Clancy Hayes Sings - Lu Watters

 

Clancy Hayes Sings

Clancy Hayes Sings

Lu Walters And His Jass Band

Cover Design by David Stone Martin

Down Home Records MG D-3

1956

From the back cover: Back in 1920, a young drummer named Clancy Hayes had a notion. He was all of 13 and earning a fulsome 35 cents by playing Saturday nights in the pit at the Elite Theatre in his hometown of Caney, Kan. He was leading his own band, the "Harmony Aces". And that wasn't all. Clancy pumped the player piano in the local dancing academy and for this he pocketed a dollar a night. Still, Clancy wasn't altogether satisfied.

"I wanted," Clancy recalled not long ago, "to be a singer. And one thing for sure, I couldn't very well accompany myself on the drums. So I had to learn to play the banjo and guitar, which I promptly did."

From these beginnings, a career was born, a career which took Clancy Hayes ultimately to San Francisco where, starting in 1926, he worked intermittently through the years at NBC. By 1936, he had met Lu Watters and they soon were to become among the leaders in the burgeoning San Francisco jazz revival which, nearly two decades later, has yet to be dissipated.

On this album, jazz singer Hayes and Watters are united in a group of traditional favorites. They are all, as you might surmise, songs from another era, the oldest of the lot being "Frankie And Johnny", which dates back to at least the 19th century. (In his authoritative "Mauve Decade", Thomas Beer says the freewheeling ballad was sung during the siege of Vicksburg in the Civil War and there are reports of it being heard in 1850.)

To catalogue some of the others. "Strolling Down Chesapeake Bay" is an old opener on minstrel shows; "Roll Jordan" is, of course, a spiritual; "Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out" has long been associated with the great blues singer, Bessie Smith; "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner" is in the old cakewalk tradition of pre-World War I; "Silver Dollar" is a barroom ditty which, surprisingly, as revived as a hit in England in the late 1940s. Two of the selections are novelties from the 1920s – "My Little Bimbo", which concerns a shipwrecked sailor and his romantic activities, and "Ragtime Rufus", a ragtime tune, obviously, is based on the classic "Humoresque". "Alcoholic Blues", naturally enough i a lament into prohibition (and is sung here in two eight-bar phrases in contrast to the standard blues treatment). "Alabama Bound", by Buddy deSylva, is the 1925 hit now turned standard.

For four of the songs – "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner", "Ragtime Rufus", "Chesapeake Bay" and "Silver Dollar" – Hayes was accompanied by, first of all, himself on the banjo: Wally Rose, piano; Dick Lammi, bass: Bob Helm, clarinet, and Lu Watters, washboard (an illness prevented him at the time from playing his trumpet). The other features the same group augmented by Bill Dart, drums; Warren Smith and Don Noakes, trombones, and Pay Patton, banjo.

From Billboard - June 6, 1956: If modernists and Dixielanders agree on anything at all, it is the high place of Clancy Hayes in the hierarchy of jazz singers. His backing here comes from the Lu Watters Jazz Band, rather than Bob Scobey, but they are like branches of the same tree, and so the atmosphere is congenially familiar. Other than "Silver Dollar," "Peoria" and "Sailing Down Chesapeake Bay," not much of Haye's previously recorded repertoire is repeated here. Here he does "Frankie And Johnny," "St. James Infirmary," "Alcoholic Blues," etc. A top-notch buy for all segments of the jazz (and don't overlook pop!) market.

St. James Infirmary

Roll Jordan Roll

Frankie And Johnny

My Little Bimbo Down On The Bimbo Isle

I Wish I Was In Peoria

Alcoholic Blues

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner

Sailing Down Chesapeake Bay

Silver Dollar

Ragtime Blues

Alabamy Bound

Piano Portraits By Phineas Newborn

 

Caravan

Piano Portraits by Phineas Newborn

Produced by Teddy Reig

Roulette Birdland R 52031

1958

Phineas Newborn - Piano

Roy Haynes - Drums

John Simmons - Bass

From the back cover: The talents of Phineas Newborn known no bounds. His freedom of expression and unrestrained delivery is an inherent quality that only great musicians possess and display. He is a breed that will never permit complications or restrictions to set in and mar his work. The fact that Phineas is direct and completely free in his style does not mean that he is not a technician – a master of his art. This album, among other things, proves this fact. It allows us to hear Phineas as he paints his own piano portraits of some of the most memorable songs ever written. With an able assist from such jazz colleagues as Roy Haynes on drums and John Simmons on bass, Phineas manages to breathe new excitement into these familiar portraits.

