Cleo Laine. Although often classified as a jazz singer, Laine, who has a tremendous range and a lovely voice, seems incapable of improvising. Backed by a 12-piece group led by Laine's husband John Dankworth, the duo perform a variety of mostly superior standards, but nothing unexpected happens except for a somewhat disastrous "Two Tune Medley." On the latter, Tormé and Laine sing 20 songs, generally two at a time, in less than five minutes; it is quite annoying. Otherwise, Tormé, who seems to have enjoyed the date, is weighed down and restricted by Cleo Laine's nonswinging style. Skip this one. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/nothing-without-you-mw0000613826

Personnel: Mel Tormé - vocals;  Cleo Laine - vocals;  John Colianni - piano; Larry Koonse - guitar; Guy Barker - flugelhorn, trumpet; John Dankworth - clarinet, conductor, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Ray Loeckle - bass clarinet, flute, tenor saxophone; Ray Swinfield - clarinet, alto saxophone;  Jamie Talbot - clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone; Chris Hammer Smith - trombone; John Leitham - bass; Donny Osborne - drums

Nothing Without You

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Cleo Laine, John Williams - Let The Music Take You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:09
Size: 105.7 MB
Styles: Jazz-pop guitar & vocals
Year: 1983/2004
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Baby Don't You Cry No More
[3:28] 2. Imagine
[3:34] 3. One
[3:41] 4. Colours Of My Life (From Barnum)
[3:49] 5. I Never Went Away
[3:35] 6. Let The Music Take You
[3:46] 7. The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
[4:36] 8. Dreams Of Castilla
[2:57] 9. Without Words (Portrait)
[3:58] 10. It's Not Easy To Say I Love You
[4:13] 11. So Quiet The Night
[4:37] 12. So Many Stars

Rod Argent Keyboards; Kenny Clare Drums; Alec Dankworth Bass; John Mole Bass; John Dankworth Sax & Clarinet; Tristan Fry Percussion; Morris Pert Percussion; Tony Hymas Piano.

John Christopher Williams was born in Melbourne, Australia on 24th April 1941. His father, Leonard Williams, had emigrated to Australia from London in the late 1930s, where he met his wife, Malaan, through a common love of jazz music and political activism. Len was a respected jazz guitarist whose interests had slowly turned towards the classical repertoire, and when John was four years old, he received his first guitar from his father, although John insists that proper tuition did not start for another two or three years. Because of his new-found love for classical technique, Len refused to allow John to dabble in more free-form styles of playing, a fact often regretted by the virtuoso in later life.

Born in a London suburb, Cleo Laine showed early singing talent, which was nurtured by her Jamaican father and English mother who sent her to singing and dancing lessons. It was not, however, until she reached her mid-twenties that she applied herself seriously to singing. She auditioned successfully for a band led by musician John Dankworth, under whose banner she performed until 1958, in which year the two were married.

Then began an illustrious career as a singer and actress. In 1958 she played the lead in a new play at London's famous Royal Court Theatre, home of the new wave of playwrights of the 'fifties - Pinter, Osborne and the like. This led to other stage performances such as the musical "Valmouth" in 1959, the play "A Time to Laugh" (with Robert Morley and Ruth Gordon) in 1962, and eventually to her show stopping Julie in the Wendy Toye production of "Showboat" at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1971.

During this period she had two spectacular recording successes. "You'll Answer to Me" reached the British Top Ten at the precise time that Cleo was 'prima donna' in the 1961 Edinburgh Festival production of the Kurt Weill opera/ballet "The Seven Deadly Sins". In 1964 her "Shakespeare and All that Jazz" album received widespread critical acclaim, and to this day remains an important milestone in her identification with the more unusual aspects of a singer's repertoire.

