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

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Ridin'High, Sep 4, 2016.

  1. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    Great post, thanks! Thinking about it, I recall pop songs - The Big Hurt (it uses the term 'carrying that torch') by Miss Toni Fisher, or Since I Don't Have You by The Skyliners, or Smokey Places by the Corsairs.

    And perhaps that Bobby Vee hit The Night Has a 1000 Eyes could have worked in the repertoire of one of the vocalists being mentioned in this thread. (It was done in the move DARK CITY by Anita Kelsey - Anita Kelsey - The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Dark City) »)
     
  2. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    "Is That All There Is" is more of an ironic and existentialist number -- or even a nihilistic one. It's true that the singer briefly points us to what sounds like a moment of unrequited love in her existence ("I feel in love with the most wonderful one in the world ... Then one day, he went away and I thought I'd die"). However, far from carrying the torch forever, she gets over it ("But I didn't") and proceeds to question, the worth of it all ("And when I didn't, I said to myself, Is that all there is to love?"). Her attitude would be heretical in the world of torch singing.

    So, the song is not suitable ... but the singer should be. Peggy is certainly a good choice, as far as the notion of "female vocalist singing about unrequited voice with a relatively husky voice" goes. From her catalogue, the following clip would be, to me, a perfect representation of torch singing. (For anyone taken aback by the lesser-known song heard at first: you are actually listening to the start of a torch medley, featuring several well-known standards. After around 2:40, she moves on to torchers such as "Here's That Rainy Day" and "I Get Along Without You Very Well").

    Speaking of ironic and existentialist, I occasionally need to hear Send in the Clowns.

    Is there any female vocalist, not necessarily obscure or neglected, who has both these songs on a respectable cd? :)
     
  3. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    That's a tall order! I do not know of any. The main obstacle is the indelible association of "Is That All There Is?" with Peggy Lee (or, among more punk- & rock-oriented folks, Christina and P. J. Harvey). As a result, the majority of CD versions in existence can be found in albums which are tributes to Peggy Lee and which, being Peggy songbooks, are not bound to include "Send in the Clowns." (Furthermore, the song does not really lend itself to being covered. Once you've heard Peggy's definitive versions, you tend to think that there is no need for anyone else to attempt it.)

    So, no CD with both songs that I know of. As an alternative, we can at least mention two singers who have performed both numbers.

    1. Peggy Lee herself

    a) Here is a 1969 concert version of "Is That All There Is":

    b) Here is a 1976 Johnny Carson TV show version of "Send in the Clowns": Peggy Lee "Send in the Clowns" Johnny Carson #2 »


    2. Ann Hampton Callaway

    a) From her CD Signature, her version of "Is That All There Is" can be sampled here: https://www.amazon.com/Signature-An...78492757&sr=1-8&keywords=ann+hampton+callaway

    b) Out of her CD From Sassy to Divine, her version of "Send in the Clowns" can be sampled here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MX46RRG/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

    Ann is a current singer, with about 15 CDs under her belt. Both of the above-listed albums are tributes, the second one entirely dedicated to Sarah Vaughan. The first is dedicated to the "signature" songs of classic singers, including both Peggy and, once again, Sarah. (The chosen signature song form Sarah's catalogue is "Tenderly.")
     
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  4. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    Thanks Ridin' High

    I was playing a Judy Collins cd the other night and see that she also did Send in the Clowns. That may be the only version I have in my library.

     
  5. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    Felicia Sanders was a celebrated singer from the New York cabaret scene, where she was active from the 1950s until some time before her premature death, in the mid-1970s. A big fan of Edith Piaf, she had an affinity for songs of French origin. She was also a fan of Judy Garland, and that influence can be heard in her singing as well. I would say that her version of "I Wish You Love" (originally a French tune) is one of the three best ones out there, along with those of Keely Smith and Gloria Lynne.