Let's take, as case in point, his approach to two different songs: "I Can't Get Started" is given a touching, relaxed feeling, while the Cole Porter piece, "It's Alright With Me" sparkles with verve and has a drive to it right through to the end. Another interesting case in point is a song called "(Blues Theme) For Left Hand Only." Phineas does just what the title calls for... he plays this entire blues composition with just his left hand, never once going to the right.

Mention should be made of two compositions that belong in the Duke Ellington school of jazz. Phineas included "Caravan" and "Chelsea Bridge" because of his obvious admiration of this school of music. Finally, but certainly not least of all, is the rare performance he delivers here of the beautiful ballad, "For All We Know." He plays it straight all the way; he is melodic, sensitive, sentimental. He has an apparent deep feeling for this song and he makes the listener aware of this by his almost reverent interpretation.

This is the sound of Phineas Newborn – he is a master who owes his allegiance to on one. He feels his jazz and as he feels it he plays it. His Piano Portraits will become a favorite of yours almost at once and will take an honored place in your gallery of recorded music.

From Billboard - October 12, 1959: Newborn gives out with thoughtful interpretation on a group of standards and an original or two. He's fleet and deft on the up-numbers, and the ballads are also inventively styled. He gets excellent support from Roy Haynes on drums and John Simmons on bass. Sound is excellent. With exposure this could be a good seller. Selections include a fine treatment of "Just In Time," (Blues Theme) For The Left Hand Only" and "Sweet And Lovely."

Star Eyes

Golden Earrings

It's Alright With Me

I Can't Get Started

Sweet And Lovely

Just In Time

Caravan

For All We Know

(Blue Theme) For The Left Hand Only

Chelsea Bridge

Little Band Big Jazz - Conte Candoli All Stars

 

Macedonia

Little Band - Big Jazz

Conte Candoli All Stars

Photography: Joesph Tauber

Cover Design: Hoboc Arts

Crown Records CLP 5162

1960

Conte Candoli - Trumpet

Buddy Collette - Tenor

Vince Guaraldi - Piano

Leroy Vinegar - Bass

Stan Levy - Drums

From the back cover: No one knows what came first.

Whether it was the men or the music is unimportant.

For jazz came, and jazz conquered!

The nimble-fingered "professors" earned their Ph.D's the hard way... furthering the ragtime rage in the bawdy houses of New Orleans.

This same "Crescent City" spawned Dixieland.

The rugged, two-beat school gave ground in 1935. The "Swing Era" had arrived.

Through the next fabulous decade, the bands of Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Lunceford, Woody Herman and "Count" Bill Basie swung their way throughout the United States – straight into the hearts of young and old alike.

Suddenly, interest in the big band screeched to a halt. There were many reasons. An entertainment upstart, television, was growing increasingly popular. And it was impossible to make "the nut" on the road anymore. And so, the once proud and mighty kingpins of American music disappeared one by one.

But the mainstream of jazz would not be denied. The most literate and inventive solo artists formed combos. And these small groups have made, are still making history!

Five brilliant jazz instrumentalists poured their efforts into the creation of this Crown Album.

The remarkable trumpeter, Conte Condoli, was leader. He also wrote the six original tunes – penned the arrangements.

Conte i added by the driving tenor sax of Buddy Collette. And, by a solid, steady rhythm section: Vince Guaraldi is the pianist; the bassist, Leroy Vinegar; and the drummer is Stan Levy.

This all-star quintet performs provocatively – with intensity and always with heart

This, then is Little Band – Big Bass – John Marlo

Muggin' The Minor (Candoli)

Mambo Diane (Candoli)

Countin' The Blue (Candoli)

Zizane (Candoli)

Macedonia (Candoli-Guaraldi)

Little David (Candoli-Guaraldi)

The New Brass Sound Of The Hits - San Fernando Brass

 

Moscow Nights

The New Brass Sound Of The Hits

Great Favorites Performed by San Fernando Brass

Produced by Ernest K. Dominy & William A. Castleman

Quadraphonic Engineer: Carson Taylor

Realistic Quadraphonic 50-2026

Capitol Special Markets QL-6789

1972

Heart Of Gold

For The Good Times

Guantanamera

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

An Old Fashioned Love Song

Joy Of Man

Scarborough Fair

Moscow Nights

Help Me Make It Through The Night

Early In The Morning

Live At The Losers - Ann Richards

 

Lover Come Back To Me

Live... At "The Losers"

Ann Richards with The Bill Marx Trio

Recorded live at "The Losers" in Hollywood

Vee Jay LR/SR 1070

1963

From the back cover: About Our Artists:

I have always felt that there is  no better singer in the whole wide world than Ann Richards... and tha covers all vocal classification. Which reminds me... no more classifications, please! Jazz this... pop that... those things are a myth. A singer of song is just that. How she frames her showcase is not so important as the showcase itself. Ann, because of her beliefs and dedication, is a warm and wonderful human being whom I adore. She has depth, taste and perception that is uncanny... literally tears the covers off a lyric that has been laying dormant in meaningless interpretation. Consequently, the tune sounds like it has been written expressly for her. Perhaps it was.

