Showing posts with label Eartha Kitt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eartha Kitt. Show all posts

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Eartha Kitt - Shorty Rogers And His Giants - St. Louis Blues

Styles: Vocal, Big Band
Year: 1958
Time: 35:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 91,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:45) 1. St. Louis Blues
(3:12) 2. Beale Street Blues
(2:53) 3. Chantez-les bas
(3:29) 4. Hesitating Blues
(2:36) 5. Steal Away (Negro Spiritual)
(3:13) 6. Careless Love
(2:40) 7. Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet On Your Floor)
(3:44) 8. Long Gone
(1:57) 9. Hist the Window, Noah
(2:24) 10. Yellow Dog Blues
(2:49) 11. Friendless Blues
(3:24) 12. The Memphis Blues

Eartha Kitt was an international star who gave new meaning to the word versatile. She distinguished herself in film, theater, cabaret, music and on television. Miss Kitt is one of only a handful of performers to be nominated for a Tony (three times), the Grammy (twice), and Emmy Award (twice). She regularly enthralls New York nightclub audiences during her extended stays at The Cafe Carlyle and these intimate performances have been captured in her newest recording, Eartha Kitt, Live at The Carlyle.

Miss Kitt’s distinctive voice has enthralled an entirely new generation of fans. Young fans loved her as YZMA, the villain, in Disney’s animated feature The Emperor's Groove, (2001 Annie Award for Best Vocal Performance / Animated Feature). Miss Kitt was also featured in the sequel, The Emperor's New Groove II and reprised the role in the popular Saturday morning animated series The Emperor’s New School (2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and 2007 Annie Award for Best Vocal Performance in an Animated Television Production).

Eartha Mae Kitt was ostracized at an early age because of her mixed-race heritage. At eight years old, she was given away by her mother and sent from the South Carolina cotton fields to live with an aunt in Harlem. In New York her distinct individuality and flair for show business manifested itself, and on a friend’s dare, the shy teen auditioned for the famed Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe. She won a spot as a featured dancer and vocalist and before the age of twenty, toured worldwide with the company. During a performance in Paris, Miss Kitt was spotted by a nightclub owner and booked as a featured singer at his club.

Her unique persona earned her fans and fame quickly, including Orson Welles, who called her “the most exciting woman in the world”. Welles was so taken with her talent that he cast her as Helen of Troy in his fabled production of Dr. Faust. Back in New York, Miss Kitt was booked at The Village Vanguard, and soon spotted by a Broadway producer who put her in New Faces of 1952 where every night she transfixed audiences with her sultry rendition of Monotonous. Her show stopping performance in New faces, which ran for a year, led to a national tour and a Twentieth Century Fox film version. Broadway stardom led to a recording contract and a succession of best- selling records including Love for Sale, I Want to Be Evil, Santa Baby and Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa, which earned her a Grammy nomination.

During this period, she published her first autobiography, Thursday's Child. Miss Kitt then returned to Broadway in the dramatic play Mrs. Patterson and received her first Tony nomination. Other stage appearances followed, as did films including The Mark of Hawk with Sidney Poitier, Anna Lucastra with Sammy Davis, Jr. and St Louis Blues with Nat King Cole. In 1967, Miss Kitt made an indelible mark on pop culture as the infamous Catwoman in the television series, Batman. She immediately became synonymous with the role and her trademark growl became imitated worldwide.

Singing in ten different languages, Miss Kitt has performed in over 100 countries and was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. In 1966, she was nominated for an Emmy for her role in the series, I SPY. In 1968, Miss Kitt’s career took a sudden turn when, at a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson, she spoke out against the Vietnam War. For years afterward, Miss Kitt was blacklisted in the U.S. and was forced to work abroad where her status remained undiminished. In December 2006 she returned to Washington and light the National Christmas Tree alongside President and Mrs. George W. Busch In 1974, Miss Kitt returned to the United States, with a triumphant Carnegie Hall concert and, in 1978, received a second Tony nomination for her starring role in the musical, Timbuktu. Miss Kitt’s second autobiography, Alone With Me, was published in 1976 and I'm Still Here: Confessions of a Sex Kitten was released in 1989. Her best- selling book on fitness and positive attitude, Rejuvenate! (It's never Too Late), was released by Scribner in May 2001.

