Showing posts with label Jeri Southern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeri Southern. Show all posts

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Jeri Southern - Jeri's Velvet Voice

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:22
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:41) 1. Kiss and Run
(2:08) 2. Run
(2:35) 3. Bells Are Ringing
(2:37) 4. Speak Softly to Me
(2:57) 5. Candlelight Conversation
(2:51) 6. Forgive and Forget
(2:32) 7. We're Not Children
(3:03) 8. Autumn in My Heart
(2:36) 9. I Waited So Long
(3:00) 10. You Better Go Now
(2:44) 11. The Touch of Love
(3:11) 12. The Ruby and the Pearl
(3:08) 13. The Man That Got Away
(3:11) 14. Don't Explain
(3:02) 15. Nothing at All

A converted piano player and vocal coach, Jeri Southern became one of the most underrated jazz vocal interpreters of the 1950s despite a voice regarded as subpar. Transforming a potential failing into her prime strength, Southern was devastatingly effective at delivering songs charting the downhill romantic life of world-weary everywoman characters. After recording for Decca, Roulette, Capitol and Jasmine during the 1950s though, she abruptly retired after growing tired of the music industry.

Born in rural Nebraska, Jeri Southern played piano by ear at the age of three and began formal lessons three years later. She studied classical piano and voice at a school in Omaha, but after an introduction to jazz at a local nightclub, Southern quickly changed her focus. After graduation, she moved to Chicago and began making appearances at clubs during the late '40s, occasionally supporting Anita O'Day. Convinced to begin singing as well, Southern abandoned her classical training and began singing in a voice just several steps removed from her speaking voice.

After signing to Decca in 1951, her first hit, "You Better Go Now," established her style lyrically focused, somewhat desultory, and definitely lovesick, the style of singing often called (for better or worse) torch songs. Her decidedly unflashy voice lent additional weight to the lyrical concerns of other Southern favorites like "I Don't Know Where to Turn," "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "If I Had You." She also had a moderate hit in 1954 with "Joey" and toured with the Birdland Jazz Stars of 1957. Southern's LPs of the '50s for Decca utilized mostly small groups in an era of large orchestras, including top-flight jazz-pop names like Ralph Burns, Dave Barbour and Marty Paich.

After Southern recorded two LPs for Roulette during 1958, she moved to Capitol for her most celebrated album, 1959's Jeri Southern Meets Cole Porter, arranged by Billy May. She recorded only one additional LP for Capitol (live at the Crescendo) before retiring in 1961, disgusted at the state of traditional pop. She married several times, raised a family and worked as a piano/vocal coach in Hollywood until her death (from double pneumonia) in 1991. She was booked for her first studio time in years at the time of her death.by John Bush
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jeri-southern-mn0000324819/biography

Jeri's Velvet Voice

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Jeri Southern - Jeri Southern Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:17
Size: 158,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:01)  1. I Hadn't Anyone Till You - Live
(0:23)  2. Jeri Introduces Her Trio Members - Live
(2:33)  3. Mad About the Boy - Live
(2:19)  4. You Better Go Now - Live
(3:19)  5. I'm in Love with the Honorable Mr. So and So - Live
(2:16)  6. Dancing on the Ceiling - Live
(2:18)  7. I Get a Kick out of You - Live
(3:33)  8. Too Late Now - Instrumental, Live
(4:18)  9. This Can't Be Love - Live
(3:30) 10. Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today - Live
(4:15) 11. One Day I Wrote His Name Upon the Sand - Live
(3:56) 12. It's De-Lovely - Live
(3:24) 13. September in the Rain - Live
(3:49) 14. When I Fall in Love - Live
(2:09) 15. Every Time - Live
(3:49) 16. He Was Too Good to Me - Live
(2:55) 17. Someone to Watch over Me - Live
(3:05) 18. Scarlet Ribbons - Unaccompanied Vocal, Live
(4:45) 19. Too Marvelous for Words - Live
(4:19) 20. Something Wonderful - Live
(3:10) 21. I've Got a Crush on You - Live