Ann is now at the peak of her career. I guarantee she will envelop you. How can a girl so beautiful be so talented... truly a loser!!!

Loser Bill Marx, Vee Jay Folk Swinger, who is someone's son, is one of my favorite people in general, and musicians in particular. Needless to say, I dig his piano... very much. He, too, says something lyrically, though instrumentally, which, to me, has always been the marx (poetic license) of a really good pianist. Bill is that and more. In this album he demonstrates something I was not aware of before mainly because it is a very specialized field in itself. The Accompanist! He must be there... strongly... to enhance not overshadow... to be dominant but not dominate... He must know the black and white... and important... the grey. Above all, he must swing. Bill does! – Johnny Magnus

Also from the back cover: Dear Loser:

If you haven't been to our club yet, you're really missing something.

First of all, the place is the prettiest... the most glamorous "must go" spot in Hollywood... meeting place of the GREAT and the NEAR GREAT. Eddie Fisher, Alcatraz, Richard Burton, Billie Sol Estes, John Profumo, Richard Nixon and Floyd Patterson haven't fallen by yet... and look what happened to them!

Believe me, The Losers, starring owners Sonny Orling and Pete Rooney, is the most talked about spot in the nation. It is built on this winning premise: WE'RE ALL LOSERS!

You see, these winning losers, Sonny and Pete, built a club that presents big league entertainment in a plush setting, with a perfect sound system and lights to match... beautiful girls who bathe and bring elixir... no admission like so many unholstered sewers which insult you before you have your foot in the door. Then, behold that bevy of swingin' losers... Wow!

One more thing about our club: the marquee is the talk of the country. I know you've heard about it. (See it on the album cover?) Anyway... Time magazine, the wire services and newspapers often get scooped by its posting of the newest addition to our organization. Passing motorists play wrinkle-finder on La Cienega Boulevard checking this marquee for a new member.

You see, we losers love company... and the family that loses together stays together. – Johnny Magnus - Radio KGFJ, Los Angeles

I Only Have Eyes For You

I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good

Back Home Again In Indiana

Come Rain Or Come Shine

Dearly Beloved

Bye Bye Blackbird

Lonesome Road

Little Girl Blue

Let Me Love You

Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe

Lover Come Back To Me

E = MC2 - Count Basie

 

After Supper

Basie

E=MC2 = Count Basie Orchestra

Neal Hefti Arrangements

Recording Supervisor: Teddy Reig

Back Liner Photo: Arnold Meyers

Roulette Birdland Series SR-52003

1958

From the back cover: There have been a plentitude of enthusiasts for the Count Basie band in recent years. For some the great attraction has been the saxophone section or the super-abundance of tenor soloists. For others it has been the brass sound, entire or divided, as tastes will have these things, among the trumpets and trombones individually, among such gifted soloists as Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Henry Coker, Benny Powell, etc. For still others, it has been the rhythm section, as always one of the incomparable graces of the Basie organization. But however it come out, and for whomever, the key word is usually that much over worked adjective, exciting.

Overworked or not, exciting is the word for Basie – exciting and all its most obvious synonyms, electrifying, thrilling, inflaming, arousing. For this band of Basie's is more exciting, more electrifying, more thrilling, as reviewers have had more than one occasion to point out, than its recordings have usually revealed. The presence of the band is not easy to catch on records. One needs to hear each of the sections separately, to grasp the soloistic quality of the saxes as a group or the trumpets or trombones, and still to have an unmistakable sense of the power of the band as a whole, of the wholeness of the whole Basie band.

All of that, it seems to me, has been caught here. It is a high compliment to Teddy Reig, the supervisor of this date, to point out that in these grooves the brass and the reeds have been separated, the rhythm given it own selective identity, without any loss of the integrating strength that pulls them all together into the phenomenon that is the Count Basie band.

The result of such a capturing of presence is not simply an increase in excitement, desirable and satisfying and stimulating as that may be. It is that additional revelation, the laying bare line by line of the scores the band is playing. When the scores are such as these by Neal Hefti, the baring of the inner parts offers the listener an experience of Basie, of big band music, of modern jazz, in depth.

