1 comments about Complete Works In Chronological Order, Vol. 3, 1937.

1. On this, the third installment of Document Records' coverage of Lil Johnson's recordings, Lil is in her usual fine musical form. From start to finish, this is a must have for any blues, jazz, swing, or any music fan!

1 comments about Fine & Mellow: 1935-1941.

1. This set is probably the best one-CD overview of Billie's work in the 1930s and 1940s, a slight improvement over the Columbia Greatest Hits collection. It includes Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, and most of the other predictable favorites. It also gives you a good spectrum of her sound with Teddy Wilson and Lester Young, her primary collaborators in this period. And unlike most of the postwar (especially Verve) collections, her voice is still pretty good on these early records, so that you can listen for tone as well as phrasing.

1 comments about Lady Day: The Complete Columbia Golden Years.

1. The Spanish label "Definitive Records" collected 233 songs, including all the studio material recorded between 1933 and 1942 for Columbia. All the alternates are included (at the end of every cd: good choice) and there are some great live sessions. The 10 cd box is very cheap and has a nice design. There's a 100 pages booklet with all the lyrics, the liner notes and a short essay about the issue. The 24-bit remasterization, in my opinion, cleaned the sound and made the instruments more "present", even if a background noise is recognizable in many songs. I think the result is remarkable, and I suggest this box not only to Billie Holiday's fans but also to all music lovers.

No comments about Today I Sing the Blues.

5 comments about Swango.

1. Miss Kane is perhaphs one of the most talented female vocalists to emerge grom the "neo swing" revival of teh late 90's. Her vocie recalls Etta James, and at the same time Sophie Tucker. She performs music that ranges from early R&B, jump blues, and dixieland with a 1920's falir, but it all falls in the swing category, and everything is great for dancers(especially lindy hoppers)! The group on this cd is essentially members from her Swingin Armadillos, including boogie woogie Queen of teh piano Miss Sue Palmer. A classic swing set.

   Also get:

   Candye Kane-The Toughest Gal Alive

   and for more of a blues set, rather then all swing try her latest:

   Whole Lotta Love




2. A friend told me about this, so I bought it and I love it. it is jump blues band with amazing vocals by Cany Cane. you will lvoe this I promise, if you like swing jazz and blues, and even dixieland you will love this



3. I saw Candye Kane recently, and bought thsi after the show. candye's energy and dirty sense of humore won the audience over, however her voice is what is really special, she has a beautiful clear voice and sings in a 1940's/50's style, and really understands the blues, and knows how to SWING the blues. Her band is so tight and the pianist is a boogie woogie legend Sue Palmer(who has a band of her own, worth checking out), you will be swing dancing in no time once you put this cd in the player. The songs on this cd range from a dexieland version of Dream A Little Dream of Me to full on swing numbers like "200 Pounds Of Fun". This is my personal favorite of Candye's cd's for it really swings and is full of exciting performances. This is an eXTRA special cd, by an extra SPECIAL singer! BUY IT TODAY!



4. I remember seeing Candye Kane live at the now defuct swing club Music City in Fountian Valley, in California, back when lindy hopping was all the rage(it still is to a few of us). This cd features Kane with her group of the time Her Swing Armadillos, featuring boogie woogie piano great Sue Palmer, who keeps the whole cd, junping! Kane's vocals sound like she's in the 1920's-40's era, and her vocals are strong and very authentic in blues/swing tradition. This is her best all around "swing" cd. It features the great original "Swango", a mix of swing and tango, the fun "200 Lbs Of Fun", a 1920's dixiealnd flavored "Dream A Little Dream Of Me"(that would make even Ruth Etting proud). A Big Mabelle influenced "Candy", and many other enjoyanle songs. Overall this is a consistantly exellent cd, worth picking up, and make sure to see Kane next time she's in town. She is 200 Poulds of FUN!!!



