Flying High is the first album to be released by the non-profit organisation, Jazz At The Ballroom. The album’s subtitle, “Big Band Canaries Who Soared”, refers to the women who sang with the big bands of Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and others before spreading their wings and going on to achieve solo success.
Songs made famous by singers such as Billie Holiday, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee and Jo Stafford are celebrated here by six of today’s female vocalists. Whilst the music is inspired by legends this is not simply a recreation of past hits, instead each vocalist stamps her unique personality on the songs chosen.
On The Sunny Side Of The Street is delivered purely as an instrumental, featuring Champian Fulton on piano. Fulton goes on to sing her own versions of All Of Me (Mildred Bailey’s 1931 chart topper), What A Difference A Day Makes (popularised by Dinah Washington in 1959), The Man I Love (recorded by Ella Fitzgerald in 1959) and Exactly Like You (recorded by Ruth Etting in 1930).
Secret Love, sung by Doris Day in the film Calamity Jane, is refreshed by Vanessa Perea with smart walking bass accompaniment. Perea also covers The One I Love, recorded by Sophie Tucker in 1924. I Don’t Know Enough About You released by Peggy Lee in 1946 is updated by New York-based Australian, Olivia Chindamo. She also delivers a fast-paced take on Sweet Georgia Brown, which was recorded by Ethel Waters in 1925 and by Anita O’Day in the 1958 film, Jazz On A Summer’s Day. Jane Monheit delivers I Only Have Eyes For You, recorded by Jane Froman in 1934, and Social Call recorded by Betty Bryant in 1956 but not released until 1980.
Carmen Bradford, who sang with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983 to 1991, supplies her take on Lullaby Of The Leaves, recorded by Anita O’Day in 1952 and Fitzgerald in 1964. Bradford also sings her version of Tea For Two, recorded by Dinah Shore, Doris Day and Anita O’Day amongst others. Los Angeles-based Gretje Angell supplies a smoky rendition of Why Don’t You Do Right, famously sung by Peggy Lee in 1942 with Benny Goodman and His Orchestra. It was later recorded by Fitzgerald and Julie London as well. Angell also sings You Belong To Me, the song with which Jo Stafford topped the US and UK charts in 1952.
This vocally varied, swinging album doesn’t have a dud track in the bunch. Champian Fulton’s piano trio are first-class throughout and sound quality is excellent. Highly recommended.
Discography
On The Sunny Side Of The Street; Secret Love; I Don’t Know Enough About You; I Only Have Eyes For You; All Of Me; Lullaby Of The Leaves; Sweet Georgia Brown; Why Don’t You Do Right; What A Difference A Day Makes; The One I Love; Social Call; You Belong To Me; The Man I Love; Tea For Two; Exactly Like You (64.05)
Champian Fulton; Gretje Angell; Carmen Bradford; Olivia Chindamo; Jane Monheit; Vanessa Perea (v); Champian Fulton (p); Neal Miner (b); Fukushi Tainaka (d), except 4, 8, 11, 12 Mike Gurrola (b); Charles Ruggiero (d).
jazzattheballroom.com
Leon Nock adds his opinion:
Of late my popular music/jazz of choice has been thin on the ground in terms of new writers and/or performers, so that I have had to rely more or less on reissues on CD for my kicks, which is why, even before playing it I was delighted to make the acquaintance of this new release.
It appears that Jazz At The Ballroom is a California based small combo dedicated to preserving the sounds of swing, and especially the girl singers who stood in front of the bands, dressed in evening gowns, opened their mouths and laid a vocal on the audience, in fact the subtitle of the album is The Canaries Who Soared, “canary”, of course, being an outdated term for a female vocalist that was very much in vogue at the height of the big-band era of the 40s.
Essentially what we have here is a trio that employs, for the purposes of the recording, two drummers and two bass players; more pertinently there are also five of the aforesaid canaries in addition to Fulton, who actually tops and tails the album with instrumentals, both of which have lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
Alphabetically, the other vocalists are Gretje Angell, Carmen Bradford, Olivia Chindamo, Jane Monheit and Vanessa Perea, and although they are pale imitations of their idols – Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Billie Holiday, etc – in a musical landscape starved of quality, they shine like beacons. The album is crammed with solid jazz-inflected words and music and can be recommended to anyone with a discerning palate.