Not the least of those who come into their own identities in this adventure in excitement is Basie himself. "The Kid From Red Bank" describes him and provides him with the kind of outing his delicate wit and muscular precision at the keyboard deserve. Up-tempo and shimmering, its simple figures offer a superb setting for his rhythmic suspensions, his stride-piano alternations, his tremolos and trills. They remind us, as his sound is contrasted incisively with the rest of the band, what a considerable musical he is, what a personality, how much and how properly he is the leader of the band.

While "The Kid" is Basie's special outing, he is always, of course, a central element in the proceedings. He puts the funk in the funky "Duet" and "Midnite." When his piano finally arrives (after a glancing intro) in "After Supper," the mood is finally established: it is going after supper around the intro when most of the clubs are shutting up and after-hours blues are in order. He sets tone and tempo-up in "double-O" and "Whirly-Bird," middle-to-up in "Splanky" and "Fantail" – and helps to maintain both. And he is helped, and so is the listener, but the definition the recording confers on his every note and the band's.

The same sort of definition preserves the delicate textures of one of the loveliest pieces of music Count has recorded in recent years, "Lil' Darlin'." Slow and cozening, this performance is all texture: the saxophones, very basic and thoroughly Basie, settling softly into place; Wendell Cully really moving in his mellow muted-trumpet solo, in which he plays obbligato for the band and the band returns the compliment; the rhythm section, as gentle as its confreres in each of its appearances in the opulent opus.

Definition, again, makes another one of the great moments of this set come alive. In "Duet," the pairing of Joe Newman and of Thad Jones, of mutes, growls, and a dozen different manipulations of trumpet sound, makes for brilliant jazz. The timing is fascinating to follow, the paired personalities absorbing throughout. This is the cool, relaxed modern equivalent of the exuberant "Tootin' Through The Roof" that Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart did for Duke Ellington in 1939. It is also a masterpiece in its own right, in which every part fits handsomely into place.

More of the same provision of detail can be found in the waddle-tempo "Teddy The Toad," in which you can sort out the sections and Neal Hefei's lines with the ease of an arranger consulting his own score. You can find the same sort of fidelity of sound in the clean recording which brings Eddie Lockjaw Davis' tenor leaping through your speaker in several sides, notably "Flight Of The Foo Birds" and "After Supper." And you'll find it once again in the vibrant presence of Frank Wess's alto in "Fantail," a flying piece which had to have some sort of Birdlike title, for certainly it has a Birdlike sound.

These are some of the reasons for celebrating the quality of this recording. There are, as always in Basie performances, a number of soloists well represented. The head man gives a solid account of himself. But most of all, there is the band. Take any one of the pieces – say "Splanky." Listen to each of the sections of the band make its pertinent comments on the material at hand, swinging like single musicians, moving the whole performance ahead but without ever pushing over any of the light edifice into loud and tasteless rock 'n' roll exaggeration. Then go through the whole set, piece by piece, solo buy solo, line by line, and distribute the credits evenly and fairly, as you must do and I must, too. And let us not, as we pass out the bouquets, neglect the man with the pen. In a presentation of the Count Basie band notable for its justness, for its attention to all the rich instrumental talent and all the high good taste of this band – in this presentation, not the least of the achievements is the evenness of the manuscript. Neal Hefti has matched – figure for figure, note for note-blower – his talent to the Basie band's and it comes out, as it should, Basie.

That is the title of this album and the title, the extraordinary title,  of the accomplishment of everyone connected with it – it comes out Basie. – Barry Ulanov

The Kid From Red Bank

Duet

After Supper

Flight Of The Foo Birds

Teddy The Toad

Whirly-Bird

Slpanky

Fantail

Lil' Darlin'

Barbara Carroll "Live"

 

Suzie's Bossa Nova

Barbara Carroll

Live!

Her Piano and Trio

Produced by George Lee

Cover Art: Tom Woodward

Art Direction: Ed Thrasher

Warner Bros. Records WS 1710

1967

From the back cover: Stars shoot, planets dive, constellation incandesce with the fierce splendor of multitudinous brilliants – and here on terra firmament one Barbara Carroll sets off equally celestial fireworks each time her fleet fingers meet the polished eighty-eights of Messrs. Steinway, Mason and Hamlin, or Yamaha. Whether at the London House in Chicago, where the spectacular action for this album took place, Shepheard's in New York, or on the hot line of national and international television.

To  be familiar about it: the sweetest slip of red jasmine ever to wind around a piano bench is back after an almost five-year hiatus, setting the jazz world right again and announcing her return with a display of dazzling dynamics that makes the aurora borealis look like a 25-watt bulb.

In other words, Mr. Edison, saucy, sassy Barbara's back in town, and you'd better invent some new ways of putting her name up in lights because she's spankier than ever, deliciously primed, and ready to drive fans and uninitiates wild with the phantasmagoria of piano pulchritude that is the Barbara Carroll brand of witchcraft.

To herald her reemergence from the world of family, friends, Julia Child, and the Late Late Show, Warner Bros. Records decided to bolt the door to the padded studio where most perfectionists isolate themselves and capture the lady flagrante delicate. To this end, they forayed the cheek-to-cheek ambiance of London House with a rig of delicate mikes, picking up not only the lady Barbara herself – with sidemen Beverly Peer (bass) an Dick Sheridan (drums) – but also the jubilation of a rafter packed room.

The result: a jumbo helping of jump-for-joy interpretations of show tunes and standards that project for the first time on vinyl the vibrant spectrum of Barbara Carroll live. From the wide-open grooving of "Satin Doll" and "What Now My Love" to the tremulous caress of "Here's That Rainy Day," with its succession of trellis-climbing chords finally released and floating skyward, this album will hold the record for the most heavenly happening until Halley's Comet makes it round again in 1985

Barbara Carroll Live! A galaxy of rhythmic and harmonic invention. A stelliferous show by a stellar artist.

Or as Mr. Edison said, plumbing in the marquee: "For you, baby, I've a 10,000 watter." – Hal Halverstadt

Mame

Here's That Rainy Day

Suzie's Bossa Nova

Cabaret

Satin Doll

What Now My Love

Fiddler On the Roof Medley: If I Were A Rich Man; To Life; Sunrise, Sunset,: Matchmaker, Matchmaker

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Hims - Anita Ellis

 

Piccolo Pete

Hims

Anita Ellis

Arranged and Conducted by Hal Schaefer

Epic LN 3419

1957

From the back cover: The possible ambiguity of the title finds no echo in the voice of Anita Ellis in this dazzling collection. There can be no question that when Anita tackles a song, she knows what she is singing about, and that she brings to it the considerable force of a disciplined and imaginative talent. Anita has been singing off an on for the past decade to increasing acclaim, in nightclubs, on records and in the movies; in the last-named, her voice has been dubbed in for such actresses as Rita Hayworth and Vera Ellen, and a clue to what can be found herein may be gotten from the fact that it was Anita Ellis who did the singing for Miss Hayworth in the incendiary Put The Blame On Mame sequence in "Gilda."

In her first Epic collection, Anita Ellis essayed a sort of musical biography – not her own, happily – using songs and brief narration to present a dramatic and musical portrait. Here, she sings a dozen superior songs about men, including songs by Kern, Weill and Gershwin, among other, and giving all of them, whether fast or slow, the benefit of her velvety voice and expressive interpretations. Ever since Anita has come out from behind the screen to present her talents to the public, there has been increasing awareness of her firm musicality. and this second collection promises to be even more successful than her first.

Anita was born in Montreal, and is a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Music. She also majored in psychology and music at the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was also secretary of the music clubs: she has also studied Spanish and French extensively, and this background in itself will help to explain the depth and feeling she is able to put into her songs. She has been in show business since she was four, making her first appearance in a piano recital in Montreal. Despite this early introduction to the platform, Anita remained a shy child, and when her family moved to Hollywood, her mother suggested singing lessons as a possible means of overcoming her shyness. The lessons happily had the desired effect and, moreover, brought Anita the welcome discovery of her particular talent.

When she was sixteen, Anita auditioned for a radio program call "Juvenile Revue," and was selected "Find Of The Week" on her first appearance. Several other engagements on the same show followed, and further work on the radio and in nightclubs were the natural result. Later, she became featured vocalist at Hollywood's Florentine Gardens. This in turn led to her motion picture work, and she appeared in several movies for MGM before becoming the "ghost voice" of other stars. Among the movies in which she has sung have been Gilda, Down To Earth, Shanghai Lady, The Belle Of New York and Three Little Words. In addition, she has sung on many radio programs, including the Red Skelton show for two years, a year-and-a-half with Tommy Riggs, and a full season with Jack Carson. In New York, she has sung in such supper clubs as the Blue Angel, the Bon Noir and La Vie en Rose, and has made many other appearances throughout the country.

