Carmen McRae, Carmen McRae's Finest Hour - 1h 3m 33s

Tracks & Durations

1. I Was Doing All Right	2:50
2. How Long Has This Been Going On?	4:06
3. Namely You	2:46
4. Dream of Life	4:02
5. The Eagle and Me	2:48
6. Do You Know Why?	2:53
7. Whatever Lola Wants	3:00
8. When Your Lover Has Gone	3:35
9. Weak for the Man	4:08
10. Mad About the Boy	4:14
11. Love Is a Simple Thing	2:05
12. I Wants to Stay Here	3:50
13. Baltimore Oriole	3:54
14. Invitation	2:55
15. Something to Live For	3:14
16. Midnight Sun	3:48
17. Georgia Rose	3:22
18. Love Is Here to Stay	3:04
19. Perdido	2:50

Note: The information about this album is acquired from the publicly available resources and we are not responsible for their accuracy.

Review

Carmen McRae was simply one of the giants of jazz singing, with a distinctive sound and phrasing, superb intonation, and rare harmonic imagination. She also had a unique gift for presenting a lyric, whether conveying depths of feeling or sheer playfulness. This CD is drawn from McRae's first sustained period of recording, her Decca work from 1955 to 1959. It demonstrates her emotional range, from the ebullient high spirits of "Namely You" and "Love Is a Simple Thing" to the lightly bittersweet balladry of "Do You Know Why?" and the passion of "Mad About the Boy." The accompaniments here include several big bands and string sections, and McRae is well served by a collection of arrangers highlighted by Tadd Dameron, Ernie Wilkins, and Ralph Burns. More-intimate small groups include superb contributions from pianist Ray Bryant and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, while "Something to Live For" has the composer, Billy Strayhorn, at the piano. --Stuart Broomer

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