5. I purchased this CD because I needed one cut from it to use for social events I put on. I was somewhat suprised in that I expected more of a "live" feel to Swango even though I knew it was a studio project. It turned out just to be the opposite, it sounded like every track was edited with a fine tooth comb. The final result was not bad, just that the overall sound comes across as a little to "processed" for my tastes.

   This probably had something to do with the Sire label's attempt to cash in on the swing dance craze that was just beginning to wane at the time the CD was released. Candye Kane fans also complain that Swango is probably her least bawdy CD. Perhaps thats why Sire execs (or the producer Mike Vernon) decided to make Swango a very safe effort so it would offend nobody... The latter claim may just be Candye's own marketing technique to woo a certain alternative audience (but I could be wrong!).

   If you just want a straight ahead swing CD to dance to, I would recommend Swango. I suspect Candye's better artistic efforts, however, lie on some of the other CD's she's done. But the REAL reason I'd potentially recommend Swango to a friend...! That alone is EASILY worth the price even if you happen to lose the CD itself later on, lol.

2 comments about The Ultimate Collection.

1. This 3CD Set Is A Blessing To Kay Starr Fans And To The Disc Jockeys That
   Still Play This Music//What A Joy To Hear To Each His Own//No Regrets//
   With Wonderful Arrangements But The One Song That Just Blew Me Away was
   Kays Rendition Of The Tony Bennett Hit THE GOOD LIFE/
   I Have Heard Many Great Renditions Of This Song Dinah Washington/Billy Eckstine/Della Reese/Steve Lawrence
   Ray Charles/Frank Sinatra/Bobby Darin//All Wonderful But Kays Record Of
   THE GOOD LIFE With A Delicious And Tasteful Arrangemen/
   The Price Of The 3CD set Was Worth It For The Good Life Cut Alone//
   It Was Recorded May 9th.1963//WHY WHY WHY Has It Been Hidden And Lost For So long
   
   Stanley Cooper Jupiter Florida



2. Only seven years into the millennium and already EMI have delivered the bargain of the century! This collection is worth so much more than the derisory price that Starr fans and all lovers of quality vocalising should snap it up instantly.
   
   All the old favourites are here, but what makes this collection infinitely desirable is the presence of all the unissued Capitol material that could be unearthed. When the label began to realise that they had signed an artist who genuinely could sing absolutely anything, they had her record an astonishing range of material and it's all covered in this set. With her rich, burnished, bluesy tones, Kay could always bring style and distinction to even unremarkable songs and this set, spanning almost twenty years, demonstrates beautifully how Kay developed her increasingly individual vocal style, getting more and more juice out of the material she recorded while keeping up with musical trends.
   
   DISC ONE covers 1947 to 1952 and includes six unreleased tracks. It underlines how Kay's darker voice and dynamic style stood out from so many of her more buttoned-up ladylike competitors. She's the supreme communicator, always selling a song and conveying such sheer pleasure in singing. One mystery: a version of "You've been flying too high" was apparently recorded by Kay for Capitol on 30 June 1950, but the version included here is a 1945 recording for Standard featuring violinist Joe Venuti with noticeably poorer sound than the Capitol tracks.
   
   DISC TWO (1952-1961) Lots of Kay's later hits here, sung in those mature, torchily blue tones that became her hallmark. Many of them appear on CD for the first time, but the items of the greatest interest to Kay's fans will be the six unreleased recordings form 1961. These are knockouts, and it's a crime that they haven't been available till now because the lady is in prime form.
   
   DISC THREE continues from 1961 to 1964 and the end of Kay's years with Capitol. Hardly any of the 25 tracks on this disc have appeared on CD before, and there are eight previously unissued tracks. A few numbers suffer from the somewhat over-resonant recording fashionable at the time and quite unnecessary for a singer of this quality, but again it's wonderful that they're available on CD. It has been a l-o-n-g time since Starr fans were treated to new material!
   
