Search Manic Mark's Blog

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Broadway My Way - Nancy Wilson

I Believe In You
Broadway - My Way
Nancy Wilson
Arranged and Conducted by Jimmy Jones
Produced by Tom Morgan
Cover Photo: Sherman Weisburd
Capitol Records ST 1828
1964

From the back cover: Nancy Wilson sings twelve Broadway hits that, sung almost anybody's way, would be a delight to hear. Sung Nancy's way, with the warm and lilting style, the sensitive jazz intuition, the fine gift for voicing a lyric in terms of blues emotion, they're cause for general celebrating in the streets.

Down Beat readers, in the magazine's recent 27th annual poll, voted Nancy second place in the favorite Female Vocalist category – second only to the virtually undislodgable "First Lady" of many years Ella Fitzgerald. Nancy ascended to this lofty spot, moreover, in a short twelve months from the thirteen place she had occupied as a relatively little known new singer the previous year.

In this album she sings a full complement of blockbuster hits from bumper Broadway sessions: "Tonight" from West Side Story, "I Believe In You" from How To Succeed In Business, "As Long As He Needs Me" from Oliver! She sings "The Sweetest Sounds" from No Strings as a gently propulsive bossa nova. And she invokes a finely shaded version of "You Can Have Him" from Miss Liberty that, for style and feeling, may well be the finest thing she's ever done.

But one is tempted to make superlative comment about every vocal in the album. Nancy is backed by a creative jazz group conducted by Jimmy Jones, and featuring such illustrious jazz names as pianist Lou Levy, saxophonist Bill Perkins, guitarist John Gray, trombonist Lew McCreary, trumpeter Don Fagerquist, drummer Kenny Dennis, and many more. Jimmy Jones contributed the custom arrangements, which permit Nancy to sing in a challenging variety of moods and tempos, all in the tasteful, sparkling and wonderful Wilson way!


A Lot Of Livin' To Do from Bye-Bye Birdie
You Can Have Him from Miss Liberty
Tonight from West Side Story
Make Someone Happy from Do-Re-Mi
I Believe In You from How To Succeed In Business
As Long As He Needs Me from Oliver!
Getting To Know You from The King And I
My Ship from Lady In The Dark
The Sweetest Sounds - from No Strings
Joey, Joey, Joey from The Most Happy Fella
Loads Of Love from No Strings
I'll Know from Guy And Dolls

No comments:

Post a Comment

Howdy! Thanks for leaving your thoughts!