Lorez Alexandria - In A Different Bag

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:43
Size: 79,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:17) 1. Hey Jude
(3:24) 2. Confessin' The Blues
(2:01) 3. Deacon Jones Daughter
(3:20) 4. I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore
(3:21) 5. I'll Never Be Free
(3:00) 6. Just One More Chance
(3:40) 7. Trust In Me
(2:35) 8. Vibrations
(2:59) 9. I've Got A Right To Cry
(5:04) 10. My Way

Given the deep gospel roots that inform her pure, powerful vocals, Lorez Alexandria was always as much a soul singer as a jazz singer, regardless of where record stores racked her albums. In a Different Bag emphasizes and expands her pop possibilities, borrowing songs and sounds from the mainstream to create a richly nuanced session that's wonderfully accessible yet true to Alexandria's immense talents.

Produced by Pzazz owner Paul Gayten and arranged by Jack Scott, the album boasts an organic intimacy that underscores its R&B-inspired approach. Alexandria excels on unlikely covers like the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and Randy Newman's "I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore," wrapping this daring and unconventional album on a perfectly poetic note with a reading of "My Way." [Long out-of-print, In a Different Bag was finally reissued in 2001 alongside its 1968 predecessor Didn't We via the two-fer The 60's Pzazz Sessions.] By Jason Ankeny https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-a-different-bag-mw0001249470

In A Different Bag

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Lorez Alexandria - Chicago Jazz Festival'80

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:33
Size: 91,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:09) 1. Michael Cuscuna interviews Lorez Alexandria
(1:40) 2. Introduction
(2:04) 3. On a Clear Day
(6:44) 4. Something Cool
(2:09) 5. Satin Doll
(5:18) 6. Don't Explain
(2:41) 7. You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me
(5:43) 8. But Beautiful
(1:19) 9. Introduction
(2:39) 10. Little Boat
(3:02) 11. Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)
(1:01) 12. Billy Taylor comments

Lorez Alexandria concert at Grant Park at the Chicago Jazz Festival on 8/30/1980. Broadcast on WBEZ FM, Chicago's NPR station. Commentary by Billy Taylor and Michael Cuscuna, of NPR's Jazz Alive series. This was the 4th set of the evening's Jazz Alive broadcast. This evening was dedicated to Chicago Jazz Heritage. Thanks to Mark Rabin for sharing this recording and the festival flyer.
https://archive.org/details/lorez-alexandria-1980-chicago-jazz-fest-npr

Musicians: Lorez Alexandria-Vocals; Willie Pickens-Piano; Dan Shapira-Bass; Robert Shy-Drums

Chicago Jazz Festival'80

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Lorez Alexandria - I'll Never Stop Loving You

Styles: Vocal 
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:05
Size: 115,0 MB
Art: Front

( 3:32)  1. I Should Care
( 6:06)  2. Love Walked In
( 7:39)  3. I'll Never Stop Loving You
( 4:05)  4. No Moon At All
( 5:26)  5. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
( 4:46)  6. ll My Life
( 4:39)  7. Like Someone In Love
(10:25)  8. For All We Know
( 3:23)  9. I Could Write A Book

This is one of singer Lorez Alexandria's finest recordings of her later years. Alexandria has an expressive style and improvises thorugh her phrasing and placing of words. Backed by a particularly attentive quintet featuring Herman Riley (on tenor and flute) and pianist Gildo Mahones, Alexandria is in particularly fine form on nine superior standards that are highlighted by "Love Walked In," "No Moon at All" and a ten-minute version of "For All We Know."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/ill-never-stop-loving-you-mw0000625111

Personnel: Vocals – Lorez Alexandria; Bass – Andy Simpkins; Drums – Sherman Ferguson;Guitar – Grant Geissman; Piano, Arranged By – Gildo Mahones; Tenor Saxophone – Herman Riley

I'll Never Stop Loving You

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Lorez Alexandria - Lorez Sings Prez: A Tribute to Lester Young

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:23
Size: 73,3 MB
Art: Front

(0:33)  1. Introduction
(2:24)  2. Fine And Dandy
(3:31)  3. Fooling Myself
(2:58)  4. D.B. Blues
(1:57)  5. You’re Driving Me Crazy (What Did I Do)
(3:21)  6. Easy Living
(3:00)  7. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
(3:45)  8. No Eyes Blues
(2:30)  9. This Year’s Kisses
(2:31) 10. There Will Never Be Another You
(4:47) 11. Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid

