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Vocalists — Recently Added

XSingers we love -- from vintage torch to vocalese, scat, jazz poetry, standards, and more!


Mark Murphy

Bridging A Gap
Muse, 1972. Near Mint-
Really great 70s work from the great Mark Murphy – one of those sessions for Muse Records where he really pushed his style forward in comparison to older European and American recordings! The set's got some hip arrangements from David Matthews, organ from Pat Rebillot, guitar from Sam Brown, ... LP, Vinyl record album

Ben Sidran

Don't Let Go
Blue Thumb, 1974. Very Good+
Tight funky jazz from vocalist Ben Sidran – still very much in his best early mode, and playing with a really raw sound overall! Ben's vocals are in that down-home Mose Allison mode, but the real charm is the music – which features funky drums by Clyde Stubblefield, the man responsible ... LP, Vinyl record album
Philips, Early 60s. Very Good
One of the great records made by the cool French jazzy vocal group that included Ward Swingle and Christine LeGrand, and which did stuff that was much more straightforwardly jazzy than the semi-classical work of the Swingle Singers. This LP's got them backed by Jerome Richardson and his quartet, ... LP, Vinyl record album

Lorez Alexandria

How Will I Remember You?
Discovery, 1977. Very Good
A great album from the late 70's, featuring the excellent jazz vocalist backed by a totally tight group led by Gildo Mahones. The sound is deep and loud, and there's some nice phat bass on here, particularly on the intro to "Baltimore Oriole", which has a nice break sound at the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie Jefferson

Things Are Getting Better
Muse, 1974. Very Good+
One of the weirdest, wildest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson – a real standout classic that shows him retooling his sound for the 70s! After years of writing lyrics to James Moody and Charlie Parker tunes, Eddie lays out some crazy lyrics for modern jazz standards like "Freedom Jazz ... LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar Brown Jr

Brother Where Are You
Atlantic, 1973. Very Good+
Sweet 70s funk from the great Oscar Brown – quite a change from his jazz-based work of the 60s, but a great new sitting for all of his wonderful wit and warmth! Brown's still a hell of a songwriter, and one with a very socially-conscious eye – sharper here than before, with lots of ... LP, Vinyl record album

June Christy

Gone For the Day
Capitol, 1957. Very Good+
That's "gone" – as in the way June Christy really sends us – vocals that take us to a place that few other 50s singers could ever hope to reach! June's work here is a masterpiece of melancholic understatement – far less overblown than some of her pop contemporaries, but ... LP, Vinyl record album
Capitol, Mid 60s. Very Good
Who can ever figure this chick out? Mrs Miller was a strange denizen of the bottom level of the music industry food chain – and her stock-in-trade was performing 60s pop tunes with a shrill fuddy-duddy style that was instantly recognizable, and forever annoying! This record is less of a ... LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar Brown Jr.

Between Heaven & Hell
Columbia, 1962. Very Good+
Great early work from Oscar Brown Jr – a hip mix of jazz and soul, working in Brown's unique sense of showmanship, and his almost beat-like flair with a lyric! Ralph Burns and Quincy Jones handled the arrangements – and the album's filled with great original tracks by Brown, including ... LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar Brown Jr, Sivuca, & Jean Pace

Joy
RCA, 1970. Near Mint-
Oscar Brown's score for a hip play that he wrote (one of his many plays!) – performed by him, Sivuca, and Jean Pace. Despite the "show" quality of the material, this actually stands simply as a great Oscar Brown Jr. LP, and the production is nice and intimate, and sounds just like ... LP, Vinyl record album

Chris Connor

This Is Chris
Bethlehem, Mid 50s. Near Mint-
Beautifully icy vocals from the amazing Chris Connor – the kind of record that set a new standard for vocal jazz back in the 50s! The session's a small group one – with Chris singing intimately alongside backing from Herbie Mann on flute and tenor, Kai Winding and JJ Johnson on ... LP, Vinyl record album

Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy Sings
Muse, 1975. Near Mint-
Arguably the best Mark Murphy album ever – a stunningly soulful, and slightly spiritual 70s session that features some of his hippest tunes ever – and backings from a Dave Matthews-arranged group that also includes The Brecker Brothers and Don Grolnick on keyboards! Titles include ... LP, Vinyl record album

