SAMMY DAVIS JR & BUDDY RICH - The Sounds of '66 [1966]

If a pop singer is backed by a jazz band, he/she doesn't automatically turn into a jazz singer -- having jazz accompaniment doesn't necessarily make you jazz. But if a pop singer likes to swing, having jazz accompaniment is certainly a plus. Like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr. was a jazz-influenced pop singer who knew how to swing hard. And when Davis joined forces with drummer Buddy Rich in 1966, swinging hard was inevitable. The Sounds of '66 documents a 1966 show in Las Vegas, where Davis was backed by Rich's big band. Although Rich had a reputation for being difficult to work with and could be a loose cannon at times, he was an extraordinary musician -- and if you were able to get along with the volatile drummer (musically or personally), he could certainly add a lot of fire to your performances. Fire is exactly what Rich brings to The Sounds of '66; he clearly inspires Davis to go that extra mile on performances of songs that range from "Come Back to Me" to Sammy Cahn's "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and Frank Loesser's "Once in Love With Amy." Even "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" (a song that listeners generally associate with The Wizard of Oz) is hard-swinging -- Davis and Rich approach the E.Y. "Yip" Harburg/Harold Arlen song as aggressive big band pop, not children's music. A major departure from the famous Wizard of Oz version, Davis and Rich's version is definitely an adult interpretation. Not every album that Davis recorded in the '60s is great, but lovers of traditional jazz-influenced pop can't go wrong with this excellent CD.  by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
1  Come Back to Me 4:12
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner 
2  I Know a Place 2:27
Tony Hatch 
3  What Did I Have That I Don't Have? 3:43
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner 
4  What the World Needs Now Is Love 3:04
Burt Bacharach / Hal David 
5  Once in Love With Amy 2:45
Frank Loesser 
6  Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead 1:48
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg 
7  What Now My Love 3:07
Gilbert Bécaud / Pierre Delanoë / Carl Sigman 
8  What Kind of Fool Am I?  3:07
Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley 
9  If It's the Last Thing I Do 3:24
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin 
10 Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone 3:26
Sidney Clare / Sam H. Stept 
Credits
Arranged By, Conductor – Ernie Freeman, George Rhodes
Featuring – Buddy Rich And His Orchestra

SAMMY DAVIS JR & BUDDY RICH - The Sounds of '66 [1966]

RM [1996] Reprise / CBR320 / scans

O Púbis da Rosa

SAMMY DAVIS JR Sings, LAURINDO ALMEIDA Plays [1966] CCM / FLAC

The intimacy inherent in this collection places 1966's Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays in a class unto itself. As he had done on the highly conceptual All-Star Spectacular in 1962 and California Suite in 1964, multi-talented entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. has created a unique and thoroughly fascinating outing. The ten selections feature Davis and Brazilian instrumentalist/arranger Laurindo Almeida, who made a name for himself as an accompanist for Carmen Miranda before delving into the decidedly American art form of West Coast cool jazz with saxophonist Bud Shank in the mid-'50s. Here, the pair effortlessly complement each other inside the very intonation and tenor of their respective crafts. Davis' incisive abilities as an emotive performer bring a pervasive dramatic quality to the wide range of material covered. When compared to fellow Rat Packer Frank Sinatra's reading of "Here's That Rainy Day," Davis' vocals lean into the song, resulting in a palpable sense of melancholia. He evokes a similar sentiment on the achingly poignant version of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" as well as the hopelessly optimistic "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows." However, the real magic woven into this collaboration is without a doubt Davis' incorporation of several significant Broadway melodies. "Where Is Love" -- taken from Lionel Bart's Oliver -- is a stunning, if not mesmerizing, interpretation. "Joey, Joey, Joey" bears an earthy closeness, offering what is arguably a defining moment as the tune transcends its place within the stage production Most Happy Fella, becoming an exceptional and exquisite ballad. [In 2004, Collectors' Choice Music reissued Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays as part of the label's complete restoration of Davis' 1960s Reprise Records catalog.]  by Lindsay Planer 
Tracklist 
1 Here's That Rainy Day  2:15
Written-By – Burke/Van Heusen
2 Two Different Worlds  3:21
Written-By – Frisch, Wayne
3 The Shadow Of Your Smile  4:12
Written-By – Mandel, Webster
4 Where Is Love   3:00
Written-By – Lionel Bart
5 Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye  4:01
Written-By – Cole Porter
6 I'm Always Chasing Rainbows  2:20
Written-By – Carroll, McCarthy
7 We'll Be Together Again  3:14
Written-By – Fischer, Laine
8 Joey, Joey, Joey  4:18
Written-By – Frank Loesser
9 The Folks Who Live On The Hill  3:40
Written-By – Kern/Hammerstein
10 Speak Low  3:32
Written-By – Weill, Nash
Credits
Classical Guitar – Laurindo Almeida
Vocals – Sammy Davis Jr.

SAMMY DAVIS JR Sings LAURINDO ALMEIDA Plays [1966]

[2004 RE] Collectors' Choice Music / FLAC / scans

O Púbis da Rosa