Showing posts with label Peggy Lee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peggy Lee. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2024

Peggy Lee - Portrait of Peggy: I'm Happy To Be A Girl

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2023
Time: 71:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 165,8 MB
Art: Front

(2:11) 1. I Enjoy Being A Girl (From 'Flower Drum Song') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(2:24) 2. Come Dance With Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:52) 3. As You Desire Me (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:09) 4. You Fascinate Me So (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:02) 5. C'est Magnifique (From 'Can Can') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(4:22) 6. Remind Me (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(3:16) 7. By Myself (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:01) 8. Fantastico (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:36) 9. Pretty Eyes (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:25) 10. Dance Only With Me (From 'Say Darling') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(3:03) 11. I Want To Be Loved (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:26) 12. It Could Happen To You (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:55) 13. Moments Like This (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:02) 14. Love And Marriage (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:32) 15. I Remember You (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:21) 16. Ole´ (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(3:08) 17. Because I Love Him So (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:50) 18. Just Squeeze Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(1:55) 19. The Surrey With A Fringe On The Top (From 'Meet Me In St. Louis') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)
(2:57) 20. Fly Me To The Moon (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(1:43) 21. You're So Right For Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:25) 22. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:20) 23. Too Close For Comfort Now (Feat. Billy May Orchestra)
(2:43) 24. Wish You Were Here (Feat. Jack Marshall)
(1:44) 25. Together Whereever We Go (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:20) 26. Non Dimenticar (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(2:08) 27. I Can't Resist You (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(1:49) 28. From Now On Leave It To Me (Feat. Joe Harnell Orchestra)
(3:15) 29. The Party Is Over (From 'Bells Are Ringing') (Feat. Jack Marshall Orchestra)

More than two decades have passed since Peggy Lee sang with Benny Goodman’s swing band and made her first hit recording. Yet so inexhaustible is her talent and so intense her application to her work that, almost a generation later, she stands at the peak of her career. A product of the big-band era, she derived from that apprenticeship her ability to sing anything from jazz to blues, to sing it with a beat, and with enough volume to be heard above the band. Few vocalists have had her staying power. Peggy Lee is also a successful composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, and businesswoman. To all her careers she brings a perfectionism that leaves the stamp of professionalism on everything she touches.

Of Norwegian and Swedish ancestry, Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, a farm town on the Great Plains, on May 26, 1920. She was the seventh of eight children born to Marvin Egstrom, a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad, and Mrs. Egstrom, who died when the child was four years old. Encouraged by the recognition she had received for her singing with the high school glee club, the church choir, and semi-professional college bands, Norma headed for Hollywood after she graduated from high school in 1938. With her she took $18 in cash and a railroad pass she had borrowed from her father. Although she got a brief singing engagement at the Jade Room, a supper club on Hollywood Boulevard, she made little impression on the film capital, and she was reduced to working as a waitress and as a carnival spieler at a Balboa midway.

Deciding to try her luck nearer home, she found work as a singer over radio station WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota, whose manager, Ken Kennedy, christened her Peggy Lee. (To supplement her income she worked for a time as a bread slicer in a Fargo bakery.) Her prospects for a career brightened when she moved to Minneapolis, where she sang in the dining room of the Radisson Hotel, appeared on a Standard Oil radio show, and sang with Sev Olsen’s band. Miss Lee broke into the big time when she became a vocalist with Will Osborne’s band, but three months after she joined the group it broke up in St. Louis, and she got a ride to California with the manager.

It was at the Doll House in Palm Springs, California that Peggy Lee first developed the soft and "cool" style that has become her trademark. Unable to shout above the clamor of the Doll House audience, Miss Lee tried to snare its attention by lowering her voice. The softer she sang the quieter the audience became. She has never forgotten the secret, and it has given her style its distinctive combination of the delicate and the driving, the husky and the purringly seductive. One of the members of the Doll House audience was Frank Bering, the owner of Chicago’s Ambassador West Hotel, who invited her to sing in his establishment’s Buttery Room.

Benny Goodman discovered Peggy Lee’s vocalizing in the Buttery Room at a time when he was looking for a replacement for Helen Forrest. Miss Lee joined Goodman’s band in July, 1941, when the band was at the height of its popularity, and for over two years she toured the United States with the most famous swing outfit of the day, playing hotel engagements, college proms, theater dates, and radio programs.

Much of her present success Miss Lee credits to her apprenticeship with the big bands. "I learned more about music from the men I worked with in bands than I’ve learned anywhere else," she has said. "They taught me discipline and the value of rehearsing and even how to train…. Band singing taught us the importance of interplay with musicians. And we had to work close to the arrangement." In July, 1942, Peggy Lee recorded her first smash hit, "Why Don’t You Do Right?" It sold over 1,000,000 copies and made her famous.

In March, 1943, Peggy Lee married Dave Barbour, the guitarist in Goodman’s band; shortly thereafter she left the band. After her daughter, Nicki, was born in 1944, Peggy Lee and her husband worked successfully on the West Coast. In 1944 she began to record for Capitol Records, for whom she has produced a long string of hits " many of them with lyrics and music by Miss Lee and Dave Barbour. Among them are "Golden Earrings," which sold over 1,000,000 copies [sic; song not written by Lee and Barbour]; "You Was Right, Baby;" "It’s a Good Day;" "Mañana" (which sold over 2,000,000 records); "What More Can a Woman Do?;" and "I Don’t Know Enough About You." Today Peggy Lee has a top rating as a songwriter with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
More ....................https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/peggy-lee/

Portrait of Peggy: I'm Happy To Be A Girl

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Michael Blake - Fulfillment

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:49
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(7:21) 1. Sea Shanty
(6:35) 2. Perimeters
(7:05) 3. The Ballad of Gurdit Singh
(4:44) 4. Arrivals
(5:49) 5. Departures
(7:34) 6. Battle at Baj Baj
(9:28) 7. Exaltation
(6:09) 8. The Soldier and the Saint

Saxophonist Michael Blake's previous concept album Kingdom of Champra (Intuition, 1997) is based on his experiences living with his family in Vietnam. On Fulfillment, the artist centers his focus on India, namely an incident that occurred when a Japanese freighter, transporting hundreds of East Indian immigrants was denied entry into the port of Vancouver, Canada in 1914. Another source of interest is that Blake's great grand uncle H.H. Stevens was instrumental in engaging the Canadian Parliament to take action.