Let The Music Take You mc
Let The Music Take You zippy

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Cleo Laine - Woman To Woman

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:00
Size: 143,0 MB
Art: Front

(4:54)  1. Come In From The Rain
(4:17)  2. Inside A Silent Tear
(3:22)  3. My Favorite Year
(4:15)  4. I Love You Truly
(2:29)  5. Since You've Asked
(4:51)  6. I'll Never Smile Again
(3:52)  7. Both Sides Now
(3:40)  8. In The Days Of Our Love
(4:58)  9. Fine And Mellow
(4:42) 10. Willow Weep For Me
(4:59) 11. Close Your Eyes
(3:57) 12. Grand Reunion
(3:21) 13. Secret Feeling
(2:37) 14. Your Eyes Speak To Me
(4:37) 15. It's All In My Hands

Cleo Laine became well-known through her frequent appearances on UK TV during the 1960's, occupying those musical interludes that used to feature in variety shows like Morcambe & Wise, or chatshows like Parkinson. Being married to well-known jazz composer Johnny Dankworth has probably assisted her career no end, for she never seemed to me to be especially notable as a singer  for whilst she is in possession of a good voice, it seems rather undisciplined, as demonstrated on this album. Cleo Laine has a rich voice, and a substantial range, but she deploys it in a rather peculiar way. When singing in the middle of her range, her voice has a husky character more talking than singing  then as she moves off-centre it becomes louder and more tremulous. So at the very top of her range she shrieks, and at the very bottom she booms, and because things in the middle are a bit flat, she tends to leap across the gap from high to low notes, thus making songs sound er, like I say ... peculiar.

This singing 'technique' might well be the source of her appeal I suppose, but every song she sings reflects these characteristics, with the result that her vocals alternate between blending in nicely with her accompaniment, to suddenly lunging out at you, and in the case of this album anyway, it creates the impression that she might be singing along to headphones rather than with a live backing band. The accompaniment on this album is consistently accomplished and well-arranged, but Laine charging in and out of the mix is distracting, it's a pity she can't 'settle'. What's more, she seems to be singing in a different key to the band at times, which sounds most odd, and reinforces the impression that the vocals were recorded independently of the backing. So all in all, one can't help wondering whether such musical outings by Cleo Laine are little indulgences from her famous husband - opportunities for her to lay down recordings of whatever songs take her whim, in this case an arbitrary selection of songs composed by women, from "I Love You Truly" (made famous by Al Bowlly way back in the 1930's), through to more recent offerings like "Grand Reunion" by Melissa Manchester. So from here, Cleo Laine CDs look like vanity projects really - little treats from hubby to his wife. Fair enough ... s'pose. http://www.alltime-records.com/01-albums-0000/0000475.php#bluemoon_rev

Woman To Woman

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Cleo Laine - Solitude

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1995
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:49
Size: 148,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:17)  1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
(5:55)  2. Sophisticated Lady
(3:09)  3. I'm Beginning To See The Light
(4:23)  4. All Too Soon
(3:16)  5. Take All My Loves
(6:18)  6. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(5:09)  7. Love Call (Creole Love Call)
(4:15)  8. Don't You Know I Care (Or Don't You Care To Know?)
(4:25)  9. Solitude
(5:08) 10. Reflections
(3:22) 11. We're Rockin' In Rhythm
(3:39) 12. Come Sunday
(3:48) 13. September Rain (Chelsea Bridge)
(6:39) 14. Cleo's 'A' Train

Rather than being guests, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth have lent their names to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, giving them considerable control over the session; while Mercer Ellington is listed as leader, the conductor and principal arranger is Dankworth. One unfortunate result of this arrangement is that some of the offerings are "based on variations or adaptations" of the original Ellington and/or Billy Strayhorn compositions. Thus, "Chelsea Bridge" comes out "September Rain," and "Take the 'A' Train" is "Cleo's 'A' Train." Neither come off well and the latter title is presumptuous. "We're Rockin' in Rhythm" has its moments, especially Dankworth's clarinet solo in the style of Jimmy Hamilton. The best "variation" is "Love Call," based on "Creole Love Call." Laine's version in no way replaces the 1927 Adelaide Hall recording with Ellington, but her voice is well-suited to this early Duke classic. The dubbing of Ellington's piano on "Solitude" (through the wonders of technology) is just grotesque. Fortunately, Laine and Dankworth stick to the real thing for most of the cuts, putting their interpretative imprimatur on Ellington and/or Strayhorn masterpieces. Laine's reading of "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" is one the better renderings of this tune. She seems to have an affection for this song, having recorded it at least twice before. "All Too Soon," with Barry Lee Hall's trumpet and Shelley Paul's tenor playing behind Laine, is another highlight of this session. As long as Laine and Dankworth stick to the Ellington musical script, this album is a welcome addition to the "...With the Duke Ellington Orchestra" catalog. ~ Dave Nathan https://www.allmusic.com/album/solitude-mw0000172947