Lorez Alexandria was a superb singer in the Sarah Vaughan tradition. Alexandria recorded more than 20 albums over a 36-year period starting in 1957. Why she isn't a household name today is beyond me. Perhaps it was the smaller labels she was on or her decision to cling to Chicago, a lesser media market, for much of her career. Or maybe one Sarah Vaughan was sufficient. There are no bad Alexandria albums. All have a hip, confident charm.  One of my favorites is her second album, Lorez Sings Pres: A Tribute to Lester Young. Recorded after hours for King in front of an audience of friends at an unnamed Chicago club on November 6 and 13, Alexandria was accompanied by Paul Serrano (tp), Cy Touff (b-tp), Charles Stepney (vib), King Fleming (p), Eldee Young (b) and Vernell Fournier (d). Each of the Chicago players had a celebrated career. Drummer Fournier was a member of the Ahmad Jamal Trio and one of the great brush players. Cy Touff was an exceptional bass trumpeter who recorded many terrific albums as a leader. Paul Serrano shifted from trumpet to record engineering and worked with major jazz, rock, soul and gospel artists, including Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger. He eventually became head engineer at Delmark Records. Stepney would work as a producer for numerous soul artists in the 1960s and '70s. Fleming worked steadily in Chicago throughout the 1960s and beyond. And Eldee Young was a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, before leaving the group in the mid-1960s to become the Young in Young Holt Unlimited (Soulful Strut). [Photo above of Vernell Fournier on drums with the Ahmad Jamal Trio]. As the liner notes on the back cover of Lorez Sings Pres points out, all of the songs chosen were recorded by Lester "Pres" Young. Alexandria here proves she had an in-depth feel for Young without succumbing to mimicry. For her, the Young material was simply a springboard to be herself. Interestingly, this album preceds Sarah Vaughan's After Hours at the London House by four months. Makes you wonder whether Lorez's album gave Mercury the idea to record Sassy live in a Chicago club filled with friends. ~ Marc Myers https://www.jazzwax.com/2019/05/lorez-alexandria-sings-pres.html

Lorez Sings Prez: A Tribute to Lester Young

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Lorez Alexandria - Only Happy

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:58
Size: 173,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:27)  1. Trav'lin' Light
(2:10)  2. No Moon at All
(3:39)  3. Detour Ahead
(2:35)  4. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
(3:13)  5. Don't Explain
(3:02)  6. I'm Just a Lucky So-And-So
(2:58)  7. Early in the Morning
(2:58)  8. Baltimore Oriole
(3:02)  9. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year
(2:16) 10. Baby, Don't You Cry
(2:49) 11. Nature Boy
(3:23) 12. I Was a Fool
(3:28) 13. So Long
(2:50) 14. The End of a Love Affair
(3:45) 15. Traveling Down a Lonely Road (Love Theme from "La Strada")
(3:19) 16. Good Morning Heartache
(2:22) 17. Almost Like Being in Love
(3:49) 18. Love Look Away
(2:23) 19. I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues
(2:44) 20. Trouble Is a Man
(2:45) 21. It Could Happen to You
(2:53) 22. I Want to Talk About You
(3:04) 23. I Almost Lost My Mind
(3:11) 24. Baltimore Oriole II
(2:42) 25. Rocks in My Bed

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lorez-alexandria-mn0000282731/biography

Only Happy

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Lorez Alexandria - Talk About Cozy

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:07
Size: 85.0 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:27] 1. The Best Is Yet To Come
[1:57] 2. Talk About Cozy
[3:08] 3. Something
[1:45] 4. I'll Remember April
[2:42] 5. Street Of Dreams
[3:57] 6. Be A Sweet Pumpkin
[3:22] 7. Alfie
[2:09] 8. I've Never Been In Love Before
[2:26] 9. I've Got A Right To Cry
[3:17] 10. Night Song
[3:18] 11. Didn't We
[2:35] 12. Here, There And Everywhere
[3:57] 13. My Way

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~bio by Scott Yanow

This album presents another addition to Lorez Alexandria's impressive body of recorded work, reinforcing her status as one of jazzdom's genuinely distinctive vocalist. Recorded 1968, Los Angeles.

Talk About Cozy mc
Talk About Cozy zippy

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Lorez Alexandria - Singing Songs Everyone Knows

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:27
Size: 85.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1960/2005
Art: Front

[2:46] 1. Just One Of Those Things
[2:53] 2. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
[2:05] 3. Lush Life
[2:35] 4. Sometimes I'm Happy
[2:57] 5. Long Ago And Far Away
[2:14] 6. But Beautiful
[4:19] 7. I'm Beginning To See The Light
[3:03] 8. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
[3:35] 9. Spring Is Here
[4:18] 10. Angel Eyes
[3:01] 11. Better Luck Next Time
[3:36] 12. I Don't Know What Time It Was

Lorez Alexandria recorded very few sessions in the 50's and sixties, and it's a shame since she was one of the best swinging jazz singers of the period. A fine jazz and swing singer, Alexandria is backed here by a big band, which she does a wondeful job ineracting with. Alexandra swings right along and scats her way thru an amazing set, making this one of her finest all around sets. A few of the highlights include Better Luck Next Time, a haunting Lush Life, and But Beautiful. It is nice to hear alexandria backed by a swinging big band, instead of the usual small group setting. A wonderful re-issue. ~Aaron B.