It’s a shame that pianist and vocalist Jeri Southern’s self-truncated career has left her a mere footnote in the history of jazz singing-for she ranked among the most gifted and compelling artists of the 1950s, blending the cool-school sangfroid of Chris Connor with the purr of Peggy Lee and the sophisticated sultriness of Julie London. (All the while she proved equally impressive behind a Steinway, with shades of Nat Cole, Art Tatum and Erroll Garner.) Southern released a dozen albums, all for major labels-Decca, Capitol, Roulette-before her chronic stage fright got the better of her and she retired from performing in 1962, still in her mid-30s. Her slim but stellar output included just one live LP, 1959’s At the Crescendo. At last, a quarter-century after her death, comes this 70-minute session, captured with stunning quality at Chicago’s Blue Note in early 1956. Alongside a pair of house-band stalwarts-bassist Al Bruno and drummer Dominic Simonetta-she navigates a sterling playlist: Noël Coward, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner, the Gershwins and a stunning, a cappella “Scarlet Ribbons.” Across her career’s dozen years, Southern also carved a unique niche, specializing in vaguely scandalous romantic mini-sagas. That enticing peculiarity is winningly exercised here, as she sketches the angst-driven drama of “Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today,” “One Day I Wrote His Name Upon the Sand,” “I’m in Love With the Honorable Mr. So and So” and her sole signature hit, the edge-of-sin “You Better Go Now.”~ Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/jeri-southern-blue-note-chicago-march-1956/

Jeri Southern Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956

Monday, May 13, 2019

Jeri Southern - When Your Heart's On Fire

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1956
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:54
Size: 91,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:51)  1. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
(2:49)  2. Can I Forget You?
(3:51)  3. Little Girl Blue
(3:28)  4. I Remember You
(3:45)  5. He Was Too Good To Me
(2:22)  6. You're Driving Me Crazy
(2:40)  7. You Make Me Feel So Young
(3:52)  8. Someone To Watch Over Me
(2:32)  9. Autumn In New York
(3:56) 10. My Ship
(3:33) 11. No More
(2:10) 12. Let Me Love You

It isn't the collection of suicidal torch songs indicated by the title, but Jeri Southern's When Your Heart's on Fire is by no means an exuberant, swinging LP. While backing strings move at glacier speed, Southern is similarly slow and thoughtful, seeming to weigh her words and thus transform "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Autumn in New York" from standards into soliloquies. She reaches an obvious low point on "He Was Too Good to Me," but springs right back with "You're Driving Me Crazy," complete with a suitably noisy, raucous (and dated) arrangement. "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "I Remember You" are yet more tender ballads, just barely shifting the balance from world-weary to simply wise. Released as the back-end of a 1996 two-fer, When Your Heart's on Fire has also been reissued (as well as remastered) in Japan. ~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/when-your-hearts-on-fire-mw0000520723

When Your Heart's On Fire

Friday, August 19, 2016

Jeri Southern - You Better Go Now / When Your Heart's on Fire

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:00
Size: 177,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:02)  1. You Better Go Now
(3:14)  2. Give Me Time
(3:44)  3. Something I Dreamed Last Night
(3:12)  4. The Man That Got Away
(3:07)  5. When I Fall in Love
(2:55)  6. Just Got to Have Him Around
(3:11)  7. Dancing on the Ceiling
(2:40)  8. Speak Softly to Me
(3:08)  9. What Good Am I Without You
(3:14) 10. I Thought of You Last Night
(3:19) 11. That Ole Devil Called Love
(3:14) 12. Remind Me
(3:51) 13. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
(2:49) 14. Can I Forget You
(3:51) 15. Little Girl Blue
(3:28) 16. I Remember You
(3:45) 17. He Was Too Good to Me
(2:22) 18. You're Driving Me Crazy
(2:40) 19. You Make Me Feel So Young
(3:51) 20. Someone To Watch Over Me
(2:32) 21. Autumn in New York
(3:56) 22. My Ship
(3:33) 23. No More
(2:10) 24. Let Me Love You

If you were to leaf through all the material written about Jeri Southern in the past five years or so by record reviewers, night club critics, newspaper columnists and others, you would notice a constant recurrence of such words as delicacy, sensitivity, taste, subtlety and restraint. If you find these qualities admirable, then it's a fine experience you have in store as you listen to these lyrical little milestones in Miss Southern's recording career. On some of them she sounds very close to tears, on others she sounds wise and profound and perhaps just a bit cynical. Sometimes she seems like a wistful little girl, and the next minute she's silken and sultry and seductive. The moods are many and complex, and they are all Jeri Southern's. They are all yours too, to share with her here in this album. ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com

Personnel : Jeri Southern (vocals, piano); Camarata, Sy Oliver, Sonny Burke, Lew Douglas, Norman Leyden (conductor).