Live theater is Miss Kitt’s passion. In 2001, Broadway critics singled her out with a Tony and Drama Desk nomination for her role as Dolores in George Wolfe’s The Wild Party. Over the last few years, she has starred in National Tours of The Wixard of Oz and Rogers & Hammerstein’sCinderella. In December 2003, Miss Kitt dazzled Broadway audiences as Liliane Le Fleur in the revival of Nine, The Musical.In December 2004, she appeared as The Fairy Godmother in The New York City Opera production (Lincoln Center) of Cinderella. Most recently, she starred in the off-Broadway production of Mimi Le Duck (2006) and The Westport County Playhouse production of The Skin of Our Teeth (2007). Miss Kitt remainrd devoted to performing in front of live audiences, from intimate cabarets to concert halls with local symphonies.

Recent appearances include appearances at Detroit’s Music Hall, Washington, D.C.’s Blues Alley, Seattle’s Jazz Alley, Palm Beach’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, The Mohegan Sun Casino’s Cabaret Showroom, Sarasota’s Van Wetzel Center for the Performing Arts Festival. She is especially proud to have brought her one-woman show to the 51st Annual JVC Newport Jazz Festival and the Miami Beach JVC Jazz Festival. In February 2007, British audiences welcomed Miss Kitt back to London for a special series of eight sold-out performances at The Shaw Theater. Eartha Kitt passed on Christmas Day, 2008.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/eartha-kitt/

St. Louis Blues

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Eartha Kitt - The Essential Recordings Disc 1, Disc 2

Album: The Essential Recordings Disc 1

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:04
Size: 136,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:33)  1. I Want to Be Evil
(3:01)  2. C'est Si Bon
(3:10)  3. Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale)
(2:43)  4. Under the Bridges of Paris
(3:29)  5. Angelitos Negros
(2:55)  6. Avril au Portugal (The Whispering Serenade)
(3:07)  7. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
(2:46)  8. Apres Moi
(2:30)  9. If I Love Ya, Then I Need Ya, If I Need Ya, I Want'cha Around
(2:38) 10. Hey Jacque
(3:05) 11. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(3:47) 12. Lilac Wine (Dance Me a Song)
(3:06) 13. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(2:19) 14. My Heart's Delight
(3:01) 15. Looking for a Boy
(2:23) 16. I've Got That Lovin' Bug Itch
(2:27) 17. Fascinating Man
(4:00) 18. Thursday's Child
(2:07) 19. Love Is a Gamble
(2:50) 20. Santa Baby

Album: The Essential Recordings Disc 2

Time: 53:13
Size: 122,6 MB

(2:53)  1. Just an Old Fashioned Girl
(2:31)  2. If I Can't Take It with Me (When I Go)
(2:47)  3. St. Louis Blues
(3:14)  4. Careless Love
(3:13)  5. Beale Street Blues
(3:27)  6. The Memphis Blues
(2:37)  7. Yellow Bird
(2:24)  8. Mack the Knife
(2:17)  9. I'd Rather Be Burned as a Witch
(2:42) 10. Shango
(2:36) 11. A Lady Loves
(2:47) 12. Good Little Girls
(1:53) 13. Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
(2:49) 14. Lola-Lola
(2:40) 15. Love for Sale
(2:18) 16. Whatever Lola Wants Lola Gets
(1:56) 17. Never on a Sunday
(3:22) 18. All I Want Is All There Is and Then Some
(2:34) 19. Do It Again
(2:05) 20. Always True to You in My Fashion

Eartha Kitt was an exotic and uncompromising proposition for the psyche of 1950s America. Although this image may dominate our perception of Eartha Kitt as an artist, it hides a huge talent that lay beneath the outer sheen, and Eartha was to make her name as a talented singer, actress, dancer, cabaret star and political activist.~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Recordings-EARTHA-KITT/dp/B00OYPBSFS