Singing Songs Everyone Knows mc
Singing Songs Everyone Knows zippy

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Lorez Alexandria - Deep Roots

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:28
Size: 65.2 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1962/2012
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Nature Boy
[3:19] 2. I Was A Fool
[2:05] 3. No Moon At All
[2:58] 4. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
[2:32] 5. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
[3:34] 6. Detour Ahead
[2:41] 7. It Could Happen To You
[3:23] 8. Trav'lin' Light
[2:18] 9. Almost Like Being In Love
[2:49] 10. I Want To Talk About You

The musicians John Young (p), Israel Crosby (b) and Vernel Fournier (d) as well as from time to time George Eskridge (g) do a work i really like behind Alexandria. The touch of Young is light and cool as well as the playing of the other musicians and somehow fit perfect to the warm singing of Lorez Alexandria. I totaly dig her singing in the lower registers and when she moves from below to higher notes and back like she does on 'Detour Ahead'. Don't hesitate if you can find this record, it's beautiful. ~Leunjean

Deep Roots mc
Deep Roots zippy

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Lorez Alexandria - More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1964
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 78,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:18)  1. But Beautiful
(2:17)  2. Little Boat (O Barquinho)
(1:32)  3. Dancing on the Ceiling
(6:58)  4. It Might as Well Be Spring
(2:20)  5. Once (It S'Aim Aient)
(2:54)  6. The Wildest Gal in Town
(4:53)  7. Angel Eyes
(2:20)  8. This Could Be the Start of Something Big
(3:09)  9. No More
(2:25) 10. That Far Away Look

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~ Scott Yanow  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lorez-alexandria/id2897975#fullText

More of the Great Lorez Alexandria

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Lorez Alexandria - My One And Only Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:56
Size: 98,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Nature Boy
(6:03)  2. It Might As Well Be Spring
(2:50)  3. Almost Like Being In Love
(4:47)  4. But Beautiful
(4:47)  5. All Or Nothing At All
(3:53)  6. Ain't Misbehavin'
(4:56)  7. My One And Only Love
(4:58)  8. Dancing On The Ceiling
(2:37)  9. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
(4:55) 10. I'm Through With Love

A solid singer who is superior at interpreting lyrics, gives a soulful feeling to each song, and improvises with subtlety, Lorez Alexandria was a popular attraction for several decades. She sang gospel music with her family at churches starting in the mid-'40s and worked in Chicago nightclubs in the 1950s. With the release of several albums for King during 1957-1959, Alexandria became popular beyond her hometown, and by the early '60s she was living and working in Los Angeles. In addition to the King label, her earlier recording sessions were for Argo and Impulse, while her later albums were for Discovery and Muse. Despite a long period off records (only a few private recordings during the 1965-1976 period), Alexandria survived through the many changes in musical styles and could be heard in excellent form up until she retired in the mid-'90s. Not long after retiring, Alexandria suffered a stroke, and her health declined until her death in May 2001. ~ Scott Yanow  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lorez-alexandria-mn0000282731/biography

My One And Only Love

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Lorez Alexandria - Alexandria The Great

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 35:53

Size: 82.1 MB

Styles: Vocal jazz

Year: 1964/2004

Art: Front

[3:59] 1. Show Me

[2:17] 2. I've Never Been In Love Before

[2:43] 3. Satin Doll

[4:27] 4. My One And Only Love

[3:56] 5. Over The Rainbow

[3:58] 6. Get Me To The Church On Time

[2:43] 7. The Best Is Yet To Come

[4:03] 8. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face

[2:20] 9. Give Me The Simple Life

[5:23] 10. I'm Through With Love

Lorez Alexandria has not received her due as a jazz singer, probably due in part to her long layoff from recording (11 years) for nationally distributed labels following these 1964 studio sessions for Impulse! But the vocalist is in top form throughout each of these three sessions, each with a different group of musicians. Her soulful singing also hints at her gospel background in places, though her clear enunciation, ability to swing, and touch of charm make her a delight to hear. Most of the arrangements are fairly concise, so the longer tracks shine just a bit brighter. Her swinging take of "Get Me to the Church On Time" is playful, while her soulfulness comes across in the snappy take of "I'm Through With Love," the latter featuring guitarist Ray Crawford. This is an excellent introduction to a fine vocalist worthy of much wider recognition. ~Ken Dryden

Alexandria The Great   

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