Blake's manifold tactics are structured on contrasting modal processes and clever arrangements amid heartwarming, melodic choruses; straight-four jazz rock cadenzas, several reengineering exercises and shades of East India. Each piece encompasses a standalone storyline. And this positive attribute offers a sense of intrigue as Blake diversifies these arrangements with great depth, marked by his deeply personalized vision and so forth. For example, "Departures" poses a combination of glee and solace, commencing with Chris Gestin's brisk piano solo, and a linear horns and cello arrangement, amped by perky accents. The musicians bounce between free-jazz and modern mainstream, gelled with catchy phrasings and spunky soloing jaunts.

"Battle at Baj Baj," features a somber current, launched by drummer Dylan van der Schyff's rolling mallets and cymbals extrapolations, while Blake's dusky tonal range and commanding presence initiates the expansive movements with a touch of angst towards closeout. Other works are designed with climactic passages and guitarist Ron Samworth's distortion- streaked solos, but several regions of sound are softened with gentle overtones. Indeed, Blake's creative and imaginative sparks are in full force and he's undoubtedly at the top of his game here. By Glenn Astarita
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/fulfillment-michael-blake-songlines-recordings-review-by-glenn-astarita

Personnel: Michael Blake: tenor & soprano saxophone, compositions; J.P. Carter, trumpet, electronics; Peggy Lee, cello; Chris Gestrin, piano, MicroMoog; Ron Samworth: electric guitar, banjo; André Lachance: bass; Dylan van der Schyff: drums, percussion. Special guests -Aram Bajakian: acoustic & electric guitar (1, 6, 7); Emma Postl, voice (1, 3); Neelamjit Dhillon, tabla (7).

Fulfillment

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Various - Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:07
Size: 135.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:52] 1. Bobby Darin - Hello, Young Lovers
[3:11] 2. Jo Stafford - Some Enchanted Evening
[3:07] 3. Ray Anthony - The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
[3:12] 4. Peggy Lee - Something Wonderful
[2:57] 5. Jeff Alexander Singers - Medley Happy Talk-Honey Bun
[2:56] 6. Helen O'connell - No Other Love
[2:44] 7. Al Martino - If I Loved You
[1:56] 8. Nancy Wilson - People Will Say We're In Love
[3:09] 9. The Andrews Sisters - Younger Than Springtime
[1:59] 10. Bobby Darin - Love Look Away
[2:49] 11. Jo Stafford - The Gentleman Is A Dope
[2:45] 12. The Starlighters - I Whistle A Happy Tune
[2:11] 13. Peggy Lee - I Enjoy Being A Girl
[1:58] 14. Tennessee Ernie Ford - My Favorite Things
[2:46] 15. Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy
[3:06] 16. Dick Haymes - It Might As Well Be Spring
[2:32] 17. Nancy Wilson - Getting To Know You
[3:30] 18. Vic Damone - The Sound Of Music
[4:06] 19. Judy Garland - You'll Never Walk Alone
[5:12] 20. Sinfonia Of London - The Carousel Waltz

For nostalgia buffs and fans of the American popular song hit parade, here's a blast directly out of "this was your life": 20 tracks from the good old days of pop-cum-jazz via the Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein songbook bring you such talented -- but ultimately soft-soap -- singers as Peggy Lee, Al Martino, Vic Damone, and Judy Garland, vocal groups the Andrews Sisters and the Starlighters, a jazzier young Nancy Wilson, and the much hipper Bobby Darin. The funniest number is Jo Stafford's "The Gentleman Is a Dope," the weirdest is Tennessee Ernie Ford doing "My Favorite Things," and the most out-of-context cut is the finale by the Sinfonia of London? Quaintness and reverence for the old days does have an appeal, albeit limited in modern times, so if you wax poetic for this type of show tunes and don't have these artists in your home, this could fill the bill. ~Michael G. Nastos

Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Various - Capitol Sings Harry Warren

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:33
Size: 127.2 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:49] 1. Nat King Cole - I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)
[2:36] 2. Ray Anthony & His Orchestra - Chattanooga Choo Choo
[2:53] 3. Bobby Darin - You'll Never Know
[2:22] 4. Dakota Staton - September In The Rain
[2:39] 5. Helen Forrest - I Had The Craziest Dream
[3:07] 6. The Four Freshmen - Lulu's Back In Town
[3:09] 7. Ethel Ennis - Serenade In Blue
[2:59] 8. Chet Baker - There Will Never Be Another You
[2:12] 9. Nancy Wilson - The More I See You
[3:10] 10. Nat King Cole Trio - I'll String Along With You
[3:02] 11. Al Belletto - Jeepers Creepers
[2:56] 12. Ann Richards - Lullaby Of Broadway
[3:01] 13. Time-Life Orchestra - At Last
[2:09] 14. June Christy - I Know Why (And So Do You)
[1:32] 15. Count Basie - With Plenty Of Money And You
[3:35] 16. Dinah Shore - I Only Have Eyes For You
[2:26] 17. The Four Freshmen - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Santa Fe
[2:41] 18. Peggy Lee - You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
[3:00] 19. Nat King Cole - An Affair To Remember
[3:06] 20. Dean Martin - That's Amore

If this era and genre of music is your taste then you will love this collection. The various singers add a wonderful blend of variety and the orchestrations are time capsules of a day long gone by. (Sad). But this music will bring you back and make you appreciate popular music again. ~Aurexia

Capitol Sings Harry Warren

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Various - Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:44
Size: 148.2 MB
Styles: Standards, Easy Listening
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[2:16] 1. Annie Ross - All Of You
[2:03] 2. Peggy Lee - Always True To You In My Fashion
[2:21] 3. Count Basie - Anything Goes
[3:26] 4. Gordon Macrae - Begin The Beguine
[2:44] 5. Martha Tilton - Blow, Gabriel, Blow
[3:47] 6. Stan Kenton - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
[1:50] 7. Peggy Lee - From Now On
[2:41] 8. Stan Kenton - I Get A Kick Out Of You
[2:53] 9. Judy Garland - I Happen To Like New York
[2:15] 10. Helen O'connell - In The Still Of The Night
[2:38] 11. Dinah Shore - It's All Right With Me
[2:35] 12. Louis Prima - I've Got You Under My Skin
[2:13] 13. Nat King Cole - Just One Of Those Things
[2:37] 14. Liza Minnelli - Looking At You
[2:08] 15. Frances Faye - Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today)
[2:25] 16. John Raitt - So In Love
[2:30] 17. Dean Martin - True Love
[1:51] 18. Keely Smith - What Is This Thing Called Love
[3:16] 19. Margaret Whiting - Why Shouldn't I
[2:48] 20. Jo Stafford - Wunderbar
[2:35] 21. Nancy Wilson - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[2:35] 22. Jean Turner - You're The Top
[2:11] 23. Trudy Richards - Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
[3:03] 24. Jeri Southern - Get Out Of Town
[2:50] 25. The Andrews Sisters - You Do Something To Me