Bill

I'm Just Wild About Harry

Jim

Good For Nothin' Joe

Piccolo Pete

Goodbye, John

Clap Hands

Danny Boy

Porgy

You Know Me, Ai

Larry

That's Him

Memories Of Our Prom - Eddie Barclay

 

Frenchy Blues

Memories Of Our Prom

Eddie Barclay and His Orchestra

Mercury Records MG 20486

There Goes My Heart

Too Young

What A Diff'rence A Day Makes

Only You (And You Alone)

Frenchy Blues

Again

I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)

I Only Have Eyes For You

Young At Heart

Mona Lisa

Ciao Ciao Bambina (Chiow Chiow Bambeena)

Young Romance

Betty Hutton At The Saints & Sinners Ball

 

The Hogwash Junction Function

Betty Hutton At The Saints & Sinners Ball

With the Jack Latimer Singers

Arranged and Conducted by Jerry Fielding

Warner Bros. Records W 1267

1959

From the back cover: Looking at Betty Hutton's career as a rags to riches musical comedy star, with an eye to her volcanic and irrepressible technique, one facet of her personality is especially vivid – her intense demand for realism and authenticity in everything she does.

During the filming of the late Ceil B. DeMille's production "The Greatest Show On Earth" for example, Betty played the role of a circus aerialist, a role that normally would call for a stand-in to do a series of lengthy and hair raising high wire trapeze turns. Exemplifying the spirit of perfection that has always been part of her make-up, Miss Hutton patiently learned to perform on the trapeze herself after months of study, a departure from the Hollywood norm that stunned even her friends, as well as Mr. DeMille.

Betty insisted upon the very same standards when she set out to record this album. When first approached with the idea of making a truly authentic album that would personify a rocking, hand clapping saint one moment, and an equally fire and brimstone sinner the next, Betty first let the idea sink in, and after enthusiastic approval, she set her sights for authenticity in much the same manner as a research physicist digging into a thorny mathematical problem.

After determining that there would be no better locale than New Orleans for material and feeling, since after ll the city by the delta gave birth to more saints and sinners than most, Betty, her manager Eddie Dukoff and arranger-conductor Jerry Fielding embarked on a southern hiatus.

During their stay there, a visit that saw each day begin and end at an ungodly hour, Betty and company toured the entire city, visited every bistro that could accommodate a piano, and spoke and listened to hundreds of musicians. As a result of their scouring they were able to accumulate an impressive group of new songs, and interpretations of older songs that give this album its great strength. Material fitting both "Saints" and "Sinners" was located in its most riotous, boisterous form, and for authenticity, Betty had gathered an impressive warehouse of knowledge about the material, its origin, and the way it was and should be played. And it was at the Absinthe House that she met a wonderful gentlemen with a wonderful name; Pleasant Joseph. They kept him playing and singing until dawn's early light, and it was his unique approach to songs and their delivery that gave Betty still more enthusiasm for this project.

It's said that one of the things that makes a Broadway production a joy and gives it that very special feeling is that aura of believability the cast injects into its performance. IT's that way purely and simply because the players have lived with their material. It's true too of Miss Hutton, because she's lived with every last blessed note in this album. She painstakingly worked at the repertoire; maestro Jerry Fielding, a musician with a reputation for skill, clarity and dedication carved the music out of vivid and lasting memory. What is interesting is that not a single note was recorded until a total of eight weeks of constant rehearsal, review and living with the repertoire were behind them.

A word about the repertoire. As perviously noted, some of the songs are brand spanking new, others quite familiar. We doubt though, that you've ever heard "Saints" sung and preached with such fervor for neatly five minutes. "Chicken Hawk," penned by Pleasant Joseph and Peter Wendell, is typical of the new material Miss Hutton garnered during her sojourn in New Orleans, and features a great tenor sax solo by Plas Johnson (courtesy of Capitol Records). Plas incidentally is also shown to good advantage on "Rock And Roll Shoes," and "Blackberry Boogie."

"Basin St. Blues," the venerable Spencer Williams favorite, is simply a gas. It's got a fantastic trombone solo by the widely known and reputed Murray MacEachern (courtesy of Capitol Records), and is by far one of the most impassioned songs Betty has ever sung.

There's an interesting sidelight to the song "Search My Heart." In developing the "saints" segment of this album Betty spent a great deal of time at various churches in an effort to find an unusual approach to the material, and perhaps find some new songs, too. She was elated when she came across the Antioch Evangelist Temple Choir and after settling on "Search My Heart," asked the Choir to accompany her. Their performance as accompanists was so vibrant, so electric that Betty disbanded the idea to sing solo against the choir, and immediately suggested that the group record this song on their own.

The music for this album was arranged and conducted by Jerry Fielding, a musician whose reputation needs little introduction. He's long been one of Hollywood's most talented arrangers, scoring for book shows in Las Vegas, writing for radio, television and motion pictures and before that touring with great success with a band of his own. His tour de force is his originality, his singular approach to every new music project he tackles.