Personnel: Cleo Laine (vocals); Jay Brandford (flute, baritone saxophone); Johnny Dankworth, Mark Gross (clarinet, alto saxophone); Patience Higgins (alto saxophone); Barry Hall (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ron Tooley (trumpet); Art Baron (trombone); Ray Harris (bass trombone).

Solitude

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Cleo Laine & John Williams - Best Friends

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:52
Size: 98,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:08)  1. Feelings
(2:44)  2. Time Does Fly
(4:39)  3. Killing Me Softly With His Song
(2:21)  4. Before Love Went Out Of Style
(4:11)  5. My Day Has Started With You
(3:18)  6. Wave
(3:34)  7. Eleanor Rigby
(3:09)  8. Awake My Love
(3:42)  9. If
(3:34) 10. Charms
(3:06) 11. Sleep Now
(4:19) 12. He Was Beautiful

With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her parents sent her to vocal and dance lessons as a teenager, but she was 25 when she first sang professionally, after a successful audition with the big band led by Johnny Dankworth. Both Laine and the band recorded for Esquire, MGM and Pye during the late '50s, and by 1958, she was married to Dankworth. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Laine also gained renown for the first of three concert albums recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall, 1973's Cleo Laine Live! At Carnegie Hall. She also recorded two follow-ups (Return to Carnegie and The 10th Anniversary Concert) the latter of which in 1983 won her the first Grammy award by a Briton. She has proved a rugged stage actress as well, winning a Theater World award for her role in the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, (in addition to Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well). In 1976 she recorded a jazz version of Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles, and also recorded duets with James Galway and guitarist John Williams. Laine and Dankworth continued to tour into the 1990s, and she received perhaps her greatest honor when she became the first jazz artist to receive the highest title available in the performing arts: Dame Commander. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cleo-laine-mn0000120273/biography

Personnel:  Vocals – Cleo Laine;  Arranged By [Guitar & Rhythm] – John Dankworth;  Arranged By [String] – Paul Hart ;  Bass – Dave Markee, Pete Morgan;  Cello – Kathy Giles;  Drums – Kenny Clare, Tony Kinsey;  Guitar – John Williams ;  Producer, Electric Piano, Violin – Paul Hart ;  Producer, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet – John Dankworth;  Viola – Chris Hartley ;  Violin – Celia Mitchell, Gerry Richards, Lorrie Lewis

Best Friends

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Cleo Laine - Stormy Weather

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:40
Size: 95.4 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
Art: Front

[3:32] 1. Stormy Weather
[3:47] 2. The Lady Sings The Blues
[2:54] 3. Mean To Me
[3:26] 4. Mood Indigo
[2:52] 5. I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
[3:56] 6. My One And Only Love
[3:28] 7. Love Is Here To Stay
[3:33] 8. Early Autumn
[3:53] 9. St Louis Blues
[2:57] 10. t'ain't What You Do (It's The Way You Do It)
[3:57] 11. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
[3:18] 12. Hit The Road To Dreamland

Anglo-Jamaican contralto Cleo Laine cut her first records for the Esquire label in the early 1950s with saxophonist and bandleader John Dankworth, whom she married in 1958. Over the next several decades, Laine became established as England's premiere pop singer, actress, and jazz vocalist. As is the case with any artist whose recording career spans more than half-a-century, her discography contains enough reissued material to suggest the dynamic of a Möbius strip. Case in point: the album Stormy Weather was brought before the public by Hallmark in 2009. It is a reissue of the same label's 2008 release In Retrospect, with "Stormy Weather" moved to cut one and designated as title track. Both albums trace back to DRG's In Retrospect, which appeared in 1990 with the 12 titles in completely different order -- a relevant point because the title sequence on the 2008 Hallmark edition is identical with that of Laine's groundbreaking 1957 MGM LP She's the Tops. Unfortunately, some online discographies list In Retrospect as the title of both the original 1957 release and a 1982 reissue of the same on the DRG Jazz Masters Series. These grievous errors have, as we say in the 21st century, gone viral online. In Retrospect, as the title clearly implies, was the fully seasoned vocalist's song-for-song re-creation of her landmark album, which had appeared 33 years earlier.