As far as all-star Cole Porter compilations go, Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes is recommended as an entertaining sampler of 25 titles performed by some of the label's biggest stars. These include, on the hip end of the spectrum, Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Frances Faye, Jo Stafford, and Annie Ross, a disarming vocalist who collaborates warmly with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Peggy Lee is heard with George Shearing, Keely Smith with Louis Prima, Dinah Shore with Red Norvo, Tony Bennett with Count Basie and Chris Connor, and June Christy with Stan Kenton. Pop singers heard on this collection include Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Margaret Whiting, Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, and the Andrews Sisters. This mini-survey of great moments in mid-20th century pop culture is suitable for casual listening (and optional singalong) while cleaning house, preparing food, shampooing the cat, or operating heavy machinery during rush hour. ~arwulf arwulf

Capitol Sings Cole Porter: Anything Goes

Friday, October 22, 2021

Peggy Lee - Love Held Lightly: Rare Songs by Harold Arlen

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:53
Size: 117,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:40) 1. Look Who's Been Dreaming
(4:18) 2. Love Held Lightly
(3:30) 3. Buds Won't Bud
(3:39) 4. Can You Explain?
(2:31) 5. Wait'll It Happens To You
(4:39) 6. Come On, Midnight
(4:25) 7. Happy With The Blues
(3:27) 8. Bad For Each Other
(2:50) 9. Love's No Stranger To Me
(2:39) 10. I Could Be Good For You
(4:14) 11. Got To Wear You Off My Weary Mind
(2:44) 12. I Had A Love Once
(3:38) 13. Love's A Necessary Thing
(2:35) 14. My Shining Hour

In 1988, Peggy Lee was persuaded to leave her casual retirement by the promise of recording some recently unearthed Harold Arlen songs. Her voice was far less attractive and vivacious than it had been even in the '70s, and health problems forced her to record everything from a wheelchair; what's more, when she heard the results, she refused to let the record be released for another three years. Nevertheless, Love Held Lightly is an important album, not just because it saves a few Arlen compositions from the brink of disaster, but also because Lee's unpretty voice serves this material well. When she sings "Come on, Midnight" or "I Had a Love Once," she sings the twilight years with as much poignancy as she sang middle age on her '60s hit, "Is That All There Is?" Her group featured sensitive accompaniment from Ken Peplowski on tenor and Keith Ingham on piano (the latter also arranged and directed). Another highlight, "Buds Won't Bud," blossoms from just another saloon song into a playful, what-the-hell romp. Eight of the songs received their first recording here, including a Lee/Arlen collaboration from decades previously. The only standard, "My Shining Hour" (lyric by Johnny Mercer), comes last, thus allowing Lee to end on a wise, confident note, accompanied only by acoustic guitar.~ John Bush https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-held-lightly-rare-songs-by-harold-arlen-mw0000093720

Personnel: Peggy Lee (vocals), John Chiodini (guitar), Phil Bodner (alto saxophone, bass flute), Ken Peplowski (tenor saxophone), Glenn Zottola (trumpet, flugelhorn), George Masso (trombone), Keith Ingham (piano), Mark Sherman (vibraphone, percussion), Jay Leonhart (bass), Grady Tate (drums),

Love Held Lightly

Friday, June 11, 2021

Peggy Lee - Something Wonderful: Peggy Lee Sings the Great American Songbook

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 89:07
Size: 207,5 MB
Art: Front

(0:17) 1. Peggy Lee Introduction
(1:02) 2. Johnny Mercer Introduction (1)
(2:09) 3. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive (feat. Johnny Mercer)
(1:33) 4. Goody Goody
(2:22) 5. Come Rain Or Come Shine
(1:44) 6. That Old Black Magic
(3:45) 7. (Ah, The Apple Trees) When The World Was Young
(0:48) 8. Johnny Mercer Introduction (2
(3:08) 9. Jeepers Creepers / Too Marvelous for Words (Plus Two)[feat Johnny Mercer]
(2:19) 10. My Funny Valentine
(2:34) 11. The Lady is a Tramp
(1:35) 12. I Could Write a Book
(1:39) 13. This Can't Be Love
(3:26) 14. Lover
(3:25) 15. Something Wonderful
(1:49) 16. Mountain Greenery
(2:00) 17. From This Moment On
(1:40) 18. I've Got You Under My Skin
(1:28) 19. What is This Thing Called Love?
(1:32) 20. Just One of Those Things
(2:40) 21. Everything Happens to Me
(3:43) 22. We Belong Together / Angel Eyes / Let's Get Away from It All (feat.Matt Dennis)
(1:58) 23. It's a Good Day
(2:22) 24. I Don't Know Enough About You
(2:23) 25. Mañana
(2:19) 26. Whee Baby
(2:02) 27. Skylark
(4:06) 28. Georgia on My Mind / I Get Along Without You Very Well / Old Rockin' Chair (Plus Three) [feat. Hoagy Carmichael]
(1:48) 29. Hoop Dee Doo
(0:29) 30. Frank Loesser Introduction
(5:34) 31. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle / If I Were a Bell / On a Slow Boat to China (Plus Two) [feat. Frank Loesser]
(0:29) 32. Introduction
(2:09) 33. Somebody Loves Me
(2:15) 34. Oh, Look at Me Now
(2:07) 35. Unforgettable
(2:19) 36. Lullaby of Broadway
(2:49) 37. Alone Together
(1:21) 38. When You're Smiling
(3:34) 39. Try a Little Tenderness
(2:05) 40. All of Me

Though eventually known for her compositional skill (nearly 300 songs, along with co-writes on Disney’s Lady and the Tramp originals), Peggy Lee was initially renowned as a sultry but distingué siren, a chilled interpreter who adopted subdued tones while walking down Tin Pan Alley. Just beyond the reach (and era) of the big bands, a decade after her time with Benny Goodman’s Orchestra, Lee hosted a radio program at the top side of the 1950s, covering then-new American classics with star songwriters such as Hoagy Carmichael, Matt Dennis, Frank Loesser, and Johnny Mercer as her occasional duet partners. Featuring scads of unreleased tracks from that show, many never recorded commercially, Something Wonderful is aptly titled, a surprisingly dear and primarily upbeat score to postwar America with Lee at her breeziest under the musical direction of Russ Case and Sonny Burke.

Spruced up for superior sound by engineer/archivist Michael Graves, these 40-plus songs on two discs allow the chanteuse to loll and play in front of a smallish-big jazz band with an ever-so-slight blue hue and a gently pixillating rhythm section. Teaming up with a rather soulful-sounding Mercer, Lee vamps around the groove of “Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive” in a fashion rarely heard from her. She allows a softly strung harp, a barroom piano, and a blowsy horn section to guide her, slowly, through the honeyed tones of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and goes from talking to Mercer about his daughter’s theme song (a lovely “Mandy Is Two”) to something more louche with a brief take on “Blues in the Night.”

