LINER NOTES “What (and who) is a jazz singer?” is one of those weighty, perennial questions, like “Is God a woman?” or “How would Nolan Ryan have fared against Josh Gibson?" Given our limited space, I will only submit that singers as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Anita Ellis and James Brown, though not considered jazz singers, have greater jazz credibility (to these ears, anyway) than many who are. All the scat-singing, note-bending, and horn-like phrasing in the world don't mean a thing if... you know the rest. Which is where we begin this collection. With Ella, “Lady time”. No catalogue of recorded music includes anywhere near as many style-setting jazz singers as PolyGram's. From Mel Torme's West Coast jazz radiance and Jon Hendricks’ bubling vocalese to Dinah Washington’s worldly melancholy; from Billy Eckstine's suave bebop balladry to the avalanche intensity of Anita O'Day’s “Sweet Georgia Brown”, to the stark beauty of Nina Simone’s “Come ye”. The best singers, it’s often been said, paint pictures with words. Herein we offer one of Shirley Horn’s signature seductive still lifes, the romanticism of Helen Merrill, the expressionism of Abbey Lincoln, the neo-classicism of Joe Williams and Bill Henderson (both of whom are otherwise masterful in blue). There are masterpieces by Armstrong, Fitzgerald, Holiday, Vaughan annd Carter. Let's not forget the brilliant supporting players: Gil Evans reprising his landmark Miles Davis arrangement now featuring an impassioned Steve Lacy for Merrill's "Summertime"; altoist Cannonball Adderley co-piloting “How high the moon” with Sarah, the bristling tenor saxophone of Ben Webster behind Ella and Billie; Marty Paich, who was to Torm6 what Nelson Riddle was to Sinatra, but hipper; Betty Carter's young charges gaining - and showing - musical knowledge; Oscar Peterson and Jimmy ftowles, best friends, guides, and protectors to many a supernal vocalist. What is a jazz singer? Here are 16 most plea answers. James Isaacs https://i.imgur.com/GDrCXq7.jpeg 01. Ella Fitzgerald - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) [4:14] 02. Mel Torme - Just In Time [3:27] 03. Helen Merrill - Summertime [4:30] 04. Billy Eckstine - If You Could See Me Now [3:26] 05. Anita O'Day - Sweet Georgia Brown [4:15] 06. Abbey Lincoln - I Got Thunder (And It Rings) [5:47] 07. Bill Henderson - The Folks Who Live On The Hill [3:43] 08. Betty Carter - That Sunday, That Summer [4:56] 09. Louis Armstrong - Blues In The Night [5:14] 10. Sarah Vaughan - How High The Moon [2:38] 11. Shirley Horn - I Got Lost In His Arms [4:14] 12. Jon Hendricks - Shiny Stockings [4:07] 13. Dinah Washington - Blue Gardenia [5:20] 14. Billie Holiday - I Wished On The Moon [3:27] 15. Joe Williams - Too Marvelous For Words [5:28] 16. Nina Simone - Come Ye [3:37] Compiled By James Isaacs and Richard Seidel Label: Verve / PolyGram Released: 1992 Catalogue: 845 466-2 Codec: Flac Compression Level: 8 Quality: High CD-rip by alekow (EAC and Flac) Covers Included (600dpi)