Jackie & Roy

Lovesick
Verve, Mid 60s. Near Mint- Gatefold
Wonderfully groovy work from the team of Jackie Cain & Roy Kral – a set that has the pair moving into much hipper modes for the 60s, and really taking off from the greatness of earlier records! Backing is still by Roy's core trio, with acoustic piano at the lead – but the addition ... LP, Vinyl record album
Columbia, Early 60s. Near Mint-
An early concept album from the great Jon Hendricks – one that tells the story of blues through jazz – all put together as a flowing story in music! Jon speaks and sings the whole tale – but also gets some help on vocals from Big Miller, Hanna Dean, and Jimmy Witherspoon – ... LP, Vinyl record album

Mark Murphy

Stolen Moments
Muse, 1978. Very Good+
One of his best for Muse, with a beautiful set of jazzy vocal grooves that includes his reading of "Stolen Moments" (later made famous by United Future Organization), plus "D.C. Farewell" and an excellent version of "Waters of March". Warm and breezy, with that ... LP, Vinyl record album
Capitol, Late 60s. Very Good
The Velvet Fog gets hip and swinging in this Now Sound album recorded for Capitol in the late 60's. The title cut's ok, but the real gems are the versions of "Sunshine Superman" and "Take a Letter Maria", plus the more obscure "Catch a Robber by the Toe" and "Requ ... LP, Vinyl record album

Claudine Longet

Look Of Love
A&M, 1967. Near Mint-
The genius of 60s pop is hardly summed up better by anyone else than Claudine Longet! This dreamy female singer cut a handful of excellent late 60s albums for A&M – and this gem from 1967 is one of her best! The set's arranged by Nick DeCaro, and produced by Tommy LiPuma – all in ... LP, Vinyl record album

Earl Coleman

Love Songs
Atlantic, 1968. Sealed
A great return to form for vocalist Earl Coleman – a singer who'd recorded earlier in the bop years, but who makes a rare 60s appearance here on a soulful set for Atlantic Records! Coleman's got a rich voice that's somewhere between Johnny Hartman and Billy Eckstine – with a great ... LP, Vinyl record album

Mel Torme & The Meltones

Back In Town
Verve, Mid 50s. Very Good+
Very groovy stuff – and a rare vocal group date from Mel Torme's later years! The album has Mel reprising the sound of his classic Mel-Tones vocal group during the 40s – but given the more modern setting, the sound here is a lot hipper than their original recordings – more in the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Williams

Joe Williams Live
Fantasy, 1973. Very Good+
One of the nice records made by Joe during his funky comeback of the late 60s/early 70s. He's singing here in a setting that's decidedly hipper than on earlier albums – with the early 70s Nat/Cannonball Adderley collective that includes George Duke on piano, Carol Kaye on bass, and ... LP, Vinyl record album

Sheila Jordan

Portrait Of Sheila
Blue Note, 1962. Near Mint-
One of the only two vocal jazz albums that the Blue Note label recorded back in the day – and a haunting batch of tracks from a young Sheila Jordan! The style here is quite different than that of Jordan's later, more experimental records – and this early session shows her as an ... LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Roche

Singin' & Swingin'
Prestige, Early 60s. Very Good-
One of the best vocal jazz albums that Prestige ever released, and a nice batch of soulful titles by this former Ellington vocalist. The group's nice and funky, with Brother Jack McDuff on organ, Jimmy Forrest on tenor, and Bill Jennings on guitar. Betty's warm rich voice fits nicely into this ... LP, Vinyl record album

Babs Gonzales

Babs
Chiaroscuro, Early 60s/1981. Sealed
A wonderful collection of material from the great Babs Gonzales – one of the most compelling jazz singers of the postwar years! As with contemporaries Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure, Babs loved jazz music so much that he'd write his own lyrics to songs – often around famous jazz ... LP, Vinyl record album

Clea Bradford

Now
Mainstream, Mid 60s. Very Good+
A nice step forward for singer Clea Bradford – an artist who started out in bluesier territory that maybe reflected her St Louis roots – but who works here with arranger Jim Tyler, who sets her up in a sophisticated mix of jazzy styles! Bradford's vocals are quite dynamic – you ... LP, Vinyl record album
Impulse, 1964. Very Good+ Gatefold
A beautiful album by one of our favorite jazz singers! Lorez Alexandria is in a perfect setting here – singing with subtly sophisticated backings that really let her take charge, and direct the songs tightly with her incredibly soulful vocals! Instrumentation is mostly in a small combo ... LP, Vinyl record album
ABC, Late 50s/Early 60s. Very Good+ 2LP Gatefold
A great set of rare early material by Betty Carter – and just about the only way you'll ever find these titles on vinyl! The set features one album Betty Recorded for the Peacock label, with hip arrangements by Gigi Gryce and Melba Liston, and one that she recorded for ABC, with more ... LP, Vinyl record album

