Great Ladies of Jazz

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 16, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Special Markets
• ASIN: B0000047RJ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,063 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #34 in Music > Blues > Vocal Blues
  • #48 in Music > Blues > Traditional Blues
  • #87 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > General AAS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars these ladies sold their songs without even trying--and that's no small feat !!!, April 24, 2008

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: Great Ladies of Jazz (Audio CD)

Great Ladies of Jazz is a very solid CD that features some really great songs performed by some of the very best female jazz singers ever. The quality of the sound is fantastic; and the artwork is very well done as well.

"It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a live track of the great Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady Of Song; and Ella swings this out like the pro she always was! The piano arrangement is stunning and Ella really throws herself into this number. If you listen it's immediately apparent that Ella enjoyed a great rapport with her audience, too--she usually did! Ella was the best of them! Ella returns for "Our Love Is Here To Stay;" I love that horn treatment and the overall musical arrangement works wonders for "Our Love Is Here To Stay." I love it! Ella's voice is in excellent form; it's rich, warm and extremely vibrant. Great!

Listen also for the great Billie Holiday to perform a sublime rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine." Billie sounds more mature on this recording; but make no mistake about it--her voice is still in excellent form. Billie's uncanny sense of timing and her excellent diction bolster her ability to sing this ballad with panache, heart and all her soul. In addition, Billie's treatment of "God Bless The Child" strikes me as being especially pretty and moving; Billie Holiday was always one of my very favorite female vocalists and just one listen to this will tell you why! "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Dinah Washington features Dinah squarely front and center--and that's where she belongs! The big band arrangement enhances "Ain't Misbehavin';" this Fats Waller tune shines brightly when the great Dinah Washington delivers it flawlessly.

Sarah Vaughan sings "'S Wonderful" with her usual style and grace; and the horn stands out in the music that accompanies her fine singing! "'S Wonderful" by Sarah Vaughan is easily a major highlight of this album. Listen for Sarah a second time around as she performs "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with yet another big band arrangement. Sarah's voice is clear as a bell and her voice is very rich and full.

"Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" gets a fine jazzy interpretation from Abbey Lincoln; Abbey's voice sounds better than ever and this Depression era ballad is greatly enhanced by Abbey's interpretation. The CD even ends strong with Shirley Horn delivering "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" flawlessly; the piano arrangement is very elegant as well.
Shirley does this one up right!

Fans of the great female vocalists on this album are bound to want this CD in their collections. This CD oozes good taste and class and it's bound to be available for sale for quite some while to come.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Aptly Titled Jazz Album, February 5, 2002

By 

"gslip75" (New Windsor, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Ladies of Jazz (Audio CD)

This is the quintessential collection of the best female voices in jazz. This collection has the songs that made these women famous and/or the songs for which they are most remembered. Every song on the cd is a gem!!! The highlights are Ella's live recording of "It Don't Mean a Thing(If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and Nina Simone's "I Loves You, Porgy." All twelve songs run the gamut of emotions from true bliss to deepest sorrow. These women knew how to sing and these selections are some of the greatest in the american songbook. I highly recommend this cd.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good cd, May 3, 2000

By 

skywalkerfive (moscow, russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Ladies of Jazz (Audio CD)

this a good cd full of great ladies of jazz (hence the name) singing some of the classic jazz tunes. its a steal at 6 clams. trust me and cough up for it. i'v got not regrets