Search - Peggy Lee, Quincy Jones :: Blues Cross Country

One of Peggy's BEST Capitol Albums

F. Barton | Newport, WA USA | 05/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This incredible CD holds together the wonderous vocals of Miss Lee and the tremendous orchestrations by Quincy Jones. Every track is a show-stopper, and intricately woven together with hard-hitting vocals, and tender ballads. Her "Basin Street Blues" is enough to make you cry, while her "Kansas City" can blow out your speakers! Tremendous remastering and this CD has not been available before, not even in Japan! The bonus tracks are good, but unfortunately were released around the same time as Peggy Lee's EMI Twofers, which had them already. Don't let that stop you from buying this landmark album."

A concept album with a reason for being

DJ Rix | NJ USA | 11/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peggy's feeling for the blues - champagne dry, felt, empathetic, witty, never vulgar - endeared her to jazz musicians. Also, she enjoyed taking chances. Here, she teams up with a young, brilliant Quincy Jones, who made his rep with big band arranging & had done some fine work in a similar vein with Sarah Vaughan over on the Mercury label. The results aren't perfect, but "Blues Cross Country" is a concept album with a reason for being; two, actually, with the blues & road song themes. Although there isn't much outright jazz on this album, the sensiblility is there just beneath the surface, as it is with a lot of Sinatra & Tony Bennett. A few of these numbers are collected on a pretty good Peggy compilation: "Blues and Jazz Sessions." However, real Peggy Lee aficionados know how essential the individual albums are, even if one has to keep an an old-fashioned record turntable in good repair. Personnel include: Quincy Jones - Arranger, bandleader
Buddy Collette - Tuba, Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor);
Bob Cooper - Reeds;
Plas Johnson - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor);
Jimmy Rowles - Piano;
Bud Shank - Reeds;
Pete Candoli - Trumpet ;
Stan Levey - Bass, Drums ;
Lou Levy - Piano ;
Artie Kane - Organ;
Chano Pozo - Percussion, Conga;
Al Porcino - Trumpet;
Benny Carter -Arranger, Sax (Alto);
Larry Bunker - Percussion
Chico Guerrero - Conga
Howard Roberts - Guitar
Johnny Mandel - Arranger
Dick Nash - Trombone
Earl Palmer - Drums
John Pisano - Guitar
Frank Rosolino - Trombone
Toots Thielemans - Guitar"

On land as well as by sea.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 09/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Contrary to popular assumptions, Peggy was more of a blues singer than Billie Holiday, and this album demonstrates her mastery of the elemental 12-bar form. Her voice is in its prime, with that enveloping, sensual airy cushion of sound yet capable of manifesting surprising power when the need arises (it's easy to forget that she came up as a big band singer). She makes the familiar tunes--"Basin Street," "St. Louis Blues"--sound fresh while the new material sounds instantly approachable. The arrangements of Quincy Jones simply seal the deal. Finally, this is one of only two collections that include Peggy's original recording of the Lee-Mandel "The Shining Sea," in the eyes of many (including this listener) her own shining moment on record. Sadly, the other collection, "The Best of Peggy Lee" on the British EMI label, is also out of print."