The Best of Carmen McRae: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection [Original recording remastered]

Carmen McRae | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B0002M5T52
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,866 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carmen McRae--an excellent chanteuse who never truly got the respect she was due, February 26, 2007

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best of Carmen McRae: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

People do not remember Carmen McRae the way she deserves to be remembered. When Carmen sang the beauty of her voice held your attention; and she could lead her audiences wherever she wanted them to go. You can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I saw the low Amazon sales rank of this CD!

The CD starts off marvelously with "Something To Live For." This track begins with its beautiful arrangement for piano and Carmen sings this passionately! The quality of the sound is excellent; you would swear that Carmen is standing right next to you as you listen to this disc. "Good Morning Heartache" follows the opening number and Carmen sings this in a lower pitched voice; this demonstrates that she possessed a strong vocal range. The musical arrangement is beautiful and Carmen's voice imparts to her audience a degree of intimacy few vocalists could ever manage.

"Happy To Make Your Acquaintance" stands out on this CD. Carmen performs a playful, very happy duet with the great Sammy Davis, Jr. Carmen and Sammy harmonize to perfection and the humorous lyrics make this an instant classic. The catchy melody also attracts your attention from the very start; "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance" is one of the strongest tracks on this album. Excellent!

Another song worthy of special mention on this CD is "Oh Yes, I Remember Clifford." This song honors the memory of Clifford Brown, a great trumpeter who died all too young in a car crash. The melody and Carmen's voice lilt gently and this song is a fitting tribute to this gentleman.

Other great songs on this CD include a sensuous rendition of "My Funny Valentine" with a great arrangement for the piano; "Exactly Like You" which explores Carmen's desire to spend time with her perfect mate and the very romantic "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" which Carmen sings without a single superfluous note.

The CD ends with the classic "Ain't Misbehavin'" written by Harry Brooks, Andy Razof and Thomas Waller. This awesome song receives a very special romantic treatment with a slower than usual tempo as Carmen croons flawlessly.

The liner notes include magnificent black and white photos of Carmen and the song credits are listed nicely. David Ritz contributes a fine essay about Carmen's career based in part on an interview he had with Carmen in 1976.

Carmen McRae will always be remembered for her magnificent contributions to the arts. Carmen deserves more recognition than she ever received. Hopefully more people will listen to this CD and other CDs by Carmen McRae to discover her limitless talents.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One In The Massive Series That Sort Of Misses The Boat, July 19, 2011

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Carmen McRae: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

The magnificent voice of this accomplished pianist/jazz vocalist, born on April 8, 1920 in New York City, is worth listening to at any time, regardless of the contents of the CD. But when putting out one entitled "The Best Of Carmen McRae" should they not have included the only two that made the lucrative Billboard Pop Top 100 charts?

In early 1956 she gave a great rendition of The Next Time It Happens from the Broadway musical Pipe Dream on Decca 29749 and that February it made it to # 75 b/w Come On, Come In. A year later she covered the 1945 Charlie Barnet hit, Skyliner, and saw it peak at # 92 in March 1957 on Decca 30004 b/w If You Should Leave Me. Not major hits by any stretch, but hits nevertheless, and definitely worthy of inclusion in any compilation titled "The Best Of." Both were backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra.

As for the songs that are included, I defer to the other reviews which cover that aspect very well, especially the one from Matthew G. Sherwin.

Carmen, who was first married to drummer Kenny "Klook" Clarke (played with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and others), and then later to Ike Isaacs (bassist with the likes of Tiny Grimes, Earl Bostic and, of course, The Carmen McRae Trio), passed away at age 74 on November 10, 1994.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT, February 7, 2009

By 

James Baldwin III "JBIII" (Greenwich, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Carmen McRae: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection (Audio CD)

I have been trying to educate myself and become a more appreciative listener of vocal jazz. I took a listening course last year and Carmen was my favorite artist that we studied. I find her soulful and real. She isn't just making noise or over singing.