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    If I'm not mistaken, Felicia made a total of five solo albums. It's been a long time since I last listened to them, but I believe that I particularly liked the two above. As made evident by the YouTube clip of "I Wish you Love," Felicia could sing in an exquisitely intimate and low-key manner. But she could also go to the other extreme, singing in a loud or raucous manner, and with plenty of vibrato.

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    One of Felicia's claims to fame was her vocal for the "Song from Moulin Rouge," Percy Faith's #1 hit. Another claim to fame stemmed from the fact that she introduced the standard "Fly Me to the Moon." In addition to "Song from Moulin Rouge," which was a movie theme, she had a lesser hit with "Blue Star," a TV theme. Both hits were on the Columbia label, for which she recorded several other singles, too.

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    A couple of her albums claim to be live. The first one above, on Columbia, is actually one of those fake live LPs that record labels were wont to release back in the day. The other one, on an otherwise unknown label with a generic name, sounds legitimately live; it might have been an enterprise financed by Felicia and her husband-accompanist, pianist Irv Joseph.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2016
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  6. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Thanks for the additional info. That Victor Young tune "Summer Love" from 1952 film "The Star" starring Bette Davis is a rarity. I was looking for Victor Young's own instrumental recording of the tune but it's hard to find in any format.
     
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  7. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    For anyone who might have not heard of her before, Marilyn Maye is a Kansas-born singer who recorded seven LPs (and numerous singles) for RCA Victor in the 1960s, and who is currently enjoying a long-term resurgence in the cabaret scene. Back in the 1960s, she had a good, healthy and strong voice. But it is now that Marilyn is sounding better than ever ... as she comes close to turning 90 years old! The woman has certainly proven to be an expert storyteller:



    In an ideal world, Tony Bennett and Marilyn Maye would get together to record an album of duets. Now, that would make people go gaga -- for real!


    That RCA performance of "Too Late Now" is probably Marilyn's best known, most illustrious interpretation, at least on record ...


    Marilyn and her promoters have milked that quote for all what is worth. It sounds impressive if one doesn't know better: Ella was actually very generous with her praise for other singers. Just about every other day, the enthusiastic First Lady of Song seemed to be making reference to a different singer who had momentarily struck her as fantastic. That's why, in Ella's case, it's more worthwhile to look into which singers she kept consistently praising over the years, rather than paying attention to one-time praises. (There were three or four female vocalists that she indeed mentioned again and again.) This is not meant as a putdown, however. As I already said, I consider Marilyn Maye a very good singer. It's more about setting the record straight, or going beyond unqualified promotion.


    Eric, have you been able to listen to her first album, preceding the ones on RCA? In it, I believe that she is backed by just a trio.

    [​IMG]
    Marilyn Maye. The Most. »


    Post-RCA, she put on CD several dates that used to be sold at her gigs. I do not have any of those CDs, but would not be surprised to learn that she is backed by small ensembles in them.

    As for her 1960s albums, my listening of them has given me the general impression that she was being groomed as RCA's answer to Columbia's Barbra Streisand, and also as a successor to the Judy Garland mantle. Maybe RCA put large orchestras behind her in a marketing attempt at showing off how "big and buttery" her voice was ... In any case, the label was primarily presenting her as a Broadway-style belter, despite her ability to also sing jazz and other styles. "Cabaret" and "Step to the Rear" were successful RCA recordings for her.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2016
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  8. Eric Carlson

    Eric Carlson Forum Resident

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    Valley Center, KS
    I've listened to a little of this Marilyn... the most album but only on YouTube. It seems to be with the same Sammy Tucker Trio with occasional organ and vibes as well. It looks like it was recorded when she was still primarily in Kansas City and sounds more like demos than her RCA LP. Except for the live album I agree that RCA was trying to put her across more with a big voice and show tunes. Even on the live RCA album she comes close to overwhelming the trio once or twice but reins herself in. She also sings with surprising subtlety that I didn't expect when I picked up the album in a Wichita thrift shop. Like many of these singers, her discovery or actually rediscovery in her case in the early 1960's was maybe a little late, but she certainly made a long and successful career for herself. I had her LP on my turntable a lot in the past month and it's one I'm glad went back into the store to get for less than one dollar. It was a nice surprise.
     