You Better Go Now / When Your Heart's on Fire

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Jeri Southern - Meets Cole Porter

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1959
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:37
Size: 81,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:59)  1. Don't Look At Me That Way
(3:04)  2. Get Out of Town
(2:31)  3. Looking At You
(4:45)  4. It's All Right with Me
(2:31)  5. Let's Fly Away
(2:30)  6. Why Shouldn't I
(2:49)  7. You're the Top
(2:50)  8. After You
(2:41)  9. Which
(3:49) 10. I Concentrate on You
(2:13) 11. It's Bad for Me
(2:49) 12. Weren't We Fools

As one of the supreme students (and teachers) of American popular song, Jeri Southern was properly prepared to shine on the full album of Cole Porter songs she recorded in 1959. But instead of floating the usual batch of Porter standards, she dug deeper into the catalog for several forgotten nuggets. (This wasn't simply a lack of satisfaction in singing the songs that everyone sang; her melancholic airs weren't particularly suited to relatively contented material like "From This Moment On," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Anything Goes," or "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To.") Arranger Billy May conforms to Southern's gifts, keeping the charts smooth and string-filled instead of brassy, except when the mood calls for a swing tune like "Let's Fly Away." Southern appears to be near the height of her powers, wringing the melodrama from "Get Out of Town" or "I Concentrate on You." Jeri Southern Meets Cole Porter could have been a real classic if Southern had chosen a few other of Porter's overlooked torch songs, such as "Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor)" or "Just One of Those Things" or "So Near and Yet So Far," any of which would have suited her skills at the jilted lover yearning for past romance.~John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/album/jeri-southern-meets-cole-porter-mw0000904673

Meets Cole Porter

Monday, June 13, 2016

Jeri Southern - A Prelude To A Kiss: The Story Of A Love Affair

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:26
Size: 88,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:34)  1. Prelude To A Kiss
(3:10)  2. Cross My Heart
(2:33)  3. I Don't Want To Walk Without You
(3:24)  4. Please Be Kind
(3:22)  5. Trust In Me
(2:53)  6. Try A Little Tenderness
(3:31)  7. You're Mine You
(3:02)  8. Speak Low
(3:13)  9. Hold Me
(3:20) 10. Close To You
(3:02) 11. Close As Pages In A Book
(3:17) 12. The Touch Of Your Lips

An ambitious concept album that assembles a clutch of familiar romantic ballads into a narrative arc charting the birth of romance, A Prelude to a Kiss: The Story of a Love Affair remains Jeri Southern's most fully realized and consistent effort, evoking Frank Sinatra's classic late-'50s Capitol albums in both scope and tenor. Paired with arranger Gus Levene, whose richly melancholy backings are essential to the album's unified mood, Southern brings a sense of cinéma vérité to songs like "Speak Low" and "The Touch of Your Lips," transforming the familiar lyrics into deeply personal expressions as intimate as diary entries.~Jason Ankeny http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-prelude-to-a-kiss-the-story-of-a-love-affair-mw0000930656

A Prelude To A Kiss: The Story Of A Love Affair

Monday, May 23, 2016

Jeri Southern - Southern Breeze / Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories

Styles:  Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1958
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:37
Size: 165,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:13)  1. Down With Love
(3:48)  2. Crazy He Calls Me
(3:06)  3. Lazy Bones
(3:16)  4. Who Wants To Fall In Love
(3:48)  5. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
(2:21)  6. Ridin' High
(3:15)  7. He Reminds Me Of You
(3:36)  8. Porgy
(3:42)  9. Are These Really Mine
(2:59) 10. Isn't This a Lovely Day
(2:56) 11. A Warm Kiss and a Cold Heart
(2:54) 12. I Like the Likes of You
(2:51) 13. Coffe, Cigarettes & Memories
(3:17) 14. Spring Will Be a Little Late T
(2:35) 15. This Time the Dream's On Me
(2:45) 16. Detour Ahead
(2:04) 17. The Song Is Ended
(2:33) 18. Yesterdays
(3:02) 19. Deep In a Dream
(3:01) 20. I'm Stepping Out Wit ha Memory
(2:23) 21. Maybe I Love You Too Much
(2:30) 22. Yesterdays Gardenias
(3:14) 23. I Must Have That Man
(2:20) 24. I'll Never Be the Same