Compared with her later self, the Cleo Laine of 1957 worked with a higher tessitura, delivering upbeat numbers and lush ballads with a youthful, slightly sassy resilience. For all the right reasons, Laine in 1957 was fully in league with such powerful beacons of warmth as Dinah Washington and Eartha Kitt. The songs themselves suggest a keen awareness of the tradition designed and developed by Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald, and Lena Horne. Revisiting the same dozen melodies in 1990, she brought a fully bloomed elegance to each of the tunes. Everything we adore about Cleo Laine is fully present in these autumnal interpretations; the smoky, musky, honeyed immediacy of her art is here for all to experience. Whether you opt for Hallmark's Stormy Weather of 2009 or one of the preceding issues of In Retrospect, this array of 12 standards is recommended as a definitive example of Laine's refined skill as interpreter of well-loved melodies. The album of 1990 compares beautifully with her 1957 recording of the same material. Those who wish to experience this singer's artistry even more fully should pursue her 1974 Nonesuch recording of early 20th century chamber classical works by Charles Ives and Arnold Schoenberg (Pierrot Lunaire Op.21 sung in English), as well as an inexplicably overlooked reading of Porgy and Bess, recorded for Norman Granz's Pablo label in 1976 in duo performance with the mighty Ray Charles. ~arwulf arwulf

Stormy Weather mc
Stormy Weather zippy

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Cleo Laine - Blue And Sentimental

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:58
Size: 117,2 MB
Art:  Front

(4:44)  1. Lies of Handsome Men
(4:57)  2. I've Got a Crush on You
(3:34)  3. Blue and Sentimental
(5:55)  4. Afterglow
(6:24)  5. Not You Again
(3:55)  6. Primrose Colour Blue
(4:31)  7. Love Me
(5:26)  8. Dreamsville
(3:54)  9. A Cryin' Shame
(3:32) 10. Love Comes and Goes
(4:01) 11. Soft Pedal Blues

This album would be worth buying for one track alone, a faultless version of "The Lies Of Handsome Men", Francesca Blumenthal's unsettling little song about self-deception. Not only does Cleo Laine have the musicality and dramatic skill to do justice to a delicate piece like this, she also has the best possible musical director in John Dankworth, who plays some very good alto saxophone here, too. The programme of 13 songs is impeccably chosen, as usual. Few singers, jazz or otherwise, have ever commanded a stylistic range anywhere near Cleo Laine's. For example, after opening with the Blumenthal song she goes on, via Gershwin and Irving Berlin, to Bessie Smith. The most remarkable thing of all about her is that she and Dankworth have been making intelligent, enterprising albums like this for more than 40 years and there is absolutely no sign of wear and tear. Quite the reverse, in fact. The work just goes on getting better. ~ Dave Gelly https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sentimental-Cleo-Laine/dp/B000003FCX

?Personnel: Cleo Laine, Joe Williams (vocals); John Dankworth (conductor, soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet); Ray Loeckle (soprano & tenor saxophones, flute, bass clarinet); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Allen Smith (trumpet); Dean Hubbard (trombone); David Sprung (horn); Jeremy Cohen (violin, Concertmaster); Roxanne Jacobson (viola); Terry Adams (cello); Larry Dunlop (piano, synthesizer); Mark Renzi, George Shearing (piano); Mark Whitfield (guitar); Rich Girard (bass); Jay Leonhart (bass); Jim Zimmerman (drums, percussion); Keith Copeland (drums)

Blue And Sentimental

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Cleo Laine & John Dankworth - The Collection

