Obscure & Neglected Female Singers Of Jazz & Standards (1930s to 1960s)

Some 60 years after her "Loch Lomond" hit, Maxine was still performing and recording. There are quite a few Maxine records out there (including a songbook of Shakespeare numbers!), and just about all of them have been on CD, too. Although we do not hear about her all too often these days, this is a singer who enjoyed a fair amount of recognition during her music career. She was even nominated for three Grammys and one Tony award.

 

John Dankworth and Cleo Laine had a very listenable jazz Shakespeare album. I wish it was around as a reasonably priced cd.

 

Frances Wayne - '''Round Midnight'' from The Warm Sound of Frances Wayne (1957)

 

Lil Armstrong is still overlooked as a singer (amazing). On most of her many records, she was the vocalist. Of course, she was Satchmo's wife, and the person who pushed him to his accomplishments.

Riverwalk Jazz - Stanford University Libraries »

 

She was superb. Her Atlantic LP is available in several CD editions. The original LP is tough to find. But when you do find it, it is usually in excellent condition. Atlantic did not make as many female jazz vocal LPs as they should have!

 

The daughter of a lapsed rabbi (cantor) and an opera[ett]a singer, Ruth Olay is quite an idiosyncratic vocalist. There is definitely an operatic quality to her voice (and she also had classical piano training), yet her style is still swinging and jazzy. I find Ruth's singing fascinating because I feel like I shouldn't like it, yet I love it. The reason for my "mixed emotions" is that she can be quite intense and even over the top, mercilessly working out her vibrato, growling like a feral animal, and piling on layer upon layer of drama. Despite all that, she is such a good, smart interpreter that I can't help but falling under her spell!

She made -- I forgot -- somewhere between six and eight albums. The first of them honors its title:

Songs include "As Time Goes By," "Coffee Time," "Every Time You Say Goodbye, "Time After Time" ...

Crystalized picked two pretty good clips, both of which showcase her gifts. (Those clips are on page 2 of this thread, for anyone who might want to belatedly give them a listen.) I just went to YouTube in search of her memorable version of "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like my Sister Kate," in which she really goes all out, but it doesn't seem to be there. In its absence, I'm picking instead her very good version of "Love for Ssssssssale," which she develops in her typically ever-building, up-and-up manner. To those of you who are familiar with this Cole Porter standard: check out what she does to the phrase "who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise?"!

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Ruth was very good. Her LPs vary significantly. Her version of "Time After Time" on the above LP is a masterpiece and evokes incredible emotion.

 

She is one of those versatile singers who, like a Kay Starr or a Bobby Darin, comfortably and convincingly sang in a variety of music genres. To me, she qualifies for inclusion in this jazz-and-standards thread just as much as she would qualify for a thread about rock 'n' roll, big band music, etc.

But, if somebody were to force me to place her name under just one general genre, I think I'd say rhythm & blues. If Ella Mae herself were to be the one forced to pick one genre, however against her will, she would have said rhythm & blues, too.

A lot of the stuff that she recorded -- and did best -- falls under the categories of boogie woogie and jump blues, I think. But, since we are stressing jazz and standards in this thread, here she is doing a more suitable number:

 

As much as I have tried, I have never been able to enjoy Gloria's singing. I'm not sure why that is, because I'm not deaf, and can thus tell that she is a perfectly fine singer. At one point, I thought that it was maybe a matter of disliking the backings and/or arrangements in some of her Everest albums. But no; later on I tried her stuff with Marty Paich, etc., and I still didn't care for her. I guess it's a case of "you can't possibly like every singer, or every voice out there" ... It's about the sound of the big voice itself, and how my ears do not like it when applied to jazz and standards. (Some of her interpretative choices really, really bug me, too. I'm sampling right now her version of "I'm Glad There Is You" and hating all the "aaaaah ooooahhh" stuff in the middle ... as well as the end ...) Go figure.

However, there is one exception -- one song which I love hearing from Gloria. But it's a sacrilege: I shall be roasted by fans of Keely Smith. When it comes to the following number, I far prefer Gloria's version over Keely's interpretation. Gloria actually had a chart hit with this one.

 

I'll throw Joanie Sommers on this list. Woefully under-recognized today, which is strange given her being once called 'The Voice Of the Sixties'.
I hear a lot of her in Stacey Kent's singing.

 

Thanks for these details, and for the clip. I knew little about her. Now that I am reading about her upon your recommendation, I can only agree that her work as a singer deserves to be better known, at least in the United States. Looks like she spent most of her life living in London?