While Cole Porter’s “From This Moment On” and “Just One of Those Things” give Lee license for notes showy and silken, his “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is a dashing, bongo-filled blues on which she finds all the right accents to ride. The sessions featuring Carmichael find Lee taking to the quietly zig-zagging arrangement of “Skylark” with innocent bliss before hitting the chorus; once there, her voice becomes languid, a Southern-ly breeze. And her appropriation of Dennis’ lonely brand of jazz on the medley “We Belong Together/Angel Eyes/Let’s Get Away from It All” is poetic and shimmering.

Joined by Loesser, Lee slips and slides through a too-quick five-song medley, with her soft trilling vocals acting as a counterpoint to his gruff tones, all before closing out the set with a whispered baby-doll take on “Somebody Loves Me,” a carefree run at “Oh, Look at Me Now,” and a klatch of showy classics: “When You’re Smiling,” “Try a Little Tenderness,” and “All of Me.” Something Wonderful lacks for nothing vocally or melodically, in Lee’s surprising range of character-driven studies or her diversity of rhythmic approaches. This reviewer simply wanted more.~ By A.D. Amorosi https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/peggy-lee-something-wonderful-peggy-lee-sings-the-great-american-songbook-omnivore/

Something Wonderful: Peggy Lee Sings the Great American Songbook

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Peggy Lee - Peggy At Basin Street East

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:34
Size: 130,8 MB
Art: Front

( 1:35)  1. Overture
( 1:47)  2. Day In-Day Out
( 2:32)  3. Call Me Darling
( 4:15)  4. One Kiss/ My Romance/ The Most Beautiful Man In The World
( 5:46)  5. But Beautiful/The Second Time Around
( 2:59)  6. Fever
( 3:47)  7. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
( 2:32)  8. I Love Being Here With You
( 3:57)  9. By Myself
( 1:56) 10. Heart
( 4:08) 11. I've Never Left Your Arms
(14:30) 12. Ray Charles Tribute: Hallelujah, I Love Him So/ I Got A Man/ Just For A Thrill/You Won't Let Me Go/ Yes Indeed!
( 1:23) 13. Peggy Lee Bow Music
( 5:20) 14. I Don't Know Enough About You Medley

Like legions of other Peggy Lee fans, I never had reason to question the authenticity of Basin Street East (Blue Note), accepting that it was, as billed, “recorded at the fabulous New York club” during Lee’s fabled gig in early ’61. Turns out, though, that neither Basin Street East nor either of Lee’s other “live” outings from that era-1959’s Beauty and the Beat! with George Shearing and the ultrarare Two Shows Nightly from ’68-were quite as legit as Capitol led us to believe. Peggy, the penultimate perfectionist, demanded that all three albums be reshaped and, to varying degrees, rerecorded within the safely controllable confines of a studio, then sweetened with audience applause. How sad to learn, then, that there has never existed an entirely genuine “live” recording from the days when Lee ruled as queen of the supper-club circuit. Not, that is, until now. Thanks to some diligent detective work by producer Cy Godfrey, Lee’s engagement-ending performance from February 8, 1961, can be heard in its entirety on Peggy at Basin Street East: The Unreleased Show (Collectors’ Choice). 

As Godfrey recalls in the liner notes, he was nosing around the Capitol vaults when he came across a series of mislabeled Basin Street “safety” tapes that fortuitously turned out to contain the complete February 8 date. Double the length of the stingy original LP, the new disc includes more than a dozen additional songs. A misty “Call Me Darling” substitutes for “Moments Like This,” and the far more interesting “The Most Beautiful Man in the World” replaces “The Vagabond King” in the first medley. Lee also adds her sizzling, Afro-Cuban “Heart” and an ethereal “I’ve Never Left Your Arms,” and finishes with a spirited “greatest hits” encore. The disc does, as expected, suffer a few minor technical setbacks. Apart, however, from occasional moments of inaudibility (including unfortunate muddiness during Lee’s spoken introduction to her Ray Charles tribute), The Unreleased Show remains a rare and vibrant testament to Peggy at her unedited best. ~  By Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/archives/peggy-lee-peggy-at-basin-street-east/

Peggy At Basin Street East

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Peggy Lee - Miss Peggy Lee Sings The Songs Of Cy Coleman

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:48
Size: 79,0 MB
Art: Front

(1:55)  1. Hey! Look Me Over
(3:21)  2. The Best Is Yet To Come
(1:59)  3. I've Got Your Number
(2:52)  4. (I'm) In Love Again
(2:30)  5. Pass Me By
(2:37)  6. That's My Style
(2:08)  7. A Doodlin' Song
(2:02)  8. When In Rome (I Do As The Romans Do)
(2:26)  9. Then Was Then (And Now Is Now)
(2:08) 10. Big Spender
(2:48) 11. I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out Of My Life
(2:19) 12. That's What It Takes
(2:12) 13. You Fascinate Me So
(2:25) 14. Personal Property - Live At The Copacabana / 1968

In 1979, seven years after Peggy’s longtime affiliation with Capitol Records ended, the label released a ten-song compilation of songs by Broadway composer Cy Coleman (1929-2004) that she recorded in the early and mid-1960s, all previously released on albums and, in some cases, singles. The year that Miss Peggy Lee Sings the Songs of Cy Coleman was released Coleman had two successful musicals running on Broadway, I Love My Wife and On the Twentieth Century. The previous decade he had scored hits with the musicals Wildcat (including the song “Hey! Look Me Over,” recorded by Peggy and included here), Little Me (featuring “I’ve Got Your Number,” included here), and Sweet Charity (featuring “Big Spender,” included here). Later in his career he would enjoy further success with such musicals as Barnum, City of Angels and The Will Rogers Follies. Notably among the overwhelmingly male Broadway songwriters of the 20th century, Coleman collaborated on successful musicals with female lyricists, among them Betty Comden, Dorothy Fields and Carolyn Leigh. In the mid-1960s he also wrote some songs with lyricist Peggy Lee, including “That’s My Style” and “(I’m) in Love Again,” both included in this compilation. The latter song, first recorded for Peggy’s 1964 Capitol album of the same name, has since been recorded by such distinguished singers as Tony Bennett, Blossom Dearie and Dianne Reeves. A third Coleman-Lee song included, “Then Was Then (and Now Is Now),” served as the title of a 1965 album for Peggy and was also recorded by Tony Bennett and Jack Jones. Peggy felt a special fondness for her song collaborations with Coleman and re-recorded both “(I’m) In Love Again” and “Then Was Then (and Now Is Now”) on her last full album recording in 1992. Coleman, a longtime friend, accompanied Lee to Louis Armstrong’s 1971 funeral, where she sang “The Lord’s Prayer;” he served as a creative consultant for Peggy’s short-lived 1983 autobiographical musical Peg, whose score included the Coleman-Fields hit “Big Spender;” and he spoke of his longtime friendship with Lee at her memorial service in February 2002. https://www.peggylee.com/peggy-lee-cy-coleman/

