STEREO 24 BIT DIGITALLY REMASTERED 2 LPs on 1CD On Wild Women Don t Have the Blues, her debut album on Candid Records, Nancy Harrow showed she was a jazz singer to the manner born, with a straightforward, uncluttered approach and a sweet, unsentimental voice that recalls Mildred Bailey. To that add an easy swing and a faultless sense of dynamics, all of which earned her critic Nat Hentoff s accolade; she is without qualifications a jazz singer all the way. An all-star band assembled by Buck Clayton, who also did the impressively elegant arrangements, included Clayton s eloquent trumpet, Dickie Wells s provocative trombone and fine work by pianist Dick Wellstood in a grooving rhythm section of New York s finest. On her second album You Never Know, recorded for Atlantic, she got another this time unwritten accolade in the form of John Lewis, who seldom, if ever, chose to record with singers. The MJQ s pianist arranged much of the material, and his economical, delicately nuanced writing and playing produced performances that balance complexity with clarity. His austere settings offer the perfect context for Harrow s imaginative vocals, which exhibit the kind of restraint rare for a stylist with such abundant talent. The consistently on-message soloists are Phil Woods, alto saxophone and clarinet, Jim Hall, guitar, and Lewis.
T**N
Terrific jazz vocalist
She is authentic and moving, more than you can say for most singers in any era.
B**N
Joe sent me!
It's the 30s, Prohibition and Tommy guns, the bellboy at your hotel told you a place down the street features music and booze! You walk down the steps to an old Brownstone, knock 3 times and you spiel, "Joe sent me". You're in to a long bar, lots of haze from smokers, and on a small stage a "canary"-girl singer backed by a small band that could make a dead man tap his toes. You swear she sings like Mildren Bailey-a good thing, no, a very, very good thing! You'll tell your friends about this speak easy joint next time their in New York.The thing about great singers is they sing "Great".
B**N
Nancy Harrow was great. This might be her best recording ever
Nancy Harrow was great. This might be her best recording ever. John Lewis of MJQ fame did most of the arranging and some of the accompaniment here. For those who don't know, John did not as a rule work with singers. This lady deserved his esteem. In my opinion she is one of the very top few jazz singers ever including Billie, Ella, Sassy, and Anita.
M**I
Great intro album for those of us who are now discovering Harrow
I am relatively new to Nancy Harrow, having recently discovered her via this double album set. While the CD version's product page has no track listing or sound samples you can get that information from the MP3 album's page at Wild Women Don't Have the Blues / You Never Know .As you listen to the sound samples you will quickly discover that the two albums that comprise this set are as different as night and day. The first eight tracks feature Harrow backed by essentially a big band with a strong Kansas City vibe. The remaining tracks feature her backed by two ensembles, one led by John Lewisand the other by Gary McFarland and his orchestra with a lot of strings. These tracks have a more cerebral feel. It swings, but has the subdued quality that is Lewis' signature sound.Here are the details about both albums: Tracks 1 through 8 are Wild Women Don't Have The Blues that was recorded for the Candid label at the Nola Penthouse Sound Studios in NYC on November 2 and 3, 1960. Harrow is backed by a front line led by Buck Clayton on trumpet, Dickie Wells on trombone, Tom Gwaltney on clarinet and alto sax, Buddy Tate on tenor sax and Danny Bank on baritone sax. The rhythm section was led by Dick Wellstood on piano backed by Kenny Burrell on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass and Oliver Jackson on drums.The remaining tracks are the album titled You Never Know . This album was recorded for Atlantic Records in NYC on October 8 and 29, and December 14, 1962.Tracks 9, 12, 16 and 20 are from the December 14 session and feature the John Lewis Quintet comprised of Phil Woods on alto sax, Lewis on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Richard Davis on bass and Connie Kay on drums. These tracks also feature backing by a studio string section.Tracks 10, 14, 15 and 18 are from the October 8 session and feature the John Lewis Quartet with Lewis on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Richard Davis on bass and Connie Kay on drums.Tracks 11, 13, 17 and 19 feature the Gary McFarland Orchestra, plus Willie Dennis on trombone,; Phil Woods on clarinet and Sol Schlinger on baritone sax. The rhythm section was comprised of Dick Katz on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Tommy Williamson bass and Connie Kay on drums.Considering the variety of backing ensembles and the music itself this album showcases Harrow's versatility as a vocalist. I love her voice and am currently digging through some of her other albums. If you like what you hear on this set you may want to check out Anything Goes .
L**F
Five Stars
Sealed and excellent
A**D
Five Stars
Très belle voix de jazz
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