Eartha Kitt epitomized the idea of the sex-kitten chanteuse, rising to fame with a nightclub act centered on her slinky stage presence and her throaty purr of a voice. As much as she enjoyed vamping it up, she also projected the image of an exotic international sophisticate, especially since she sang in several different languages. She brought a definite zest to her torch songs, and favored lyrics that painted her as the Material Girl of her time. Kitt's persona was so vivid and well-developed that she remained easily identifiable well after her early-'50s heyday, and it also helped her find success as an actress in movies, TV, and theater. Even if many remember her best as one of the actresses to play Catwoman on the '60s Batman series, Kitt was always a cabaret performer at heart, one whose act translated best in a live setting. She rose dramatically to fame from a childhood of neglect and poverty, moving from South Carolina to Harlem at age eight to live with an aunt. She toured internationally during her late teens as part of a dance company, and also developed a singing act. Signing with RCA, she scored numerous hits over 1953-1955, including "C'est Si Bon," "I Want to Be Evil," and "Santa Baby," among others; she later branched out into an acting career. Following her sharp criticism of the Vietnam War in 1968, Kitt endured a ten-year blacklisting in America and moved to Europe to make her living. She returned to the U.S. in the '80s and '90s, both as an actress and as a singer on the nightclub circuit. In 2000, she received a third Tony nomination for her work in the musical drama The Wild Party. Kitt continued performing and recording into the 2000s, but was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, and passed from the disease in late 2008. ~ Steve Huey https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eartha-kitt-mn0000162930/biography


Monday, March 18, 2019

Eartha Kitt - Purr-Fect: Greatest Hits

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:15
Size: 213,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:54)  1. Just An Old Fashioned Girl
(2:52)  2. Je Cherche Un Homme (I Want A Man)
(3:32)  3. I Want To Be Evil
(3:05)  4. Mink, Schmink
(3:07)  5. Let's Do It
(3:00)  6. C'Est Si Bon (It's So Good)
(2:53)  7. Annie Doesn't Live Here Any More
(3:47)  8. Monotonous
(3:03)  9. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(2:43) 10. Under The Bridges Of Paris
(2:32) 11. I Wantcha Around
(3:45) 12. Lilac Wine
(2:47) 13. Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell (Who's Got De Ding Dong)
(4:01) 14. Thursday's Child
(3:28) 15. Angelitos Negros
(2:57) 16. Lovin' Spree
(2:12) 17. Toujours Gai
(3:09) 18. Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale)
(2:30) 19. Proceed With Caution
(3:36) 20. The Blues
(2:48) 21. The Heel
(3:24) 22. Santa Baby

In 1996, taxi patrons in New York were greeted with a tape of Eartha Kitt's famous "R"-rolling cat growl: "Wrrrrrrrrow. Cats have nine lives, but you have only one. So buckle up." This was a reference to the source of her fame for the under-50 crowd: her stint as Catwoman on the '60s Batman TV series. But her abilities as a tantalizing, talented seductress stretch further back to her early '50s singing career, wearing tight-for-then voluptuous gowns instead of a catsuit. Both Kitt and her records predated rock & roll, but her 1953-1955 success was a hint that bad girl behavior would become prevalent. Never mind Phil Spector's later girl groups; Kitt could sully a polite orchestral backing with her sex kitten purring on hilariously libidinous numbers such as the number 22 hit "I Want to Be Evil," the number four hit "Santa Baby," "Mink Schmink," and her standard "C'est Si Bon," another Top Ten hit. Hearing her saucy tongue wrap around the words is amusing, but Kitt makes it sound so exotic, dangerous, and impetuous, you want to take her on. If this was torch singing, she was going to burn down the clubs she headlined. If she had been more R&B and more gimmicky, she could have been the female Screamin' Jay Hawkins. You can hear it in every syllable, the attitude and raucous delivery that made her a song stylist more than a pop singer, allowing her to survive the coming barrage of guitars and drums that would initially bury her career. She could always prosper in her other haunts of stage and screen, and in her nightclub act. But a collection of the best of her old LPs, RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt and The Bad Eartha is no "bad" idea. Tangle with her if you dare. ~ Jack Rabid https://www.allmusic.com/album/purr-fect-greatest-hits-mw0000240845