Mark Murphy

Rah
Riverside, 1961. Very Good+
Great early work by Mark Murphy – a set that's different than the cool breeziness of his 70s work, and done with an approach that's a lot hipper than most of his 60s contemporaries! Ernie Wilkins handles the arrangements, and there's a rollicking soul jazz groove here that's a bit unusual ... LP, Vinyl record album

Luba Raushiek

Luba – Chi Jazz
Erect, 1981. Very Good+
An obscure bit of Chicago jazz – featuring vocalist Luba Raushiek, kind of a self-styled spiritualist, with an approach that hits both traditional modes, and more far-out soulful ones – running through styles that range from Leon Thomas to Billy Eckstine, as was typical for a small club ... LP, Vinyl record album

Eddie Jefferson

Jazz Singer
Inner City, 1959/1961/1976. Near Mint-
Rare work from Eddie Jefferson – cut between his early years on Prestige, and his revival on Riverside – work done for the Festival Records label, but best known in this hip 70s package put together by Inner City! The work here is a great precursor to Eddie's 60s comeback – and ... LP, Vinyl record album

George Green

For All We Know
M&M, Late 60s. Near Mint-
A pretty nice album of mellow jazz vocals – cut by George "Stardust" Green live at Rick Casares Pro Bowl, in Buffalo Grove, Illinois! George has that deep late night sound that's favored by many male jazz singers of his era – and he's performing here with a trio that includes ... LP, Vinyl record album
Verve, Late 50s. Near Mint-
An excellent album of vocals by the great Joe Williams! Joe's always been a fine singer, but with Basie, he really gets the backing he needs to do his work the best. And although this album isn't as authenico as it might be, it still comes from a time when Verve really knew how to handle singers ... LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny Hartman

Voice That Is
Impulse, 1964. Very Good+
At the time of this album, Johnny Hartman definitely was the voice that is – a singer with a new level of maturity for the 60s, and a voice that's far more masculine than the geeky look of the photo on the cover! Hartman's sound here is smooth and warm, but never in a too-commercial way ... LP, Vinyl record album

Lil Armstrong

Satchmo & Me
Riverside, Early 60s. Near Mint-
Interesting stuff, if not the kind of record you'd put on every day. The album's an interview with Louis Armstrong's wife Lil, and she talks at length about her famous days in the early years of jazz. Segments include "The Young Louis", "Early Life In Chicago", "Return To ... LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan

I Love Brazil
Pablo, 1977. Very Good+
Sarah does love Brazil – and the album's one of a number recorded in a Brazilian mode later in her career – in a way that really helped her breathe new life into her music by finding a different groove to work with! The arrangements here are relatively full – handled by Edson ... LP, Vinyl record album

Grady Tate

She Is My Lady
Janus, 1972. Very Good+
The jazzy vocals of Grady Tate get the Philly Soul treatment – as most of this album was recorded at Sigma Sound, with arrangements by Bobby Martin, and work by the usual MFSB players. Oddly, Grady's gone for kind of a rootsy style of singing on this one – harder than on earlier albums ... LP, Vinyl record album

Nancy Wilson

Hollywood My Way
Capitol, 1963. Very Good
Nancy Wilson turns her wonderfully sophisticated vocal style towards a batch of hits from Hollywood films of the 40s, 50s, and 60s – arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones, in that classy blend of jazz and soul that suited Wilson so well in the 60s! The style is really a cut above the usual ... LP, Vinyl record album
Atco, Early 60s. Very Good-
Ada Lee is a sweet voiced singer with a pretty strong jazz style – in a mode that's pretty similar to Ella Fitzgerald – although it's also clear that Atlantic was trying to peg her as a sophisticated R&B vocalist, in the mode of some of their other bigger female acts from the time! ... LP, Vinyl record album

Nina Simone

Nuff Said
RCA, 1968. Very Good+
A great little album from Nina – mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that always brings out the best of Nina's vocals. Titles include "The Backlash Blues", "Please Read ... LP, Vinyl record album