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  9. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    The most famous singers of the cool school probably were Anita O'Day, Mel Torme, Chet Baker, and June Christy. There have been, however, several lesser known or outright obscure singers whose work falls in the category of cool, too. Take, for instance, Cathy Hayes.

    A 24-year-old former University of Washington student at the time in which she recorded her one and only album (1959), Cathy claimed to have grown up listening to the records of Miles Davis and CharlieParker, among others (her brother's records). Before going solo, the Milwaukee-born vocalist would also spend some time singing with a couple of vocal groups, one of which received encouragement from Stan Kenton. In order to widen their appeal, Kenton encouraged the group's members to each learn an instrument, and Cathy learned to play the vibes. (All of these details are from the liner notes of the LP, which Fresh Sound and other labels have reissued on both vinyl and compact disc.)

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    The stellar array of musicians who accompanied her, many of them also from the cool school of jazz, are listed in the front cover of the album's reissues. The number from the album that I most clearly remember is "You Smell So Good." It suffers from split personality (a good disorder, in this instance), shifting halfway through from slow to somewhat fast.

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  10. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    This album interests me. I didn't realize Valli cut an album of standards. Another Godfrey alumnus. How do you feel about her singing?
     
  11. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I imagine that Peggy Lee was one of those consistently praised by Fitzgerald. Who were the others?
     
  12. Stu02

    Stu02 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Ridin high this interests me greatly. I've never heard of her at all but I am a fan of both cool jazz and cool jazz styled singers. I have followed a lot of those key 'cool school' players listed on the cover but I've never seen so many on a singers album.
    ( I would include Helen Merrill and Chris Connor in your list of top cool singers )
    Is this album hard to get a hold of on vinyl? Thanks for this.
     
  13. dance_hall_keeper

    dance_hall_keeper Forum Resident

    Video of her on YouTube is not to be found, but Juliette Augustina Sysak Cavazzi ("Juliette, our pet"), a Canadian singer and television host who was featured on CBC Televison from the 50s (1956-1966: Juliette) through the 70s. Her show followed Hockey Night in Canada and the length of her show was dictated by how long it took to play that night's game.
     
  14. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

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    NS, Canada
    I know of her, but remember looking for a cd a few years ago to check out, but didn't find anything.

    The CBC is an unmined treasure.
     
  15. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

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    I might know what you are thinking. Who knows what they were thinking when they chose that photo for the album cover. Maybe they felt that her expression was cute? Whatever the reason might have been, it can't be denied -- not the most flattering of pictures. Now, as for the bandanna and the rest of her attire, give her a break; it was the 1980s! Let's just see what you were wearing back then.

    But if you still can't get over it, here she is again, in the 1950s:

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    Better now?

    (Also, going back to the front cover, maybe she had some Native-American heritage?)

    Among Tiny Irvin's qualifications for inclusion in this thread is the fact that she was Dizzy Gillespie's "girl singer" at some time in the early 1950s. Tiny went on the road with him for about a year. After that year, she might have continued to perform with Dizzy from time to time, too. One source says that the lady "quit the road after a love affair sadly ended," while another source claims that she "ultimately gave up the life on the road to marry and raise a family." Whichever the case might have been, this a singer who, for most of her career, remained consigned to the local Pittsburgh scene (clubs, radio, television), where she recorded her one and only album.

    As for the quality of Tiny Irvin's voice, to me she sounds like a cross between Billie Holiday and Eartha Kitt. However, it was another Billie (a manlier one) that she named as her biggest vocal influence: Billy Eckstine. Check out her pretty unusual scat phrases, too (around 1:50; maybe showing influence from Dizzy?):

     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2016
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  16. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I saw Tiny a number of times in Pittsburgh in the 1970's. It was in a club where I was the only white person to be seen all night long each time. One time, Tiny came up to me and gave me a big hug. Let me tell you, this record (and no other recording) gives any sense of her incredible power and emotion singing on stage. She was an absolute legend to anyone who ever saw her. If you asked why she was not a national star, you learned that she did not want to leave Pittsburgh. When jazz stars did concerts in Pittsburgh, after their shows they went out to see Tiny perform until the early hours of the morning. I spent a few of those nights at tables with great jazz musicians who wanted to see Tiny. History books on jazz miss many people.