Purr-Fect: Greatest Hits

Friday, June 1, 2018

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

Monday, March 5, 2018

Eartha Kitt - I Want To Be Evil: ...The Wicked Eartha Kitt

Size: 182,6 MB
Time: 77:13
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Pop, Soul, R&B
Art: Front

01. Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale) (3:05)
02. C'est Si Bon (2:56)
03. I Want To Be Evil (3:28)
04. Santa Baby (2:45)
05. Under The Bridges Of Paris (2:40)
06. Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell (2:45)
07. Lovin' Spree (2:53)
08. Mink Shmink (3:01)
09. Apres Moi (2:44)
10. The Heel (2:47)
11. My Heart's Delight (2:16)
12. Looking For A Boy (2:59)
13. Nobody Taught Me (2:20)
14. The Day That The Circus Left Town (3:14)
15. I've Got That Lovin' Bug Itch (2:22)
16. Nothin' For Christmas (2:33)
17. Honolulu Rock-A Roll-A (1:46)
18. Put More Wood On The Fire (2:00)
19. A Woman Wouldn't Be A Woman (1:59)
20. Toujours Gai (2:08)
21. Yomme, Yomme (2:43)
22. If I Can't Take It With Me (When I Go) (2:31)
23. Just An Old Fashioned Girl (2:51)
24. I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch (2:14)
25. Johnny With The Gentle Hands (2:45)
26. Do It Again (2:31)
27. Good Little Girls (2:43)
28. It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House (2:41)
29. All I Want Is All There Is And Then Some (3:18)

The precociously-talented Eartha Kitt spoke four languages fluently, could sing in seven or eight and was one of the biggest international stars of her era. She enjoyed hit records, films, musicals and/or cabaret seasons in every decade of her 60+ years career. However, the body of work she recorded for RCA Victor between 1953-1957 is widely accepted as career-defining, and provides around 80% of the tracks in this compilation. Includes her 'breakthrough' hits "Uska Dara", "C'est Si Bon", "I Want To Be Evil", "Santa Baby", "Under The Bridges Of Paris", "Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell" and "Lovin' Spree". Also includes signature songs like "Mink Schmink", "The Heel", "Just An Old-Fashioned Girl", "I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch" and "All I Want Is All There Is And Then Some". This is a genuinely indispensable compilation, many of Eartha's RCA 45s have never previously been re-issued, and sides like "Honolulu Rock-A-Roll-A", "Toujour Gai" and "Yomme, Yomme" are impossible to find elsewhere on CD.

I Want To Be Evil

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Eartha Kitt - That Bad Eartha

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:08
Size: 85.0 MB
Styles: Jazz-pop vocals
Year: 1956/2007
Art: Front

[3:30] 1. I Want To Be Evil
[2:59] 2. C'est Si Bon
[3:26] 3. Angelitos Negros
[2:53] 4. Avril Au Portugal
[3:04] 5. Let's Do It
[3:02] 6. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[3:09] 7. Uska Dara-A Turkish Tale
[2:51] 8. African Lullaby
[2:36] 9. Mountain High, Valley Low
[3:46] 10. Lilac Wine
[2:41] 11. Under The Bridges Of Paris
[3:04] 12. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Like its predecessor, RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt, Eartha Kitt's second album, That Bad Eartha, also released in 1953, became a Top Five hit in a year when the curiosity about this exotic creature seemed to be limitless. Although she was actually from South Carolina by way of Harlem, Kitt came across as an international chanteuse, which spending a few years in Paris, among other places, will do for you. Her recording of "C'est Si Bon (It's So Good)," included here, had reached the Top Ten in August, preceded by a minor chart entry in "Uska Dara -- A Turkish Tale" and followed by another, "I Want to Be Evil." Both were also included. In addition to French and Turkish, Kitt sang in Spanish and Swahili, which was more than enough to justify her image as a classy import. Another part of that image was her somewhat predatory sex appeal, which was explored fully in "I Want to Be Evil" and two Cole Porter favorites, "Let's Do It" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Of course, there was sleight-of-hand going on there, too, but Kitt didn't suffer from having a wholly contrived persona, because she let her listeners in on the joke. It wasn't accidental that the title of the album had quotes around it. And in the same way, her relatively limited vocal range didn't matter because she acted her way through her performances as if they were short plays. The only problem, in fact, was that Kitt defined herself so well she was ultimately one-dimensional. It was not surprising when the hits dried up within a year, since she came across on records as a novelty act; but she had developed an act she could keep playing for the rest of her life. And that's exactly what she did. ~William Ruhlmann

