One of the best-remembered jazz albums from singer Bev Kelly – partly for the record's great use of guitar by Johnny Smith, but also for the great vocals from Bev herself! The album's one of a few that really set a new standard for small combo jazz in the 50s – different than the bigger band records with singers, but also not nearly as cabaret-styled as some of the other records with a small group behind the vocalist. Smith's tone is wonderful – that moody, mellow magic he did so well – and his pairing here is not unlike that of Barney Kessel with Julie London, but with much more of a New York vibe overall. Titles include "Looking For A Boy", "Destination Moon", "Tis Autumn", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Snuggled On Your Shoulder", and "Moe's Blues". CD

A rare Decca album lead by the smoky vocals of Beverly Kenney – a really unique late 50s/early 60s jazz girl who once worked for the Dorsey brothers, the Count Basie Orchestra and others, and only ever cut a handful of albums under her own name! Sings for Playboys is an intimate, sultry batch of tunes that have a really unique feel thanks to the super spare accompaniment of just Ellis Larkins on piano and Joe Benjamin on bass. That approach does a great job of transforming your senses to the smoky, boozy after hours cabaret that must have been in mind when the recordings were conceived. The album only ever appeared briefly in the late 50s (possibly because of the unauthorized and quite obvious reference to Playboy Magazine in the title and in the cover photo) but it's sure great to see it reappear – they didn't make a lot records like this in the big band dominated recordings of the era! 12 tracks including "Do It Again", "A Woman's Intuition", "Mama, Do I Gotta?", "A Lover Like You", "A Summer Romance", "It's Magic", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by singer Beverly Kenny – a great 50s jazz vocalist who never got her due, but who managed to make some pretty fine records at the time! This album's one of them, and features backings from Ralph Burns – not as dark and moody as some of his other work of the 50s, and in a lightly, sprightly swinging style that really works well for Bev – often with a nice gentle swing that works well with the jazz modes of her vocals. Titles include "If I Were A Bell", "This Can't Be Love", "Give Me The Simple Life", "You Make Me Feel So Young", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

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A super rare Decca album by vocalist Beverly Kenny – one of a few albums she cut for the label in the late 50s – and one of only a handful she ever cut at all! Beverly has a deep, sultry vocal style that recalls June Christy a bit, and the velvety toned Mel Torme in a way – and this album makes great use of the intimate style with the nicely spare accompaniment. The bluesy work on this set recalls some of the the work of Ernestine Anderson at times – and the tunes were conducted by Hal Mooney (who has worked with Anderson) and Charlie Albertine. Tracks including "Born To Be Blue", "Isn't It A Pity", "It Only Happens When I Dance With You", "Again", "Vanity", and "It's A Blue World". CD

Very jazzy work from vocalist Beverly Kenny – sung with small combo backings throughout, and a style that's always fresh and lean! Some of the titles here are from earlier years, as implied by the title – but the sound of the record is in the best late 50s vocal jazz mode, thanks especially to the lineup of players on the set. Some musicians are stated outright – including Jerome Richardson on reeds, Chuck Wayne on guitar, Johnny Rae on vibes, and Eddie Bert on trombone – while other players are listed simply as "a flautist" or "a trumpeter", most likely due to contractual reasons! But even with this obscured identity in the notes, the players are all plenty darn great – and really help shape the sound of the record throughout. Titles include "Undecided", "I Had The Craziest Dream", "More Than You Know", "The Dipsy Doodle", "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", "A Sunday Kind Of Love",a nd "Tampico". CD

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by vocalist Beverly Kenny – early 50s sides done before her rise to fame on Roost and Decca, and a much-needed addition to her too-short career! The tracks were originally part of transcription discs done for radio stations, and they've got a surprisingly full, professional feel – not like the quieter material showcased on SSJ's other Kenny collection, Snuggled On Your Shoulder – but recorded with jazzy backings from arranger Eddie Safranski! The lineup includes tenor, alto, baritone, and trumpet – plus piano by either Dick Hyman and Moe Wexler, and guitar from Mundell Lowe – all to perfectly set the blue mood that Beverly's going for with her vocals. Many of the tracks here are nicely less familiar, and not overdone standards – and titles include "That Pyramid Jazz", "Long Lean & Lanky", "It's A Mean Old World", "Too Bad", "The Stars The Night The Moon", "Yours Sincerely", and "Let's Try It Again". CD

A real musical discovery from vocalist Beverly Kenney – rare session material from 1954, recorded even before her first few albums on the Roost label! The sound here is very spare – with Bev on vocals and Tony Tamburello on piano – in a style that might be called "demo" during later years, when singers always expected more instrumentation to be added later on – but which comes off perfectly here in a late nite, intimately jazzy mode! Beverly's vocals are wonderfully strong, but never overdone – really holding the record with a presence that's breathtaking, and almost more so than any of her later work with bigger groups. Titles include "Gay Chicks", "Tea For Two", "There Will Never Be Another You", "Moe's Blues", "Can't Get Out Of This Mood", "Snuggled On Your Shoulder", and "That's All". CD

Music from The Nat King Cole Trio, Carmen McRae, Chet Baker, Mel Torme, Annie Ross, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, June Christy, Beverly Kenney, David Allyn, and more. CD