    P.S. That cover photo is a wig. When I saw her, she did not wear one.
     
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  17. Lou Ming

    Lou Ming Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stamford, CT
    The Boswell Sisters, from whence came Connee, is my personal favorite.
    Here's their version of "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day" from my copy of the 78rpm release.
    Fantastic close harmony work with her sisters Vet and Martha, great players on the sessions.

     
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  18. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    The trio of female singers that Ella kept on mentioning over the years were Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and, as you surmised, Peggy Lee. (I believe that Ella repeatedly mentioned one or two additional major singers, but I do not recall it being as frequently as these other three.)
     
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  19. .crystalised.

    .crystalised. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    Here's June Valli with Eddy Arnold from the June 4, 1960 broadcast of Jubilee USA:

    They're getting awful close for television of the era. June looks thrilled that Eddy gets to hold her tight, and you can hear the excitement in her voice. It's a charming clip and a catchy tune that Arnold recorded with Jaye P Morgan for a 1957 single release.

    Valli has a fine voice and enjoyed several hits for Victor:
    1952 "Strange Sensation" #23
    1953 "Crying in the Chapel" #4
    1954 "I Understand" #8
    1954 "Tell Me, Tell Me" #16
    1955 "Unchained Melody" #29
    1958 "The Wedding" #43
    1959 "The Answer To A Maiden's Prayer" #71
    1960 "Apple Green" #29
     
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  20. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    Followed your link on Crying In the Chapel. As someone who remembers the Elvis version, I eventually learned that he was covering a song by the Orioles. Now I see that The Orioles were covering the song themselves. :)
     
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  21. Lou Ming

    Lou Ming Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stamford, CT
    "Ella Fitzgerald made no secret of her admiration for the Boswell Sisters, and for Connee Boswell in particular. “When I was a girl,” said Ella, “I listened to records by all the singers, white and black, and I know that Connee Boswell was doing things that no one else was doing at the time. You don’t have to take my word for it. Just check the recordings and hear for yourself.”"
    Connee Boswell - Music »
     
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  22. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks for all of the above, .crystalised. I too found the music clip pleasant, including the duetting.

    In all honesty, though, June Valli's singing is not my cup of tea. She sang mostly generic 1950s tunes aiming at the contemporary music charts, and cultivated a "style of the day" that does not appeal to me. (As I've said before, we can't like them all. "Just one of those things.")

    My feelings about June might have also been influenced by the first photo of hers to which my eyes were exposed. Her album The Torch can be found with two very different covers. The cover seen above (in the first of .cristalized.'s messages) is tasteful, evocative, even charming in its simplicity. But here is the other cover version, which is the one that I first saw (and bought):

    [​IMG]

    Overall, this cover strikes me as campy. Worse yet, she looks scary in it. The quivering lips. The long arched eyebrows that seem to join her scalp. And the tears, the tears!

    [​IMG]

    Only nice things (well, somewhat nice thing) I can say about it is that she reminds me of Norman Desmond (Gloria Swanson) from the classic film Sunset Boulevard. In any case, my initial listening of the album was probably affected by the bad impression that the photo made on me.

    Funnily enough, it's not just that one LP cover that raises my eyebrows. All of her LPs send me running in fear! ... They tend to amuse and horrify in equal measure. There is this one, which I chose to skip getting:

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    It's a wedding album (and a "do it yourself," at that), in which she sings songs with titles such as "Bridal Chorus" and "Oh Promise Me."

