BEVERLY KENNEY - Sings For Johnny Smith (1955-1991) RM / MONO / APE (image+.cue), lossless

Beverly Kenney was one of the most promising new jazz singers of the mid-'50s. Unfortunately, she did not live long and recorded just three albums as a leader. This particular CD reissue, a quartet date with guitarist Johnny Smith, pianist Bob Pancoast, bassist Knobby Totah, and drummer Mousie Alexander, is a real gem, with Kenney heard in top form. Her version of "Destination Moon" is quite delightful, and other highlights include "Tis' Autumn," "Almost Like Being in Love," "There Will Never Be Another You," and "Snuggled on Your Shoulder," even if "Ball and Chain" (a renamed "Sweet Lorraine") does not quite cut it. Beverly Kenney had great potential and deserves to be remembered today. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Surrey With The Fringe On Top    2:07
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
2    Tis' Autumn    2:26
H. Nemo
3    Looking For A Boy    2:18
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4    I'll Know My Love (Greensleeves)    2:31
L. Jones-B. Kaye
5    Destination Moon    2:18
Roy Alfred / M. Fisher
6    Ball & Chain (Sweet Lorraine)    3:00
Burwell-Parish
7    Almost Like Being In Love    2:08
Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe
8    Stairway To The Stars    2:48
Matty Malneck / Mitchell Parish / Frank Signorelli
9    There Will Never Be Another You    2:09
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
10    This Little Town In Paris    3:05
M. Schwartz
11    Moe's Blues    2:15
M. King
12    Snuggled On Your Shoulder    2:26
Carmen Lombardo / Joe Young
Credits :
Bass – Nabil Totah
Drums – Mousie Alexander
Guitar – Johnny Smith
Piano – Bob Pancoast
Vocals – Beverly Kenney

BEVERLY KENNEY - Come Swing with Me (1956-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Though a singer of uncommon emotional depth, Beverly Kenney could also cut loose with the best of them, and Come Swing with Me captures an effervescence and playfulness often absent from her later, more renowned sessions. Paired with arranger Ralph Burns, who likewise sidesteps his usual subtle refinement for a lighter, more lively approach, Kenney retains the thoughtful phrasing and sultry demeanor that are her signatures, but it's a pleasure to hear her tackle material like "You Make Me Feel So Young" and "You Go to My Head". by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1    Give Me The Simple Life 2:19
Written By – Bloom-Ruby
2    I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry 2:58
Written By – Cahn-Styne
3    The Trolley Song 1:52
Written By – Martin-Blane
4    Violets For My Furs 2:53
Written By – Adair-Dennis
5    This Can't Be Love 1:46
Written By – Rodgers-Hart
6    Scarlet Ribbons 1:57
Written By – Segal-Danzig
7    If I Were A Bell 2:07
Written By – F.Loesser
8    Why Try To Change Me Now 3:33
Written By – Coleman-McCarthy
9    Swinging On A Star 3:00
Written By – Burke-Van Heusen
10    You Go To My Head 2:37
Written By – Gillespie-Coots
11    It Ain't Necessarily So 1:31
Written By – I.Gershwin-G.Gershwin
12    You Make Me Feel So Young 2:09
Written By – Gordon-Myrow
Credits :
Bass – Milt Hinton
Clarinet – Al Epstein
Drums – Don Lamond, Teddy Sommer
French Horn – Julius Watkins
Guitar – Barry Galbraith, Billy Bauer
Harp – Janet Putnam
Piano – Moe Wechsler
Saxophone – Danny Banks, George Berg, Sam Marowitz
Trombone – Urbie Green
Trumpet – Nick Travis

BEVERLY KENNEY - Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-ites (1956-1989) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Beverly Kenney, one of the most interesting jazz singers of the mid-'50s, led just three albums in her brief career. This set, reissued by the Spanish Fresh Sound label, teams Kenney with pianist Jimmy Jones, four then-current members of Count Basie's band (trumpeter Joe Newman, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, rhythm guitarist Freddie Green, and bassist Eddie Jones), plus former Basie-ite Jo Jones on drums. The light but swinging backing is perfect for Kenney, who excels on such songs as "Nobody Else But Me," "A Fine Romance," "Isn't This a Lovely Day," and "Can't Get Out of This Mood." She deserves to be remembered. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Nobody Else But Me 3:23
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
2 The More I See You 3:08
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren 
3 Old Buttermilk Sky 2:45
Shelton Brooks / Hoagy Carmichael
4 I Never Has Seen Snow 3:50
Harold Arlen / Truman Capote
5 A Fine Romance 2:54
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
6 Who Cares What People Say 2:35
M.K. Jerome / Jack Scholl
7 Makin' Whoopee 2:05
Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn
8 The Charm of You 2:28
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
9 Isn't This a Lovely Day? 3:15
Irving Berlin
10 Mairzy Doats 2:44
Milton Drake / Al Hoffman / Jerry Livingston
11 My Kind of Love 2:25
Charles Holdeman
12 Can't Get Out of This Mood 2:47
Frank Loesser / Jimmy McHugh
Credits:
Bass – Eddie Jones
Drums – Jo Jones
Flute, Tenor Saxophone – Frank Wess
Piano – Jimmy Jones
Rhythm Guitar – Freddie Green
Trumpet – Joe Newman
Vocals – Beverly Kenney