Styles: Vocal And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:46
Size: 126,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. The Look Of Love
(3:08)  2. O' Mistress Mine (Twelfth Night)
(1:25)  3. The Complete Works
(2:52)  4. Perdido
(3:13)  5. Fear No More (Cymbeline)
(3:12)  6. Riding High
(3:31)  7. The Lady Sings The Blues
(2:39)  8. If Music Be The Food Of Love (Twelfth Night)
(3:43)  9. Tea For Two
(2:26) 10. My Love Is As A Fever (Sonnet No 147)
(3:16) 11. Stormy Weather
(1:46) 12. It Was A Lover And His Lass (As You Like It)
(2:58) 13. Witches Fair And Foul (Macbeth And A Midsummers Night's Dream)
(2:48) 14. Never Let Me Go
(2:20) 15. Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day (Sonnet No 18)
(1:23) 16. Take All My Loves (Sonnet 40)
(2:31) 17. Winter (Love's Labours Lost)
(3:58) 18. Duet Of Sonnets
(4:31) 19. I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good

With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her parents sent her to vocal and dance lessons as a teenager, but she was 25 when she first sang professionally, after a successful audition with the big band led by Johnny Dankworth. Both Laine and the band recorded for Esquire, MGM and Pye during the late '50s, and by 1958, she was married to Dankworth.With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Laine also gained renown for the first of three concert albums recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall, 1973's Cleo Laine Live! At Carnegie Hall. She also recorded two follow-ups (Return to Carnegie and The 10th Anniversary Concert) the latter of which in 1983 won her the first Grammy award by a Briton. She has proved a rugged stage actress as well, winning a Theater World award for her role in the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, (in addition to Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well). In 1976 she recorded a jazz version of Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles, and also recorded duets with James Galway and guitarist John Williams. Laine and Dankworth continued to tour into the 1990s, and she received perhaps her greatest honor when she became the first jazz artist to receive the highest title available in the performing arts: Dame Commander. 

~ John Bush https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cleo-laine-john-dankworth-collection/id13129170

The Collection

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Cleo Laine & Tubby Hayes - Palladium Jazz Date

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:31
Size: 97,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:53)  1. Old Devil Moon
(3:29)  2. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
(2:46)  3. Mean To Me
(4:17)  4. 'Round Midnight
(2:37)  5. Hand Me Down Love
(3:03)  6. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
(7:39)  7. Ah-Leu-Cha
(7:55)  8. Young And Foolish
(6:47)  9. All Members

With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. Her parents sent her to vocal and dance lessons as a teenager, but she was 25 when she first sang professionally, after a successful audition with the big band led by Johnny Dankworth. Both Laine and the band recorded for Esquire, MGM and Pye during the late '50s, and by 1958, she was married to Dankworth. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Laine also gained renown for the first of three concert albums recorded at New York's Carnegie Hall, 1973's Cleo Laine Live! At Carnegie Hall. She also recorded two follow-ups (Return to Carnegie and The 10th Anniversary Concert) the latter of which in 1983 won her the first Grammy award by a Briton. She has proved a rugged stage actress as well, winning a Theater World award for her role in the Broadway musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, (in addition to Tony and Drama Desk nominations as well). In 1976 she recorded a jazz version of Porgy and Bess with Ray Charles, and also recorded duets with James Galway and guitarist John Williams. Laine and Dankworth continued to tour into the 1990s, and she received perhaps her greatest honor when she became the first jazz artist to receive the highest title available in the performing arts: Dame Commander.
John Bush https://itunes.apple.com/nz/artist/cleo-laine/id2214762#fullText

Palladium Jazz Date

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Cleo Laine - Jazz

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1991
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:26
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Just A Sittin' And A Rockin'
(5:55)  2. My One And Only Love
(4:00)  3. Walking Shoes
(6:41)  4. I Told You So
(4:05)  5. It Don't Mean A Thing
(4:28)  6. Won't You Tell Me Why
(4:33)  7. Bluesette
(6:42)  8. Midnight Sun
(3:46)  9. Lady Be Good
(4:18) 10. St. Louis Blues
(5:09) 11. A Child Is Born
(5:03) 12. You Can Always Count On Me