   Kay remains one of the most influential singers of her era and was integral in the establishing Capitol as a major label in the late forties and early fifties, so it's a little disappointing that neither they nor any of the reissue specialists have seen fit to put together a luxury boxed set to commemorate her contribution, but meantime this fascinating collection, graced by Drew Blackburn's information-packed and appreciative liner notes will do very nicely. Unalloyed pleasure from start to finish - champagne at beer prices!

1 comments about Rude Dudes.

1. Back in the day, there were what was called race records and these records weren't censored the way that the ones that "decent" folks purchased were so a lot of dirty blues got recorded and released. This collection puts together a pretty extensive sampling of these "Early American Party Records". Wait'll the kids go to bed. It's a tradition.

2 comments about Maybe I'll Cry.

1. The most beaufiful album, Mama has a voice like a chain-saw and on this album redefines the depths of despair to which love can lead you. The title track is exquisite, as is How Long and the amazing Pallet On The Floor. Beautiful piano accompanyment creates a marvellous synergy and if anyone can recommend anything as good as this, well, I'll buy them a beer.



2. Estella Yancey sings with a sureness and a force that certainly belies her years. Her voice verges on the edge of rawness, but that's perfect for the old songs she sings. Her delivery of "Pallet on the Floor" alone would be worth the price of the album. Curiously there are times when both the quality of her voice and her phrasing are very reminiscent of Jimmy Scott, despite the great difference in the type of music they sing.

   Listening to this album brings back some of the wonderful moments I had while living in the U.S.

No comments about Cole Porter Songbook.

2 comments about Irving Berlin: A Hundred Years.

1. Irving Berlin, the dean of American song- writers wrote over one- thousand published songs in his life. Yet as with everything most of these are not remembered today, and Berlin is known today for a few dozen major songs. Among those included here are 'Cheek to Cheek' 'Easter Parade' ' White Christmas' 'Alexander's Ragtime Band'.'I've Got my Love to keep my warm' 'Always' 'What'll I do'.
   However a number of his greatest songs are not included, and among them perhaps the most famous one of all, the song many have thought should be the national anthem, "God Bless America'
   The singers and the arrangements here are not in every case the best, but Fred Astaire in 'Cheek to Cheek' is unbeatable.
   The songs included are:
   Let Me Sing And I'm Happy - Ben Selvin & His Orchestra 2. Puttin' On The Ritz - Jan Garber & His Greater Columbia Recording Orch.
   3. Say It Isn't So - Connie Boswell
   4. I Love A Piano - Arthur Schutt
   5. Face The Music Medley - Victor Young And The Brunswick Orchestra W/Bing C.
   6. Mandy - Eddie Cantor
   7. Easter Parade - Gene Austin 8. Harlem On My Mind - Ethel Waters
   9. Alexander's Ragtime Band - Boswell Sisters With The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra 10. Cheek To Cheek - Fred Astaire Listen Listen Listen
   11. Let Yourself Go - Bunny Berigan And His Orchestra 12. Remember - Red Norvo And His Orchestra Listen Listen Listen
   13. This Year's Kisses - Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra W/ Billie Holiday
   14. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Red Norvo And His Orchestra W/ Mildred Bailey
   15. How Deep Is The Ocean - Benny Goodmman And His Orchestra W/Peggy Lee Listen Listen Listen
   16. Doin' What Comes Naturally - Dinah Shore 17. Always - Tony Bennett Listen Listen Listen
   18. You're Just In Love - Rosemary Clooney And Guy Mitchell Listen Listen Listen
   19. White Christmas - Johnny Mathis
   20. What'll I Do -



2. Well, it's just as I remembered it from my old cassette version, but now I don't need to wind the tape or flip it over! Otherwise, it's the same as the tape: great Berlin songs, brought to life by some of the most famous voices...Fred Astaire does his best version of "Cheek to Cheek", Dinah Shore for me *defines* the number "Doin' What Comes Naturally", and I much prefer Barbara Streisand's rendition of "What'll I Do"...this isn't some definitive collection, but it's a rock-solid introduction to one of America's most beloved classic composers!