She sings good in that YouTube clip, although for the general purposes of this thread it should be specified that she is not singing jazz or standards there.

I actually have one CD by her. I'm giving it a fresh spin right now:



The best thing about the CD is the musical accompaniment. Ted Easton's Jazzband and Quartet. Very good. Quite jazzy. I like her voice here, too. Bertice's interpretations, not quite as much. Just okay. Her general approach is making me feel as if I were listening to a r&b singer surrounded by a great jazz-dixieland group.

Wait. I'm listening to "I Cried for You" and changing my mind for the better. Pretty good interpretation on her part; it matches the accompaniment in its jazziness .... Anyway, I have still more than half of the CD to play, and might keep on changing my mind (hopefully still for the better!) ...

 

Jackie Cain recorded a lot with her husband Roy Kral, but I like her work better when she's by herself.
Her sister-in-law Irene was also a tremendous talent, gone too soon.
Anyway, here's a great one by Ms. Cain.

 

And lest I forget Mary Stallings. She sung with the heavies and was Basie's singer for three years. She was semi-retired for years but started making records again in the '90s.
Here's a good one off her '61 album with Cal Tjader:

 

Here's Ruth's UK EP (not listed in discogs)

 

The Queen of European Jazz singers was Rita Reys.

Rita is worshipped in Japan. Virtually all of her great albums have been reissued in Japan many times.



Rita's early small group recordings are among the best ever made by anybody



She is simply incredible

 

I am very surprised no one has mentioned Rita Reys till now. Thanks, Tribute! Rita is in my top five female jazz vocalists.
Love her live album, "Jazz Pictures At An Exhibition", with the Pim Jacobs Trio featuring Kenny Clark. She recorded many
outstanding albums in her fifty year career, a few of which are still available. A shame she didn't get wider recognition in
her lifetime.

 

A mellow voice and a melancholy song: perfect match.

Lorez Alexandria is one of my favorites. I'm not surprised to hear that her albums are (were) relatively easy to find in the Chicago area. Some of them were from Chicago-based labels. In other parts of the country, these albums would pop up from time to time in used record stores, and would not last long in the bins.

Counting with various ministers on both sides of her family, she grew up in a church background, often singing in gospel choirs. And yet there is little in her mature style that suggests gospel in the traditional sense of the word. She was a jazz-oriented, story-telling singer.

Lorez recorded over 20 albums (including three Johnny Mercer songbooks!) and even earned one Grammy nomination. Fans have sometimes wondered why she did not become a household, more firmly known name. One music critic attributed it to the lack of a hit, or at least a song strongly identified with her.

However, it can be said that she did become associated with two songs: "Baltimore Oriole," which she recorded three times (on different labels) and, from her later years, "Talk About Cozy."

 

Marlena Shaw
Morgana King
Beverly Kenney (6 LP's total, 3 on Roost and 3 on Decca)
Chris Connor
Lucy Ann Polk
Dakota Staton (Late Late Show is a fav)

 

Please read Post No.1...

 

Another nice one. But I had thought getting 'hung up' was a 1960s colloquialism, whereas I'm guessing this is an earlier usage?

 

Agree and disagree.

To be honest I was wonder why Ethel Waters (mother of jazz-vocal) is not on a major list. Then I start thinking like that: we can discuss and Ethel Waters, and Mildred Bailey here and finally distribute them to the right place: updated major list or "Obscure & Neglected" list". Both names are becoming more and more Neglected with time. I am a big fan of Mildred Bailey have all her recordings on 9 CDs in Chronological Classics series by the French label Classics Records. I wonder why nobody mentioned their epic job and labor of love on restoring and releasing great but neglected stuff. I have a lot of "girls" (almost all) in this and another Blues and Rhythm Series (jazzy blues) from old days and everything in chronological order and each CD is numbered.
List criteria is correct.

 

Mildred Bailey
(1907-1951)



"Mildred Bailey was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 30's and 40's, known as "Mrs. Swing" and The Queen of Swing."

(comments)
"It's a shame there is no film of Mildred."
"It's vocal silk & satin. Very warm and intimate..."
"Mildred Bailey is one of the greatest vocalists of her time! I can't understand why more people today haven't heard of her!!!"

"Mildred is one of the most overlooked superstars in music history. Get to know and appreciate her now."

Chronological Classics Series by Classics Records, France

1929-1932 (# 1061, 24 tracks, 1999)



Rockin' Chair
(Music of his song was written by Hoag Carmihael in 1929, but wasn't released. He tried new version next year, but only Mildred Bailey made it famous in 1932. And for many she became The Rockin' Chair Lady after that).