Cleo Laine has always had a beautiful voice with a very wide range and she sounds her best in jazz settings. Laine isn't that much of a jazz singer herself since she does not improvise (her scatting passages tend to be played in unison with her husband, John Dankworth) but she swings. Jazz is one of her best sets of the '90s, teaming her with five reeds (including Dankworth), guitarist Larry Koonse and one of two rhythm sections. Gerry Mulligan guests on "Walking Shoes" and "Midnight Sun," Clark Terry is exuberant on "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'" and a medium-tempo version of "A Child Is Born," Toots Thielemans is a strong asset on three songs, Jane Ira Bloom co-stars on "I Told You So" and Mark Whitfield is on the two Terry numbers. Throughout, Cleo Laine is heard in prime form, not offering surprises as much as confirmation of her love for jazz. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/album/jazz-mw0000264515

Personnel: Cleo Laine (vocals); Larry Koonse, Mark Whitfield (guitar); Toots Thielemans (harmonica); Ray Loeckle, Jerry Niewood, Gerry Niewood, Roger Rosenberg, John Dankworth (reeds); Jane Ira Bloom (soprano saxophone); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Clark Terry (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Campbell, John Campbell , Mike Renzi (piano); Jim Zimmerman, Terry Clarke (drums).

Jazz

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Ray Charles & Cleo Laine - Porgy & Bess

Styles: Jazz, Vocal

Year: 1976

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 62:41

Size: 144,1 MB

Art: Front

(6:16)  1. Summertime

(4:43)  2. My Man's Gone Now

(2:45)  3. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing

(3:04)  4. They Pass By Singin'

(2:25)  5. What You Want Wid Bess?

(3:52)  6. I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'

(3:24)  7. Buzzard Song

(5:29)  8. Bess, You Is My Woman

(2:13)  9. Oh, Doctor Jesus

(1:44) 10. Crab Man

(1:23) 11. Her Come De Honey Man

(0:55) 12. Strawberry Woman (instrumental)

(1:19) 13. Strawberry Woman

(4:17) 14. It Ain't Necessarily So

(3:24) 15. There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York

(5:03) 16. I Loves You, Porgy

(3:23) 17. Oh, Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (instumental)

(3:36) 18. Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess

(3:19) 19. Oh Lord, I'm On My Way

Charles and Cleo Laine duet on the songs from George Gershwin's opera, in a version arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol (who provides extra instrumentals) and produced by Norman Granz. The material is perfect for the performers, and they give it an effective, if unstudied, treatment. ~ William Ruhlmann  http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1519969/a/porgy+%26+bess.htm

Personnel: John Morell, Joe Pass, Lee Ritenour (guitar); Denizel Gail Laughton, Catherine Gotthoffer, Dorothy Remsen (harp); Ronald Folsom, Thelma Beach, Marvin Limonick, Anatol Kaminsky, Paul Lowenkron, Karen Jones , George Kaufman, Charles Veal, Ambrose Russo, Marcia Van Dyke, Daniel Shindaryov, Spiro Stamos, Bernard Kundell, Jacob Krachmalnick, Marshall Sosson, Israel Baker, Nathan Ross, Ralph Schaeffer, Harry Bluestone (violin); Dan Neufeld, Meyer Bello, Rollice Dale, Norman Forrest, Pamela Goldsmith, Allan Harshman (viola); Ron Leonard, David H. Speltz, Ronald Cooper, Anne Goodman, Harry Shlutz, Douglas Davis (cello); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Ernie Watts, Gary Herbig, William Hood, Jerome Richardson, Sam Most, Bill Perkins, Wilbur Schwartz, Bud Shank (clarinet); Plas Johnson , William Green (saxophone); Harry "Sweets" Edison , Oscar Brashear, Ray Triscari, Bill Berry , Al Aarons, Buddy Childers (trumpet); George Roberts , J.J. Johnson , Jimmy Cleveland, Benny Powell, Britt Woodman (trombone); Joe Sample (piano, organ); Victor Feldman, Paul Smith , Ralph Grierson (piano); Washington Rucker (drums); Alan Estes, Emil Radocchia, Jerry Williams , Larry Bunker (percussion).

Porgy & Bess

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