"Betty Hutton At The Saints & Sinners Ball" is a unique album by a unique performer. The vigorous passion she injects in each selection is graphically incisive, it has a bite we've seldom heard before. The odds are you'll want more Hutton after listening to this album.

Chicken Hawk

How Long (Blues)

Whole World In His Hands

Rock And Roll Shoes

When The Saints Come Marching In

The Hogwash Junction Function

Basin Street Blues

Search For My Heart (Vocal solos by Odessa McCastle and Catherine Burks with the Antioch Evangelist Temple Choir)

Lazy Man

Blackberry Boogie

Music To Watch Girls By - Girl Watchers

 

Green Eye Liner

Music To Watch Girls By

Played by The Girl Watchers

Design: Daniel

Photographer: George Pickow

Design Records DLP-267

1967

Music To Watch Girls By

Pretty Petti-Pants

Tight Tights

Funny Fun Coat

Transparent Dresses

Fish-Net Stockings

Tiny Mini-Skirt

Nude Lipstick

Paper Clothing

Green Eye Liner

What's He Doing In My World - Modern Sound

 

Tycoon

What's He Doing In My World

Producer: William Beasley

Recorder & Compatible Mastering: Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Cover Design: McPherson Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Modern Sound MS 1010

What's He Doing In My World

I'll Keep Holding On To My Love

Saturday's Sweetheart - Monday's Fool

A Lifetime In A Night

Almost To Nashville

Girl On The Billboard

A Woman's Touch

The Way You've Treated Me For Years

Tycoon

Everywhere I Lock (I See Your Smiling Face)

Honky Tonkin' - Modern Sound

 

Where You Been

Honky Tonkin'

Producer: William Beasley

Recorder & Compatible Mastering: Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Cover Design: McPherson Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Modern Sound MS 542

Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me

Just Because

Almost To Nashville

If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time

Where You Been

Do-Wacka-Do

Shotgun Boogie

Don't Come Too Late

Down Yonder

Ninety-Nine Ways

Memphis - Current Hits No. 17

 

Memphis

Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

Memphis 

Current Hits Vol. No. 17

Producer Bill Beasley

Assistant Producer: Ted Jarrett

Recorder and Compatible Mastering: Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Engineer: Tom Sparkman

Cover Design: McPherson Studio, Nashville Tenn.

Hit Records HLP 417

Memphis

Bad To Me

Today

Beans In My Ears

My Boy Lollipop

Tears And Roses

Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying

I'll Touch A Star

I Get Around

Yesterday's Gone

Once Upon A Time

No Particular Place To Go

House Of The Rising Sun - Hit Records

 

House Of The Rising Sun

And I Love Her

House Of The Rising Sun

Current Hits 

Volume 19

Producer: William Beasley

Assistant Producer: Ted Jarrett

Recorder and Compatible Mastering: Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Engineer: Tom Sparkman

Cover Design: McPherson Studio, Nashville, Tenn.

Hit Records No. 419

House Of The Rising Sun

G.T.O.

Oh, Pretty Woman

Save It For Me

Bread And Butter

Selfish One

Such A Night

And I Love Her

Broken Hearted Fool Like Me

Clinging Vine

In The Misty Moonlight

Broken Hearted, Sad And Blue

Folk Hits By The Men Of Song

Drill Ye Tarriers Drill

Folk Hits By The Men Of Song

Camay Records CA 3008

Division of Pathe Records, Ltd.

Cry Of The Wild Goose

Noah Found Grace

My Mustache 

Ave Maria

De Camptown Races

The Blue Tail Fly

Drill Ye Tarriers Drill

Loves Old Sweet Song

The Bicycle Saddle And Bill

Play That Barbershop Chord

All The Sad Young Men - Anita O'Day

 

Boogie Blues

All The Young Men

Anita O'Day

The Gary McFarland Orchestra

Produced by Creed Taylor

Cover Photograph by Pete Turner

Recorded in New York

Recording Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

Verve V-8442

1962

From the back cover: The thing about Anita O'Day is that she always sings jazz. And what makes her singing always jazz is her improvisation. She takes a musician's liberties with phrasing, harmony and rhythm, and does it al while singing lyrics that still manage to make sense.

This album is a case in point. It is Anita as she is today. Not the Anita who punched out the vocals on Gene Krupa's band, not even the Anita who sauntered onto the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 and stood that jazz-jaded audience on its head. This is a different Anita in that she has gone beyond those Anitas. Today, as you'll hear, she is singing with greater sophistication, assurance, and acceptance than ever before.