In 1998, EMI released Southern Breeze/Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories, which contained two complete albums Southern Breeze (1958, originally released on Roulette) and Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories (1958, originally released on Roulette) by Jeri Southern on one compact disc.~Jason Birchmeier http://www.allmusic.com/album/southern-breeze-coffee-cigarettes-memories-mw0000528966

Southern Breeze / Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Jeri Southern - You Better Go Now

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:10
Size: 82.8 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. You Better Go Now
[3:03] 2. Give Me Time
[3:32] 3. Something I Dreamed Last Night
[3:02] 4. The Man That Got Away
[2:57] 5. When I Fall In Love
[2:47] 6. Just Got To Have Him Around
[3:01] 7. Dancing On The Ceiling
[2:31] 8. Speak Softly To Me
[2:58] 9. What Good Am I Without You
[3:04] 10. I Thought Of You Last Night
[3:10] 11. That Ole Devil Called Love
[3:07] 12. Remind Me

If you were to leaf through all the material written about Jeri Southern in the past five years or so by record reviewers, night club critics, newspaper columnists and others, you would notice a constant recurrence of such words as delicacy, sensitivity, taste, subtlety and restraint. If you find these qualities admirable, then it's a fine experience you have in store as you listen to these lyrical little milestones in Miss Southern's recording career. On some of them she sounds very close to tears, on others she sounds wise and profound and perhaps just a bit cynical. Sometimes she seems like a wistful little girl, and the next minute she's silken and sultry and seductive. The moods are many and complex, and they are all Jeri Southern's. They are all yours too, to share with her here in this album.

You Better Go Now

Friday, April 24, 2015

Jeri Southern - The Very Thought Of You

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:02
Size: 151.2 MB
Styles: Traditional pop, Vocal jazz
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[2:59] 1. You Better Go Now
[3:03] 2. The Very Thought Of You
[2:05] 3. It's De-Lovely
[3:07] 4. Dancing On The Ceiling
[2:33] 5. All In Fun
[3:03] 6. When I Fall In Love
[2:49] 7. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
[3:10] 8. Remind Me
[3:08] 9. I Don't Know Where To Turn
[3:41] 10. He Was Too Good To Me
[2:29] 11. If I Had You
[3:25] 12. I Remember You
[3:16] 13. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
[3:54] 14. My Ship
[2:31] 15. An Occasional Man
[3:48] 16. Someone To Watch Over Me
[3:48] 17. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
[3:02] 18. Close As Pages In A Book
[2:31] 19. No Moon At All
[4:05] 20. You're Nearer
[3:24] 21. Nobody's Heart

Whether Jeri Southern was a jazz singer or simply a jazz-influenced pop singer has been debated. To be sure, many of her '50s recordings were heavily arranged and devoid of improvisation -- and if you believe that improvisation is a key element of jazz, you have to believe that much of her output was essentially pop. But however you categorize her, Southern was among the finest female singers of her era. This 21-song collection, which came out in 1999, underscores the excellence of her '50s output for Decca. Southern's accompaniment ranges from lush string orchestras to the trio of guitarist Dave Barbour (who was best known for his work with Peggy Lee), and on some selections, she is heard on piano. You could argue that Southern's piano solo on "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" is a jazz solo, but on most of these recordings, pop considerations prevail over jazz considerations. Blessed with a smoky, warm voice, she brings a great deal of charm and vulnerability to "The Very Thought of You," "My Ship," "I Remember You" and other standards. It's such a shame that Southern chose to retire from recording and performing in the early '60s, when she was only 36 -- quite possibly, she could have continued to record first-class pop for another 20 or 25 years. But thankfully, listeners still have fine collections like The Very Thought of You to savor. ~Alex Henderson

The Very Thought Of You