Carmen McRae

Can't Hide Love
Blue Note, 1976. Near Mint-
Sweet soul from Carmen McRae – a great 70s album for Blue Note, and one that has the classic singer moving into some very groovy material! The feel here is much more soul than jazz – at least the jazz of the torchy style from Carmen's roots – but as you'd guess from McRae, the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Carter

Now It's My Turn
Roulette, 1976. Very Good+
Excellent work from Betty Carter – much more sophisticated than some of her 60s work! The album features Betty recorded in that hip trio format that she developed to fantastic heights during the decade. Betty sings standards and originals with a warmth an imagination that we can hardly ... LP, Vinyl record album

Nancy Wilson

I've Never Been To Me
Capitol, 1977. Very Good+
Nancy Wilson hits hard on two different levels – some of the mellow, sophisticated numbers that made her mid 70s years so great – and a few more upbeat groovers that aim strongly for the clubs! The blend is carried off well here – thanks to production and arrangements from Gene ... LP, Vinyl record album

Teri Thornton

Devil May Care
Riverside, 1961. Near Mint-
One of the best albums from singer Teri Thornton – a jazz vocalist who was really starting to come into her own at the beginning of the 60s, and shines here in a way that's different from some of her bigger label sets! Backings are by Norman Simmons – a pianist we love on his own, and ... LP, Vinyl record album

Joe Williams

Worth Waiting For
Blue Note, Late 60s. Very Good+
LP...$2.99 11.99
Joe Williams was really reviving his career as a vocalist at this point – working with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis big band on a few well-selling records, and on this smoother set with arrangements by Horace Ott. The overall feel is kind of in a swinging Grady Tate mode, with jazziness ... LP, Vinyl record album

Mel Torme

Time For Us
Capitol, Late 60s. Very Good
Very groovy! This is an excellent album of swinging tunes that Mel cut for Capitol – very much in the Now Sound vein of his Right Now album for Columbia, and like that one, a mix of late 60s pop tunes and more obscure numbers, all done in a punchy "in the lounge with" mode. Titles ... LP, Vinyl record album

Lee Wiley

West Of The Moon
RCA, 1956. Near Mint-
A great set of torchy ballads from Lee Wiley – a singer who virtually helped invent the genre on record with her classic sets for Columbia Records! This album's done a few years after those – and features backings by Ralph Burns, who brings a fair bit more sentimental moments to his ... LP, Vinyl record album

Jackie & Roy

Sweet & Low Down
Columbia, 1960. Very Good
This was Jackie & Roy's first album for Columbia and it mainly consists of some familiar tunes by the likes of Ira & George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart and Cole Porter with a Roy Kral original thrown in. The tracks include "Chicago", "Fun Life", "Mountain ... LP, Vinyl record album

Billy Eckstine

Love Songs Of Mr B
EmArcy, Mid 40s/1954. Very Good
This is a collection of some of Eckstine's love songs mainly from singles from around 1945. His voice sounds great on these ten songs and they include "Prisoner Of Love", "I Love The Loveliness Of You", "You Call It Madness", "Time On My Hands", "Where ... LP, Vinyl record album

Georgia Gibbs

Swinging With Her Nibs
Mercury, 1956. Very Good
Glen Osser arranged and conducted and Georgia is accompanied by Buddy Weed on piano, Tony Mottola on guitar, Jimmie Crawford on drums and Arnold Fishkind on bass. Gibbs sings several familiar tunes including "Deed I Do", "Let's Do It", "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" ... LP, Vinyl record album

Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger, & The Trinity

Open (aka Jools)
Atco, 1968. Very Good+ Gatefold
Great stuff – one of the amazing early albums from the team of Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger – kind of a next-generation to the Brit beat group sound of the mid 60s – one that moves beyond simple R&B modes, to bring in more sophisticated soul and jazz touches! Driscoll's ... LP, Vinyl record album

Frank Sinatra

Sinatra & Company
Reprise, 1971. Very Good+
An excellent set – one of Sinatra's last great albums! Side one features more bossa material – with arrangements by Deodato, and a guest appearance by Jobim. The tracks have the floating easy groove of Sinatra's album with Jobim from earlier years – and there's some great ... LP, Vinyl record album
 
Updated March 24, 2023


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