Search - Various Artists :: Great Ladies of Jazz

These ladies sold their songs without even trying--and that'

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 04/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great Ladies of Jazz is a very solid CD that features some really great songs performed by some of the very best female jazz singers ever. The quality of the sound is fantastic; and the artwork is very well done as well.



"It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a live track of the great Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady Of Song; and Ella swings this out like the pro she always was! The piano arrangement is stunning and Ella really throws herself into this number. If you listen it's immediately apparent that Ella enjoyed a great rapport with her audience, too--she usually did! Ella was the best of them! Ella returns for "Our Love Is Here To Stay;" I love that horn treatment and the overall musical arrangement works wonders for "Our Love Is Here To Stay." I love it! Ella's voice is in excellent form; it's rich, warm and extremely vibrant. Great!



Listen also for the great Billie Holiday to perform a sublime rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine." Billie sounds more mature on this recording; but make no mistake about it--her voice is still in excellent form. Billie's uncanny sense of timing and her excellent diction bolster her ability to sing this ballad with panache, heart and all her soul. In addition, Billie's treatment of "God Bless The Child" strikes me as being especially pretty and moving; Billie Holiday was always one of my very favorite female vocalists and just one listen to this will tell you why! "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Dinah Washington features Dinah squarely front and center--and that's where she belongs! The big band arrangement enhances "Ain't Misbehavin';" this Fats Waller tune shines brightly when the great Dinah Washington delivers it flawlessly.



Sarah Vaughan sings "'S Wonderful" with her usual style and grace; and the horn stands out in the music that accompanies her fine singing! "'S Wonderful" by Sarah Vaughan is easily a major highlight of this album. Listen for Sarah a second time around as she performs "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with yet another big band arrangement. Sarah's voice is clear as a bell and her voice is very rich and full.



"Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" gets a fine jazzy interpretation from Abbey Lincoln; Abbey's voice sounds better than ever and this Depression era ballad is greatly enhanced by Abbey's interpretation. The CD even ends strong with Shirley Horn delivering "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" flawlessly; the piano arrangement is very elegant as well.

Shirley does this one up right!



Fans of the great female vocalists on this album are bound to want this CD in their collections. This CD oozes good taste and class and it's bound to be available for sale for quite some while to come.

"

Good cd

skywalkerfive | moscow, russia | 05/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this a good cd full of great ladies of jazz (hence the name) singing some of the classic jazz tunes. its a steal at 6 clams. trust me and cough up for it. i'v got not regrets"

Sit back close your eyes and just move to the beat.

Joshua Glowzinski | Earth | 07/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great cd. I heard it inside a little music place one day and asked the old lady who was singing the song I was hearing. She got me out this cd and I got it for like 8 dollars. Every song on here is so great. I am only 21 and I love it. It makes me miss old good music like this. So unless you only like a certin kind of music I say get this it has amazing songs and is very relaxing. You may be able to find it at a lower price at your local record store so you may want to check there first."