Her selection of material is growing increasingly personal. She is singing songs that haven't been done to death by other singers, and an occasional standard that she has taken over as her own by the sheer-power of her style.

Her uncanny sense of time is leading her into more complex and daring improvisation in that area. And she is still going further and further out on that limb of harmonic improvisation, but with such assurance that the delight of a performance is not whether she will land on her feet, but how she will land on her feet.

Her style is her own, practiced and polished through some 20 years of singing. Her landmarks are also landmarks in vocal jazz: "Let Me Off Uptown, Boogie Blues, and That's What You Think with Krupa's band, Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip on her own, And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine with Kenton, Sweet Georgia Brown and Them There Eyes, again on her own.

And her comeback has been one of the most dramatic and rewarding in current music. she slid from popularity in an era when good music was a detriment to success, and a good jazz singer might just as well have gone into selling soft-goods for all the financial good it might do her. Anita built her new career step by step, appliance b appearance, record by record, and without changing her ways or compromising her style.

Where she goes from here depends solely on her originality and individuality. To date, there has been no lack of either quality in her makeup.

Supplying the music on this album is the most modern-sounding orchestra Anita has ever had behind her. The songs were arranged  and conducted by Gary McFarland, who also wrote three of them. At 27, McFarland has brought a refreshing new sound to the recording studios. He has studied at the Berklee  School in Boston and at The School Of Jazz in Lenox, Mass. Gary has written for the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, and, leading his own orchestra, has presented a true "jazz version" of a Broadway show in his album, "The Jazz Version Of 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.'"

McFarland's conceptions are original. His voicings are fresh. His sense of humor and his willingness to take a chance are evident in practically everything he does. On this album, he complements Anita's personal style with big band arrangements that avoid placing her out in front of an orchestra, but rather integrate her into the over-all-fabric of sound in each selection.

"I worked things so they were right for her range," Gary noted. "She has a lot of strong areas... her phrasing and her time, form instance. I tired writing for these strong points, and utilizing her as an important part of the band.

That McFarland succeeded will be evident as the album is played. It's Anita, new and fresh and stimulating. But she's not new for the sake of being different. She's just moving ahead in a field where she's number one. – Dom Cerulli

Boogie Blues

You Came A Long Way From St. Louis

I Want To Sing A Song

A Woman Alone With The Blues

The Ballad Of All The Sad Young Men

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

One More Mile

Night Bird

Up State

Senor Blues

This Is Chris - Chris Connor

 

The Thrill Is Gone

This Is Chris

Chris Connor

Engineering: Tom Dowd

Photography and Cover Design: Burt Goldblatt

Bethlehem Records BCP-20

1955

Ralph Sharon - Piano

Milt Hinton - Bass

Osie Johnson - Drums

Joe Puma - Guitar

Herbie Mann - Flute

Kai Winding & J. J. Johnson - Trombone

From the back cover: Many singers who show promise of real ability must sacrifice a portion of artistry in order to enjoy a more commercial success. Therefore, we must go to the core of jazz to search out the honestly fine contemporary singers. Chris Connor is one of them. The fact that she rose, so to speak, out of the ranks and became a vocalist is a little remarkable. It was as hard for her as any of the others. That she achieved it seems to prove she's somebody special to begin with. But she is extraordinary even here among the special. This is her third recording effort. In the first one or two, she was being introduced... a singer with an unusual phrasing effect, a sensitive reader of lyrics, and possession of a deeply rich voice with just enough throaty quality to make it vibrant. In the third album she enjoyed further public response as an accepted vocalist. Like the fingers of the blind person so sensitive they seem to read more quickly than the eye, Miss Conor appears to be able to grasp the course of the melodic line almost before it is put before her. Now in this, her third album, she comes to the listener a vocalist of recognition and acceptance. She is established. Miss Connor has come through the strains of the first part of a career when she sang in bands, traveled on the road, worked in the small clubs and made a few stray records. She has come through the equally hard part of the early beginnings where she was learning she could succeeding, of then succeeding over all the others who wanted to be singers too, and happily, remaining the artist and still finding a public. Now she enjoys an impressive degree of success, and where she will go from here depends largely on you, her audience. Take out the record, turn on the phonograph, and listen to singing... like unalloyed gold... Miss Chris Connor. – Shirley Hoskins Collins

Blame It On My Youth

It's All Right With Me

Someone To Watch Over Me

Trouble Is A Man

All This And Heaven Too 

The Thrill Is Gone

I Concentrate On You

All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart

From This Moment On

Ridin' High