Miss Peggy Lee Sings The Songs Of Cy Coleman

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Peggy Lee - The Man I Love / If You Go

Styles: Vocal
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:12
Size: 174,6 MB
Art: Front

(3:47)  1. The Man I Love
(4:14)  2. Please Be Kind
(4:05)  3. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
(2:53)  4. Just One Way To Say I Love You
(2:55)  5. That's All
(3:16)  6. Something Wonderful
(4:13)  7. He's My Guy
(2:31)  8. Then I'll Be Tired Of You
(2:47)  9. My Heart Stood Still
(2:24) 10. If I Should Lose You
(3:40) 11. There Is No Greater Love
(3:40) 12. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
(2:52) 13. As Time Goes By
(2:43) 14. If You Go
(2:37) 15. Oh Love Hast Thou Forsaken Me
(2:58) 16. Say It Isn't So
(2:49) 17. I Wish I Didn't Love You So
(2:04) 18. Maybe It's Because (I Love You Too Much)
(2:48) 19. I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life
(2:49) 20. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(2:30) 21. (I Love Your) Gypsy Heart
(3:16) 22. When I Was A Child
(2:50) 23. Here's That Rainy Day
(2:21) 24. Smile

Digitally remastered edition of 2LP's on a single CD of two truly classic albums from one of the greatest female vocalists of all time. Miss Lee made more than 700 recordings and more than 60 albums. Her own favorite album, 'The Man I Love,' was recorded in 1957 with arrangements by Nelson Riddle and an orchestra conducted by Frank Sinatra . 'If You Go' includes laid back themes with stunnning arrangements from Quincy Jones. 
~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Man-Love-If-You-Go/dp/B000005RRT

The Man I Love / If You Go

Friday, June 22, 2018

Benny Carter - Songbook

Styles: Vocal, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:37
Size: 179,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:30)  1. Only Trust Your Heart (Feat. Dianne Reeves)
(4:55)  2. All That Jazz (Feat. Carmen Bradford & Kenny Rankin)
(4:23)  3. I Was Wrong (Feat. Joe Williams)
(4:59)  4. Rain (Feat. Marlena Shaw)
(5:34)  5. Cow-Cow Boogie (Feat. Jon Hendricks)
(5:36)  6. Fresh Out Of Love (Feat. Diana Krall)
(4:57)  7. Speak Now (Feat. Billy Stritch)
(5:27)  8. A Kiss From You (Feat. Shirley Horn)
(4:17)  9. You Bring Out The Best In Me (Feat. Bobby Short)
(5:45) 10. My Kind Of Trouble Is You (Feat. Ruth Brown)
(4:06) 11. When Lights Are Low (Feat. Weslia Whitfield)
(6:35) 12. Lonely Woman (Feat. Nancy Marano)
(4:33) 13. Key Largo (Feat. Carmen Bradford)
(6:03) 14. We Were In Love (Feat. Dianne Reeves & Joe Williams)
(4:48) 15. I See You (Feat. Peggy Lee)

Due to his being such a talented altoist, arranger and occasional trumpeter for seven decades, it is often forgotten that Benny Carter wrote some worthy songs along the way. "When Lights Are Low" and "Blues in My Heart" are standards while "Only Trust Your Heart," "Key Largo" and the novelty hit "Cow-Cow Boogie" are close. For this unusual set, 14 different singers had opportunities to interpret one or two Carter compositions while joined by a fine quintet consisting of cornetist Warren Vache, pianist Chris Neville, bassist Steve LaSpina, drummer Sherman Ferguson and Carter himself (88 at the time!) on alto. The ambitious program includes five Carter songs that were receiving their world premiere; in addition Carter also wrote or co-wrote the lyrics to nine of the pieces. The singers all show respect for the melody and words with Jon Hendricks being playful on "Cow-Cow Boogie," Joe Williams quite touching on "I Was Wrong" and a weakened Peggy Lee making a memorable cameo on "I See You." The vocalists consistently seem quite inspired by the unique project. There are many short Carter and Warren Vache solos and, even with the emphasis on ballads, there is more variety than one might expect. The well-conceived tribute (which also has fine appearances by Dianne Reeves, Carmen Bradford, Kenny Rankin, Marlena Shaw, Diana Krall, Billy Stritch, Shirley Horn, Bobby Short, Ruth Brown, Weslia Whitfield and Nancy Marano). ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/songbook-mw0000180497

Personnel:  Benny Carter - alto saxophone;  Warren Vache - cornet;  Chris Neville, Gene DiNovi (#15) - piano;  Steve LaSpina, John Heard (#15) - bass;  Sherman Ferguson, Roy McCurdy (#2,6,13) - drums

Thank You Dave!

Songbook

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Peggy Lee - Echo Painting

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop 
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:41
Size: 117,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. Incantation
(4:27)  2. Out On a Limb
(3:45)  3. A Strange Visit
(3:44)  4. Nice Collection
(5:10)  5. Snappy
(5:23)  6. Painting Echoes
(2:11)  7. Foreground
(1:51)  8. The Hidden Piece
(6:02)  9. Hymn
(2:41) 10. WB Intro
(3:30) 11. Weather Building
(1:42) 12. End Piece
(4:45) 13. The Unfaithful Servant

The Echo Painting project was conceived with the help of Rainbow Robert of Coastal Jazz and Blues in Vancouver. Our intent was to create a new large ensemble including some of the most active and interesting improvisors on the Vancouver scene today. It was a great gift to find ourselves in a situation in which this group, comprised of some of the older 'veterans' and some younger 'emerging' players, all highly accomplished artists and leaders of their own projects, could spend a number of days together over a period of several months. During this time we workshopped material, improvised together and finally performed a full set of music at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2016. http://www.peggylee.net/echo-painting.html

Peggy Lee, cello;  Meredith Bates, violin;  Brad Turner, trumpet;  Jon Bentley, tenor and soprano sax;  John Paton, tenor sax;  Rod Murray, trombone;  Cole Schmidt, guitar;  Bradshaw Pack, pedal steel guitar;  James Meger, electric bass;  Dylan van der Schyff, drums

Echo Painting

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Peggy Lee - World Broadcast Recordings 1955