I couldn't find good sounding 1932 version... 1937 one sounds better:


All of Me (1931)
Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931).wmv »

1932-1936 (# 1080, 24 tracks, 1999)



Doin' The Uptown Lowdown
Mildred Bailey - Doin' The Uptown Lowdown »

More Than You Know (1936)
Mildred Bailey - More Than You Know »

1937-1938 (# 1114, 24 tracks, 2000)



Right or Wrong (this is good sounding Live version)
Right or Wrong (Live) »

Heaven Help This Heart of Mine (Live)
Heaven Help This Heart of Mine (Live) »

Trust in Me (was very popular song in 1937)
1937 HITS ARCHIVE: Trust In Me - Mildred Bailey »

1938 (# 1160, 23 tracks, 2001)



I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart (good sounded version)
Mildred Bailey - I let a song go out of my heart »

Please Be Kind (another hit #1 of her many)
1938 HITS ARCHIVE: Please Be Kind - Red Norvo (Mildred Bailey, vocal) »

Rock It for Me
Mildred Bailey - Rock it for me »

I Go for That
MILDRED BAILEY - I Go for That (1938) »

(system doesn't pass more than 5 images - please see next post)

 

(continue of the Post 273)

1939 (# 1187, 22 tracks, 2001)



I Cried for You


Moon Love
Mildred Bailey - Moon Love 1939 »

Where Are You? (first recorded in 1937 and was very popular at the time)
MILDRED BAILEY SINGS - WHERE ARE YOU 1939 »

1939-1940 (# 1225, 24 tracks, 2002)



Hold On
Mildred Bailey - Hold On »

Wham (Re Bop Boom Bam!) [vary rare song]
Mildred Bailey - Wham »

St. Louis Blues
Mildred Bailey - St. Louis Blues »

1940-1942 (# 1279, 22 tracks, 2002)



Georgia on My Mind (1941; first version of this song was recorded in 1931)
(from comments)
"I have listened to a lot of versions of this piece but this is the only one that has the original 54 seconds of lyrics, great version."
"I think it's even better than the Ray Charles version."
MILDRED BAILEY - Georgia on My Mind (1941) »

Lover Come Back to Me (many others versions have very fast rhythm, but I love its original mid-tempo Mildred's Live version)
Lover, Come Back to Me (Live) »

1943-1945 (# 1316, 23 tracks, 2003)



Someday Sweetheart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTPpyn3ERJM&list=PLCK4gDiLqFU_qZ2LqqkOsM6F8bdnHYbKQ&index=7

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtInHhG7eYQ

Downhearted Blues
V-Disc 524 A Mildred Bailey, Red Norvo »

1945-1947 (# 1337, 25 tracks, 2003)



These Foolish Things
These Foolish Things »

Almost Like Being In Love
Mildred Bailey - Almost Like Being In Love »

Summertime
Mildred Bailey - Summertime - YouTube »


I find out that a lot of songs of her from 40's are missed in Chronological Classic collection.

So, where should she go in our lists? - In major updated list(?)
By her influence and impact on the next generations of Jazz singers, answer would be: Yes!
Nobody could resist her so sweet and gentle approach to Jazz in the ballads and even in swing and jazzy blues numbers. But...

"She's really neglected today, although back in the era she was one of the innovators of this type of singing... Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day both admired Bailey..." (comment)

My vote is for Obscure & Neglected list.

 

Thanks for this, Mylene. Hadn't seen it before. It's always nice to be able to check rare albums, and/or non-domestic versions of old vinyl.

Just for the benefit of anyone interested in pursuing Ruth's albums, I'd like to add that the EP is an abbreviated version of her first LP. Below we have the front cover of the LP, in both its mono and stereo versions. (Not surprisingly, it has been reissued in Japan as well.)



I just double-checked: the EP and the LP share the same main liner notes, too. Am glad to have this opportunity to re-read them, after a long time ... Those notes mention some of the interesting details about which I posted before, and add others that I had forgotten, such as the fact that Ruth worked as a secretary for a big Hollywood film name, Preston Sturges. Also worth pointing out is her affinity for the movie tune "Singing in the Rain," which might qualify as the song most closely identified with her. See also the comments about "Slow But Sure," the song that Crystalized previously picked as a favorite. It was composed by the great brass player and arranger Benny Carter. In the 1990s, two full CDs of Carter's compositions were released, each one performed by a different vocalist. Sadly, "Slow But Sure" was not among those included ... Also always interesting: to read which famous singers liked Ruth's singing (mentioned in the first paragraph of the notes).