    This one, which I also happen to have, is from 1968:

    [​IMG]

    Valli's peaks from Today are mostly overdone tunes and ditties that are best left uncovered: "People," "Cabaret," "My Funny Valentine" ...

    Next one:

    [​IMG]

    I cannot speak as to its quality, because I don't have it. But the track listing frightens me: most medleys, which I abhor. ("Barry Manilow Medley," "Al Jolson Medley," "Judy Garland Medley" ...)

    Another Valli LP out there is a split album, with the other half given to Mel Tormé. If memory serves, the contents consist entirely of audio from Snader Telescriptions, in very poor sound quality.

    So ... the mere sight of her albums' photos and track listings predisposed me against her. But, leaving aside those biases, her singing style is still not my thing, anyway.

    None
    of the above should be misconstrued to mean that this is a "bad" singer. Not at all. I was just sharing my experience.

    Here she is, singing "People," in what must be a rarity -- a non-salacious Scopitone video.



    Biographical trivia of interest:

    1. Like Monica Lewis (one of the singers already discussed), June Valli was, for a while, the singing voice of Chiquita Banana on TV commercials.

    2. Weddings became an important concept in June Valli's music career. Besides her hit single "The Wedding" and her album of wedding songs, there is the claim that June was discovered at a wedding reception, where she was singing in public for the very first time. "Stormy Weather" was the number she sang there. (Or so the story goes.) That performance at a wedding led to an audition for Arthur Godfrey's talent show, where she did an encore of "Stormy Weather." The lady would log on to record the number for her Torch album as well: June Valli (Song: Stormy Weather (Tiempo Borrascoso)1 »

    3. Crying is another concept that I, for one, associate with Valli's singing. There is her big hit single "Crying in the Chapel." There is her cover version of Johnnie Ray's "Cry." There are the tears in the front cover of The Torch. And there is also the on-the-verge-of-tears or dramatic manner in which she often sings.

    4. Valli can be counted among the list of singers who were regulars in the 1950s TV show Your Hit Parade. She was replaced by Gisele MacKenzie.

    5. This June served as a momentary substitute for another June (Christy), performing next to Stan Kenton on one radio session.
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2016
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  23. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I always feared getting close to women like June in Lipstick, for fear of getting lipstick all over me. Ever since I got caught at age three taking my Mother's entire lipstick collection and drawing all over all of the walls of our house with them (I got caught just as I was finishing), I have had a basic fear of lipstick. I won't even use chapstick.
     
  24. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident Thread Starter

    You are welcome, Stu, and I'm happy to have mentioned a topic of your interest. (Sorry that it took me so long to reply, though. Been meaning to, for a while ... Time flies!) Anyway, I agree that both Chris Connor and Helen Merrill have the qualifications to be included in that list.

    On the matter of the Cathy Hayes LP: are you thinking about the possibility of tracking it down online (rather than going to used record stores)? Vinyl copies can be found at several internet sites, but:

    1. for the most part, it is not the original LP. It is instead a vinyl reissue, from Spain's label Fresh Sounds. The original is from 1959, the reissue from 1986. (The same label did a compact disc reissue, too.)

    2. despite being a reissue, that Fresh Sound LP still tends to sell at relatively high prices nowadays (especially when you take into account shipping prices to Canada).

    As for (physical) used record stores within the United States, this was my experience back when I regularly visited some of the ones on the West Coast: the LP reissue turned up from time to time, while the original LP did so only rarely.

    The East Coast could be a different matter, because the LP was originally released on a small Hollywood label. (That independent label's reputation is fine enough to add to the price tag.) Would be nice if somebody who frequents stores such as Amoeba could chime in ...

    By the way, I do not have either LP version. I bought the Fresh Sound CD.
     
  25. Tribute

    Tribute Senior Member

    I just discovered that my original issue LP was loaned out, but I do not recall to whom and when. But I do have the FS CD issue. It is too bad that the SSJ Label in Japan has really slowed down on vintage vocal reissues. They did some of the best (both in terms of sound quality and often the rarity).
     

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