Size: 131,6+138,1 MB
Time: 55:31+58:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. That Old Black Magic (2:08)
02. My Romance (2:25)
03. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea (2:13)
04. Love Me Or Leave Me (2:06)
05. 'deed I Do (2:03)
06. Autumn In New York (2:26)
07. Just One Of Those Things (2:14)
08. Let's Call It A Day (2:32)
09. Let There Be Love (2:06)
10. Come Rain Or Come Shine (2:25)
11. I May Be Wrong But I Think You're Wonderful (1:48)
12. I Feel A Song Comin' On (1:31)
13. You're Mine, You (2:30)
14. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (2:14)
15. Try A Little Tenderness (2:23)
16. Too Marvelous For Words (1:28)
17. I Get A Kick Out Of You (2:25)
18. What Is This Thing Called Love (2:16)
19. It's A Good Day (2:09)
20. I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (2:53)
21. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive (2:15)
22. Sans Souci (2:44)
23. Them There Eyes (1:46)
24. From This Moment On (2:14)
25. You (2:06)

CD 2:
01. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top (2:12)
02. My Ideal (2:20)
03. Oh What A Beautiful Morning (2:52)
04. You Do Something To Me (1:36)
05. I Never Knew (3:01)
06. What Can I Say After I Say Im Sorry (2:00)
07. What's New (2:07)
08. Almost Like Being In Love (1:55)
09. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread) (2:19)
10. Mean To Me (3:13)
11. My Future Just Passed (3:28)
12. People Will Say We're In Love (1:30)
13. It Ain't Necessarily So (3:19)
14. We Kiss In A Shadow (2:57)
15. Me (2:04)
16. Don't Worry 'bout Me (2:14)
17. Button Up Your Overcoat (1:58)
18. Somebody Loves Me (3:15)
19. Mountain Greenery (1:59)
20. Speak Low (3:23)
21. The Best Things In Life Are Free (1:37)
22. Hard Hearted Hannah (1:49)
23. Bye Bye Blackbird (3:01)
24. Taking A Chance On Love (2:03)

This 2-CD set is the first complete set of Peggy Lee's World transcription recordings. Peggy Lee's alluring tone, distinctive delivery, breadth of material, and ability to write many of her own songs made her one of the most captivating artists of the vocal era on this opportinity with Pete Candoli on the trumpet, Stella Castellucci with harp, Gene DiNovi on piano, Bill Pitman with his guitar, Jack Costanzo on the bongos, Bob Whitlock with his bass, Larry Bunker on drums.

World Broadcast Recordings 1955 CD 1
World Broadcast Recordings 1955 CD 2

Friday, November 24, 2017

Various - Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hart

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:24
Size: 165.8 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1992
Art: Front

[1:51] 1. Susan Barrett - Manhattan
[2:27] 2. June Christy - You Took Advantage Of Me
[2:32] 3. Vic Damone - I Could Write A Book
[2:37] 4. The Dinning Sisters - Where Or When
[2:49] 5. Nancy Wilson - Little Girl Blue
[3:09] 6. Mel Tormé - Blue Moon
[3:04] 7. Margaret Whiting - Lover
[2:18] 8. Sarah Vaughan - Have You Met Miss Jones
[3:30] 9. Gordon MacRae - My Funny Valentine
[2:38] 10. The Andrews Sisters - My Romance
[2:41] 11. Peggy Lee - My Heart Stood Still
[2:28] 12. Nat King Cole - This Can't Be Love
[4:56] 13. June Christy - Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
[2:42] 14. Margaret Whiting - Thou Swell
[3:15] 15. Dean Martin - It's Easy To Remember
[2:49] 16. Nancy Wilson - It Never Entered My Mind
[2:34] 17. Dolores Gray - Isn't It Romantic
[2:08] 18. Vic Damone - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
[4:10] 19. Sarah Vaughan - Glad To Be Unhappy
[2:31] 20. Peggy Lee - The Lady Is A Tramp
[3:43] 21. The Four Freshmen - Spring Is Here
[2:58] 22. Dinah Shore - Falling In Love With Love
[2:26] 23. Jane Froman - With A Song In My Heart
[5:57] 24. Les Brown & His Band Of Renown - Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

The songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart ended with Hart's death on November 22, 1943. The earliest track on this album of Rodgers & Hart songs from the Capitol Records vaults, the Dinning Sisters' version of the 1937 copyright "Where or When" (from the Broadway musical Babes in Arms), was recorded less than a month later, on December 17, 1943, and the latest one, Nancy Wilson's reading of "It Never Entered My Mind" (from the 1940 show Higher and Higher), on November 3, 1967. So, the collection consists of recordings made in the quarter-century after the Rodgers & Hart era. That's appropriate, since Capitol was co-founded by singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer to showcase the rise of individual pop singers in the waning days of the big-band period, and they often sang old show tunes with new, post-swing arrangements like those here, written by the likes of Billy May and Nelson Riddle. The leader in this sort of thing, of course, was Frank Sinatra, who was a Capitol artist. But he must have had a contractual right of refusal to have his recordings used on compilations like this, since he appears only as the conductor of Peggy Lee's version of "My Heart Stood Still." Most of the rest of Capitol's roster of singers is included, however, such as June Christy, Margaret Whiting, Nat King Cole, and Dean Martin. Only four of the tracks date from the 1940s, so this is really the music of the ‘50s and early ‘60s primarily, with the swing charts varied occasionally by a Latin treatment (Lee's "The Lady Is a Tramp") or a bongos-and-flute accompaniment (Dinah Shore's "Falling in Love with Love"). Variety is also provided by vocal groups like the Andrews Sisters and the Four Freshmen. Most of these performers are not jazz singers, but Mel Tormé gets to apply his pipes to "Blue Moon," and Sarah Vaughan goes all-out on an individual treatment of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" (or "old Jones," as she alters it), scatting like crazy. Richard Rodgers was notoriously hostile to liberal rearrangements of his songs, but he and Hart were done many favors by the Capitol singers who helped keep their copyrights alive and flourishing decades after the tunes were written. ~William Ruhlmann

Capitol Sings Rodgers & Hart

Monday, October 30, 2017

Peggy Lee - The Best Of Peggy Lee

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:13
Size: 82.9 MB
Styles: Vocal
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[3:19] 1. Lover
[3:15] 2. Be Anything (But Be Mine)
[2:57] 3. Just One Of Those Things
[3:19] 4. Sans Souci
[3:06] 5. Black Coffee
[3:27] 6. Somebody Loves Me
[2:36] 7. Let Me Go, Lover!
[2:24] 8. The Siamese Cat Song
[2:57] 9. Johnny Guitar
[3:18] 10. Mr. Wonderful
[2:34] 11. He Needs Me
[2:56] 12. I Don't Know Enough About You

Peggy Lee was Born Norma Dolores Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, on May 26, 1920. At age four her mother died. Peggy's father, a railroad station agent, remarried but later left home, leaving Peggy's care entrusted to a stepmother who physically abused her. Peggy later memorialized this in the calypso number "One Beating a Day", one of 22 songs she co-wrote for the autobiographical musical "Peg", in which she made her Broadway debut in 1983 at the age of 62. As a youngster Peggy worked as a milkmaid, later turning to singing for money in her teens. While singing on a local radio station in Fargo, the program director there suggested she change her name to Peggy Lee. Peggy's big break came when Benny Goodman hired her to sing with his band after hearing her perform. Peggy shot to stardom when she and Goodman cut the hit record "Why Don't You Do Right?" and went out on her own to record such classics as "Fever", "Lover", "Golden Earrings", "Big Spender" and "Is That All There Is?" - the latter winning her a Grammy Award in 1969. Peggy's vocal style provided a distinctive imprint to countless swing tunes, ballads and big band numbers. She was considered the type of performer equally capable of interpreting a song as uniquely as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith.

The Best Of Peggy Lee

Friday, March 3, 2017

Various - Capitol Sings Hollywood

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:43
Size: 134.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Betty Hutton - Stuff Like That There
[2:56] 2. Bob Manning - That Old Feeling
[2:41] 3. Bobby Darin - There's A Rainbow 'round My Shoulder
[1:53] 4. Dakota Staton - On Green Dolphin Street
[2:17] 5. Dean Martin - Louise
[3:01] 6. Ethel Ennis - My Foolish Heart
[3:04] 7. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[3:13] 8. Julie London - It Could Happen To You
[2:39] 9. June Christy - They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:29] 10. June Hutton - My Baby Just Cares For Me
[3:12] 11. Keely Smith - When Your Lover Has Gone
[2:48] 12. Lena Horne - Singin' In The Rain
[2:46] 13. Mark Murphy - Put The Blame On Mame
[3:11] 14. Mel Tormé - Again
[4:02] 15. Nancy Wilson - But Beautiful
[2:54] 16. Nat King Cole - Smile
[3:07] 17. Peggy Lee - Stormy Weather
[4:17] 18. Sue Raney - I Remember You
[2:06] 19. Trudy Richards - You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me
[2:00] 20. Vic Damone - Stella By Starlight

Capitol Records has one of the most distinctive buildings in Los Angeles and if a movie shows the city begin destroyed by aliens or tornadoes it usually involves the destruction of the round building that bears the company's name. Capitol was founded by songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, the first major label on the West Coast competing with New York City's Columbia, Decca and RCA-Victor. Starting with artists like Paul Whiteman and Martha Tilton, by the end of the decade the label was recording Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Les Brown, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. While the works of Crosby and Sinatra are exempt from the Capitol Sings series, you will always find familiar singers singing familiar songs, as with the title track sung by Lena Horne, as often as you hear unfamiliar songs sung by forgotten singers, such as Ethel Ennis singing "My Foolish Heart."

"Captiol Sings Hollywood" is Volume 20 in the series and one brings together twenty tracks representing a particular venue (e.g., Broadway) instead of a specific songwriter (e.g., Irving Berlin). Just be aware that if a song originated in a Broadway show that was made into a Hollywood musical then it is exempt from being included in this collection. That would explain why you may well be unfamiliar with most of these twenty songs. "Singin' in the Rain" and "Stormy Weather" are recognizable classics, and the same should be said for Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," sung here by Nat King Cole in one of the best tracks on the album. and June Christy's swing version of "They Can't Take That Away From Me." But after that you may recognize singers like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Mel Torme more than "Louise," "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder," and "Again." Still you will find a few new little gems on this album, what with Sarah Vaughn's "I Remember You" and Nancy Murphy's saucy "Put the Blame on Mame." That last is from the movie "Gilda" (I mention this because I was drawing blanks on the vast majority of these tracks as to what movies they were culled from and this one immediately jumped to my mind, as did the fact that Anita Ellis sang it for Rita Haywroth).

Despite the unfamiliar songs this is still an enjoyable album, even if it is a lesser one by the standard of the Capitol Sings series. But if you like one of these albums you will certainly enjoy the rest of them. Final Note: On this album Peggy Lee sings Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather," but on the "Over the Rainbow: Capitol Sings Harold Arlen" the song is sung by Keely Smith. So even when a song by a particular composer or lyricist shows up on more than one album, you will find different cover versions on each album. Again, this simply reflects how deep the Capitol vault is when it comes to these songs. ~Lawrence Bernabo

Capitol Sings Hollywood

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Various - Capitol Sings Duke Ellington

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:57
Size: 164.7 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[ 5:04] 1. Duke Ellington - Duke's Place
[ 2:20] 2. Nancy Wilson - Satin Doll
[ 3:49] 3. Sarah Vaughan - Solitude
[ 3:20] 4. Nat King Cole - Mood Indigo
[ 2:53] 5. June Christy - Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
[ 4:46] 6. Annie Ross - I'm Just A Lucky So And So
[ 2:44] 7. Lou Rawls - Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
[ 3:06] 8. Dinah Washington - I Didn't Know About You
[ 3:49] 9. Dinah Shore - I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
[ 3:08] 10. Nat King Cole - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[ 2:54] 11. Hank Jones - In A Sentimental Mood
[ 3:04] 12. Harry James & His Orchestra - I'm Beginning To See The Light
[ 5:31] 13. Duke Ellington - I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
[ 2:10] 14. Peggy Lee - Jump For Joy
[ 2:15] 15. Dinah Washington - Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me
[ 2:43] 16. June Christy - I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
[ 2:42] 17. Nat King Cole - Caravan
[ 2:29] 18. Nancy Wilson - Sophisticated Lady
[ 2:42] 19. The King Sisters - Take The A Train
[10:17] 20. Duke Ellington - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

If you like Duke Ellington's music, you will love this collection. The disc includes some very well known versions of Ellington's big hits. As expected from the title, all the versions are from the Capitol Records' vault. I miss Ella Fitzgerald. A few cuts from her would have made this album perfect. But that's a minor point as the overall collection of artists represented here is outstanding. The artists range from Duke's own orchestra to Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls and the King Sisters. The title track, "Mood Indigo" is performed by Nat King Cole - simply the best.

