Customer Reviews

Love Has Gone/Blues W/Kid

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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She had a warm sense about her.When she sings she gives me cold chills. I have all of her albums and all of her CD'S.There is know one like Claire Austin,and I still listen to her music. The music industry should give her more credit than they did. Of course I would think she is the best, cause she is my Grandmother.

Claire Austin combines the sophisticated phrasing of a Billie Holliday with the depth and soul of Bessie Smith - all the more amazing for this white woman from Washington state, who would now be in her 80's. The first half of this CD, recorded in the 50's is a collection of standards which sound as fresh and new as if they were recorded and written yesterday. The second half, all blues, are done with a mix of rhythm, depth,world-weary wisdom and humor that cannot fail to entrance the listener. The only drawback to this recording is that it leave one with an unrequited craving for more and more of this little known and apparently little recorded artist.

The CD "When Your Lover Has Gone" is in fact 2 albums recorded in 1954 & 1955. I bought the original 10-inch vinyl "Claire Austin Sings the Blues", recorded with Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band , in Dobell's Jazz Record Shop, a now defunct new-and- used record store on London's Charing Cross Road, in 1960, for the equivalent of 75c. I lost it during one of my many moves, and despaired of ever finding another copy. It was with a constant sense of loss that I found myself singing or whistling the tracks as I remembered them over the years. On a long shot I searched, many years later, and there was Claire! Not the title I remembered, but I figured anything by Claire would be worth having. Joy! There were all the "Blues" tracks, crystal-clear and complete, and a fabulous selection of standards I had not heard her sing, in a very different, unaffected style, which was utterly delightful. No serious jazz collection is complete without this CD. Great to have you back, Claire! John Berridge Concord NH.

How can someone this great be virtually unknown? Clearly the jazz world knew her--she is supported here by major players like Shelley Manne, Barney Kessel, and Kid Ory--but the odds of coming across people who have heard of Claire Austin are virtually nil. Still, she's brilliant. A haunting, powerful voice. The title track is awesome. Interesting choice of material too. Get it--you won't be sorry.

Claire Austin made very few recordings, choosing the life of wife and mother over a show-biz career. These tunes show what the music world lost through her choice. She has a richness, vibrancy, and depth to her voice which are nearly unmatched; her pitch is superb; and her interpretations are sensitive and resonant. This sounds heretical, but I prefer her work to that of Bessie Smith, Lizzie Miles, or Billie Holliday. The other musicians on this CD are up to the task of supporting her. Anyone liking traditional jazz or the blues will not want to miss this CD.

Claire Austin made very few recordings, choosing the life of wife and mother over a show-biz career. These tunes show what the music world lost through her choice. She has a richness, vibrancy, and depth to her voice which are nearly unmatched; her pitch is superb; and her interpretations are sensitive and resonant. This sounds heretical, but I prefer her work to that of Bessie Smith, Lizzie Miles, or Billie Holliday. The other musicians on this CD are up to the task of supporting her. Anyone liking traditional jazz or the blues will not want to miss this CD.

One of my college roommates from the early 60's had a Claire Austin album which I truly loved. Selections from that album are included on this CD. It's everything I remember & more: the blues - full & robust - you can't ask for anything more.

...she looks much more like the workaday housewife she was. Oh yes, a workaday housewife with a spectacular blues voice. Like most everyone else commenting here, I stumbled upon her sound and thought -- where has she been all these years? Well, she made a few recordings and that's it.

Truly astonishing, that her big, lusty sound came out of Middle America and then, it feels like, was swallowed up again. So listen to this one, listen to the others, and feel good about having a new sound in your audio vocabulary.

SHAMEFUL THAT THERE IS SO LITTLE RECORDING ON THIS ARTIST.....PUT THIS ON & PILE UP FOR A SUNDAY NAP OR IN YOUR HAMMOCK......WATCH THE LEAVES TREMBLE IN THE BREEZE & THE CLOUDS ROLL BY......WHAT A WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON