LEE WILEY — Night in Manhattan (1952-2007) MONO | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Collectors' Choice Music presents a rare compilation featuring Lee Wiley's most prolific and oft-requested post-World War II extended-play platter, including three complete 10" discs that the vocalist cut for Columbia in the early '50s. When initially issued, Wiley had already experienced significant success as a traditional pop and torch singer circa the '30s. During this era she was supported by such notables as Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, and the Johnny Green-led Casa Loma Orchestra. Due to its thematic nature, this project could rightly be considered as an early Songbook or concept album. That said, it is Night in Manhattan that perhaps most accurately exemplifies the moods, sounds,and auras of The Big Apple after hours. Wiley's unmistakable voice yields a distinct, organic,and otherwise full-bodied timbre. She unleashes varying degrees of that charm, bringing to life the Great American Songbook classics "Any Time, Any Day, Anywhere" and "(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance (With You)" with her trademark sense of a distant and at times flawed vulnerability. Wiley is joined by Bobby Hackett and Joe Bushkin's Swinging Strings on Night in Manhattan. Comparatively, the Vincent Youmans and Irving Berlin anthologies offer collaborations with Stan Freeman and Cy Walter, who collectively continue building upon Wiley's considerable back catalog of similar "songbooks" cut throughout the '40s. These centered on the works of Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, and George & Ira Gershwin. The original decision to cover both high-profile and obscure titles alike -- such as the elegant "Tea for Two" compared to the equally engaging "Why Oh Why" -- was an inspired one to be sure. Yet it is unquestionably Sings Irving Berlin that serves up one of the finest examples of the magic that can occur when a performer is given access to songs that at times sound as if they were penned specifically for them. Supported by a single keyboard, the classics "I Got Lost in His Arms," "Fools Fall in Love" and "How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)" are haunting and ethereal -- much like Manhattan herself. Lindsay Planer
Tracklist :
1    Manhattan 3:24
Written-By – Rodgers-Hart
2    I've Got A Crush On You 3:25
Written-By – I. Gershwin-G. Gershwin
3    A Ghost Of A Chance 3:16
Written-By – Crosby, N. Washington, V. Young

4    Oh! Look At Me Now 3:08
Written-By – Bushkin, De Vries
5    How Deep Is The Ocean 2:51
Written-By – Berlin
6    Time On My Hands 2:47
Written-By – Adamson, M. Gordon, Youmans
7    Street Of Dreams 3:13
Written-By – S. Lewis, V. Young
8    A Woman's Intuition 3:31
Written-By – N. Washington, V. Young
9    Sugar 3:07
Written-By – Alexander, Pinkard, Mitchell
10    Any Time, Any Day, Anywhere 2:25
Written-By – Wiley, N. Washington, V. Young
11    Soft Lights And Sweet Music 2:32
Written-By – Berlin
12    More Than You Know 3:12
Written-By – W. Rose, Eliscu, Youmans
Credits :
Piano – Cy Walter, Joe Bushkin, Stan Freeman
Trumpet – Bobby Hackett
Vocals – Lee Wiley

ELLA FITZGERALD – 1947-1948 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1049 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This segment of the Classics Ella Fitzgerald chronology focuses upon the recordings she made for the Decca label between March 1947 and November 1948. Most of these sides include polished group background vocals, generating a certain campy slickness that some listeners might find overly affected. This kind of ensemble singing rose to prominence with Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller and manifested itself throughout the late '40s and early '50s, even popping up in the form of the Dave Lambert Singers behind Charlie Parker. Bop scatting at times like a Roman candle, Ella sounds fully in command, a seasoned improviser well on the way to stylistic maturity. Nothing interferes with her honeyed, seamless delivery, not even the Andy Love Quintet, the Song Spinners, or the Day Dreamers. The collective instrumental personnel includes bassists Bob Haggart and Ray Brown, trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, saxophonists Illinois Jacquet and Ernie Caceres, organist Sir Charles Thompson, pianist Hank Jones, and drummer J.C. Heard. Ella imitates a Slam Stewart bass solo on "Oh, Lady Be Good" and tears up "How High the Moon" in a manner that would serve her well for the rest of her illustrious career. A fascinating chunk of history is here to be savored. Just don't be surprised if a mixed choir begins hooting and harmonizing behind Ella Fitzgerald. arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :

SARAH VAUGHAN – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1296 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Aficionados of Classics' chronological series of compilations may be disheartened by this volume of Sarah Vaughan sides, taken from her early-'50s stint on Columbia. After years of perfection, listeners soon came to expect the best from Classics -- thorough compilations, faithful sound, and dozens of hot sides by some of the best jazz artists of the swing era. Unfortunately, while few female vocalists swung as righteously as Sarah Vaughan, there's no evidence of it here. The compilation includes two dozen sides, from the beginning of 1951 through the very end of 1952, at a time when Columbia was marketing her as a "serious" vocalist, neither jazz fire nor pop novelty but straight, trad balladry. Backed by large, string-filled orchestras (most led by Paul Weston or Percy Faith), Vaughan doesn't shine. Her voice, majestic and filled with drama, should be perfect in this setting, but the gauzy arrangements and often subpar material make a difficult task nearly impossible. Since Vaughan's delivery was usually direct, it was difficult for her to fight poor material and lackluster backing (unlike Billie Holiday, that notoriously excellent singer of bad material). She performs the opener, "Ave Maria," with operatic precision, and exercises her deep, low vibrato on "My Reverie," but shows little interest in anything more than straightforward readings. "Street of Dreams," one of the few songs here that outlasted the '50s, is one of the few bright spots amidst the gloom. John Bush  
Tracklist + Credits :