The songs have been digitally remastered and the sound is as close to perfect as modern technology can make it. The music is as clean and bright on this album as it was when it was originally recorded. Great songs; great artists; excellent sound -- so, turn up the volume and swing the house! Highly recommended! ~Penumbra

Capitol Sings Duke Ellington

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Various - Capitol Sings Coast To Coast

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:46
Size: 118.5 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:45] 1. Margaret Whiting - Moonlight In Vermont
[2:24] 2. Susan Barrett - Old Cape Cod
[2:48] 3. Dakota Staton - Broadway
[2:39] 4. Jo Stafford - Autumn In New York
[2:48] 5. Dean Martin - When It's Sleepy Time Down South
[3:03] 6. Judy Garland - Carolina In The Morning
[2:39] 7. The Four Knights - Georgia On My Mind
[3:02] 8. Peggy Lee - Basin Street Blues
[2:05] 9. Dinah Shore - Mississippi Mud
[2:36] 10. Ray Anthony & His Orchestra - Chattanooga Choo Choo
[2:13] 11. Kay Starr - Indiana (Back Home Again In Indiana)
[3:38] 12. Nat King Cole - (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
[2:00] 13. Sandler & Young - Chicago
[2:17] 14. June Christy - You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
[2:13] 15. Gordon Macrae - When It's Springtime In The Rockies
[2:50] 16. Peggy Lee - I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City
[2:54] 17. Johnny Mercer - San Fernando Valley
[2:21] 18. Nancy Wilson - I Left My Heart In San Francisco
[2:15] 19. Ella Fitzgerald - Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai)
[2:07] 20. The Pied Pipers - Avalon

In the 1950's, Capitol Records had some of the best talent in the music industry, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, both of whom were at the apex of their respective forms. At least Dean is present in this collection of songs, all of which are tied to the theme of places within the United States (continental and otherwise). Even though Frank is not represented, some of my favorite voices of the era are here, including Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting, Nat "King" Cole, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett and the incomparable Johnny Mercer. Unfortunately, the songs don't always match up to the talent. There are some stand-outs, such as "Moonlight in Vermont," "Old Cape Cod," "Autumn in New York" and "Georgia on My Mind." ~Sarah Bellum

Capitol Sings Coast To Coast

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Vine Street Divas

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:06
Size: 172.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:53] 1. Jo Stafford - Long Ago (And Far Away)
[3:15] 2. Ella Mae Morse - Shoo-Shoo Baby
[2:49] 3. Benny Carter - Hurry, Hurry
[3:09] 4. Betty Hutton - It Had To Be You
[3:15] 5. Martha Tilton - I'll Walk Alone
[3:06] 6. Stan Kenton - And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
[3:10] 7. Margaret Whiting - Moonlight In Vermont
[2:57] 8. Martha Tilton - I Should Care
[3:10] 9. Paul Weston And His Orchestra - It Might As Well Be Spring
[3:07] 10. Martha Tilton - A Stranger In Town
[2:42] 11. June Christy - It's Been A Long, Long Time
[3:02] 12. Betty Hutton - Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief
[3:19] 13. Peggy Lee - I Don't Know Enough About You
[2:57] 14. Jo Stafford - Day By Day
[2:50] 15. Peggy Lee - It's A Good Day
[2:24] 16. Nellie Lutcher - Hurry On Down
[3:11] 17. Benny Goodman - I Want To Be Loved (But Only By You)
[2:58] 18. Peggy Lee - Golden Earrings
[2:54] 19. Jo Stafford - Serenade Of The Bells
[3:04] 20. Margaret Whiting - But Beautiful
[3:12] 21. Peggy Lee - Everybody Loves Somebody
[3:05] 22. Kay Starr - You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)
[2:12] 23. Blue Lu Barker - A Little Bird Told Me
[3:05] 24. Helen O'Connell - Teardrops From My Eyes
[3:11] 25. Jo Stafford - Some Enchanted Evening

This volume of From the Vault highlights early Capitol Records hits by the ladies of the tower, so to speak. Individual talents such as Jo Stafford, Anita O'Day, and Peggy Lee began to emerge from many top orchestras and soon became Vine Street divas in their own right. The timing for this incipient wave of girl power couldn't have been better -- since WW II was preoccupying many of the country's top male vocalists. The extensive selection of musical genres on the label didn't hurt either. Among the most popular of these were show tunes. Jo Stafford led her fellow female artists scoring Top Ten hits with songs from both stage and screen. Vine Street Divas includes two Stafford classics -- "Long Ago (And Far Away)" from the film Cover Girl, as well as "Some Enchanted Evening" from the stage adaptation of South Pacific. Among the other soundtrack or cast recordings featured on this compilation are Ella Mae Morse's "Shoo-Shoo Baby" from the motion picture Three Cheers for the Boys," and Betty Hutton's classic "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief" as featured in The Stork Club. This volume has cleverly gathered rare and hard to find early recordings by ladies who quickly gained international acclaim -- such as Anita O'Day ("And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine,") June Christy ("It's Been a Long, Long Time"), and Margaret Whiting -- who is featured with no less than three different orchestras on this collection. Vine Street Divas is accompanied by a ten-page liner notes booklet containing vintage memorabilia, photos, and other previously unpublished eye candy. Plus, to fill in the details is an essay by musician and music historian, Billy Vera. Initial pressings -- limited to 10,000 -- are cleverly packaged in a digipack designed to replicate the 78 rpm records and sleeves of the era. ~LindsayPlaner

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Vine Street Divas

Sunday, December 11, 2016

Various - Capitol Sings Around The World: Far Away Places

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:01
Size: 132.8 MB
Styles: Vocal pop
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:31] 1. Nat King Cole - Around The World
[3:18] 2. Lena Horne - I Love Paris
[3:08] 3. The Andrews Sisters - Tulip Time
[2:18] 4. Vic Damone - The Moon Of Manakoora
[2:16] 5. Dakota Staton - A Foggy Day
[3:16] 6. Dean Martin - Canadian Sunset
[3:24] 7. Bing Crosby - New Vienna Woods
[2:39] 8. The Dinning Sisters - Brazil
[2:30] 9. Bobby Darin - Sunday In New York
[1:54] 10. Kay Starr - On A Slow Boat To China
[2:11] 11. Nancy Wilson - The Boy From Ipanema
[3:07] 12. Peggy Lee - Bali Ha'i
[2:47] 13. The Four Freshmen - Frenesi
[2:54] 14. Dinah Shore - April In Paris
[3:12] 15. The Andrews Sisters - The Japanese Sandman
[4:45] 16. Nat King Cole - A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
[2:49] 17. June Christy - A Night In Tunisia
[2:39] 18. Dean Martin - Arrivederci Roma
[3:13] 19. Margaret Whiting - Far Away Places
[3:01] 20. The King Sisters - Aloha Oe (Hawaiian Farewell Song)

Capitol Sings Around The World: Far Away Places