That Bad Eartha mc
That Bad Eartha zippy

Monday, August 29, 2016

Eartha Kitt - 'Miss Kitt', To You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:27
Size: 101.8 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[2:47] 1. Je Cherche Un Homme (I Want A Man)
[2:51] 2. Just An Old Fashioned Girl
[2:20] 3. Lazy Afternoon
[2:44] 4. St. Louis Blues
[3:01] 5. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[3:00] 6. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
[3:24] 7. Avril Au Portugal (The Whisp'ring Serenade)
[2:56] 8. C'est Si Bon (It's So Good)
[2:36] 9. Hey Jacque
[2:29] 10. Mademoiselle Kitt
[3:11] 11. Beale Street Blues
[3:05] 12. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
[2:07] 13. I'm A Funny Dame
[1:59] 14. A Woman Wouldn't Be A Woman
[2:07] 15. Toujour Gai
[3:43] 16. Monotonous

On this smoky 16-track compilation of classics, legendary temptress Eartha Kitt tells it like it is on "Je Cherche Un Homme (I Want a Man)," and W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Let's Do It," and a dozen others. ~AllMusic

'Miss Kitt', To You mc
'Miss Kitt', To You zippy

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Eartha Kitt - The Collection

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:47
Size: 175.8 MB
Styles: Traditional pop
Year: 2000/2006
Art: Front

[2:44] 1. I've Got You Under My Skin
[4:36] 2. When The World Was Young
[2:59] 3. Wonderful Illusions
[3:46] 4. Solitude
[2:29] 5. Easy To Love
[3:05] 6. September Song
[2:54] 7. You'll Never Know
[3:45] 8. Speak Low
[3:56] 9. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
[3:03] 10. Mirage
[3:59] 11. Chez Moi
[2:59] 12. In The Still Of The Night
[3:04] 13. Love For Sale
[3:09] 14. Autumn Leaves
[3:02] 15. The Girl From Ipanema
[2:25] 16. Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
[2:59] 17. Too Close For Comfort
[2:58] 18. Guess Who I Saw Today
[2:40] 19. C'est Magnifique (Can Can)
[3:38] 20. I Wish You Love
[2:56] 21. My Man
[2:58] 22. Moon River
[3:48] 23. The Last Time I Saw Paris
[2:44] 24. Love

A little information on this issue of these 2 classic Eartha albums: I can't remember the last time a Record/CD company did what I am going to share here. The releasing of these 2 albums has had a colorful past (more infornation below). EMI decided to give it one more go. This is a perfect example of "Third time's a charm". Actually it's more of a gem. Not only has EMI UK taken the time and spent the money to fix the flaw on the last reissue of this ablum, but they have added so much more. The 2 albums are now complete and in the original track order as originally released on the LP's. Also, they have not skimped on the booklet. This version has a complete booklet, including current liner notes and reproductions of the original UK album covers, both fronts and backs with original liner notes. With a release date of 12/21/06 they have given all of us a great Christmas gift. Just be sure to order The Collection with the black and white image of Eartha as this is the version to get!

A little info on former attempts to issue the 2 classic Eartha Albums on CD: The ultimate collection of the albums Eartha for Always /Love for Sale and Best of All Possible Worlds/The Romantic Eartha . EMI released a similar CD Titled The Eartha Kitt Collection in 2000 as part of the HMV Easy series, but it was missing 2 songs. They also released The Collection, an almost complete combination of the 2 albums in 2006, but for some reason the tracks from the 2 albums were shuffled and intermixed on the CD. Also, the first several seconds of the first track "Moon River" were missing. ~Eartha Kitt Fan Club site

The Collection