BEVERLY KENNEY - Sings for Playboys (1958-1999) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Beverly Kenney had a tragically brief life, committing suicide in 1960 when she was just 28, probably over a broken love affair. A subtle improviser with a haunting voice and a real skill for interpreting lyrics, she had six albums released during her lifetime. Sings for Playboys, despite its lightweight title, is one of her finest efforts. Accompanied by just pianist Ellis Larkins (who doubles on celeste) and bassist Joe Benjamin, Kenney digs into a dozen songs, only five of which could qualify as standards. While she brings new life to such tunes as "A Woman's Intuition" and "Try a Little Tenderness," she performs definitive versions of such forgotten numbers as "You're My Boy," "Life Can Be Beautiful," and "It's a Most Unusual Day." The music alternates between ballads and lightly swinging pieces with Larkins being a perfect accompanist for Kenney, who is heard throughout at her most expressive. The Japanese have rediscovered Beverly Kenney during the past decade; she's long overdue for American recognition. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Do It Again 2:38
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin
2. A Woman's Intuition 3:33
Ned Washington / Victor Young
3. You're My Boy 3:00
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
4. Mama,Do I Gotta? 2:07
Manny Kurtz / Victor Mizzy
5. What Is There To Say 3:56
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
6. A Lover Like You 3:30
Otis Clements / Lester Judson
7. A Summer Romance 3:08
Lester Judson / Raymond Taylor
8. Life Can Be Beautiful 2:59
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
9. It's Magic 2:30
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
10. A-You're Adorable (The Alphabet Song) 2:32
Buddy Kaye / Sidney Lippman / Fred Wise
11. Try A Little Tenderness 3:14
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Harry Woods
It's A Most Unusual Day 1:47
Jimmy McHugh
Credits :
Bass – Joe Benjamin
Piano – Ellis Larkins
Vocals – Beverly Kenney

BEVERLY KENNEY - Born to Be Blue (1959- 1999) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Born to Be Blue captures Beverly Kenney at her most intimate and compelling. Created in collaboration with arrangers Hal Mooney and Charles Albertine, the music channels the emotional depth of the blues with startling clarity, employing Kenney's deep, commanding vocals to vividly poignant effect. Mooney and Albertine forgo excess and sentimentality in favor of stark simplicity, architecting taut modern jazz contexts that shift the spotlight squarely on Kenney's vocals. Her readings of familiar songs like "For All We Know" are forged from both resiliency and vulnerability, articulating an emotional depth matched by few singers of her era. by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1. Born To Be Blue 3:28
Sid Robin / Charlie Shavers
2. Isn't It A Pity 2:30
George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
3. For All We Know 3:06
J.Fred Coots, Sam Lewis
4. It Only Happens When I Dance With You 2:41
Irving Berlin
5. Again 3:15
Orchestrated By – Hal Mooney
Written By – Cochran, Dorcas, Lionel Newman
6. I Walk A Little Faster 2:50
Carolyn Leigh, Cy Coleman
7. Go Away, My Love 2:30
Orchestrated By – Hal Mooney
Written By – Jay Livingston, Ray Evans
8. Beyond The Next Hill 2:51
Orchestrated By – Hal Mooney
Bob Haymes, Bobby Woeth
9. It's A Blue World 2:18
Bob Wright, Chet Forrest
10. Vanity 2:56
Orchestrated By – Hal Mooney
Written By – Bierman, Manus, Wood
11. Somewhere Along The Way 3:02
Kurt Adams, Sammy Gallop
12. Where Can I Go Without You 2:24
Orchestrated By – Hal Mooney
Written By – Peggy Lee, Victor Young
Credits :
Orchestrated By Charles Albertine (tracks: 1, 6, 9, 11, 13), Hal Mooney (tracks: 2-5, 7, 8, 10, 12)
Piano – Ellis Larkins
Trumpet – Charlie Shavers (tracks: 3, 4, 10)
Vocals – Beverly Kenney

BEVERLY KENNEY - Like Yesterday (1959-1999) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With Like Yesterday Beverly Kenney updates a series of pop standards with a formula rooted in the archly modern sound of Eisenhower-era jazz—experienced decades after the fact, the album boasts a timelessness that renders its basic conceits of time and place moot, especially given that the fierce intelligence of Kenney's phrasing and the sultry depth of her vocals contrast so sharply with the Doris Day stereotypes associated with the period in question. Backed by a small but exemplary supporting cast including guitarist Chuck Wayne and reedist Jerome Richardson, Kenney eschews embellishment and excess in favor of lean, taut arrangements that emphasize emotional context—her readings of familiar songs like "More Than You Know" and "A Sunday Kind of Love" possess a startling intimacy. by Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1.  Undecided 2:11
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Tenor Saxophone – Al Klink
Trombone – Eddie Bert
2. Sentimental Journey 2:05
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Percussion – Johnny Rae
Piano – Stan Free
Vibraphone – Johnny Rae
3. I Had The Craziest Dream 2:21
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Tenor Saxophone – Al Klink
Trombone – Eddie Bert
4. And The Angels Sing 1:44
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Trumpet – Stan Free
Woodwind – Jerome Richardson
5. More Than You Know 2:39
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Woodwind – Jerome Richardson
6. The Dipsy Doodle 1:44
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Woodwind – Jerome Richardson
7. What A Difference A Day Made 2:17
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Percussion – Johnny Rae
Piano – Stan Free
Vibraphone – Johnny Rae
8. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place 2:01
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Tenor Saxophone – Al Klink
Trombone – Eddie Bert
9. A Sunday Kind Of Love 2:30
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Tenor Saxophone – Al Klink
Trombone – Eddie Bert
10.  Any Old Time 1:34
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Piano – Stan Free
Woodwind – Jerome Richardson
11. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe 2:18
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Percussion – Johnny Rae
Piano – Stan Free
Vibraphone – Johnny Rae
12. Tampico 2:00
Bass – Bill Pemberton
Drums – Ed Shaughnessy
Guitar – Chuck Wayne
Percussion – Johnny Rae
Piano – Stan Free
Vibraphone – Johnny Rae