Customer Reviews

Portrait of Sheila

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sheila Jordan is one of the most important jazz singers of the last four decades, but you wouldn't know it from the size of her recorded output: always one of the least "commercial" of singers, this album (her first under her own name) is one of the few Jordan albums on a major label. It sets the pattern for much of her later work--it has a cast of stellar musicians (Barry Galbraith on guitar, Steve Swallow on [acoustic] bass, Denzil Best on drums), & on some tracks she strips the band right down to a duo format, presaging Jordan's later series of duets recorded with Harvie Schwartz. Though there are moments here (like the amazing "Let's Face the Music and Dance") where her work verges on the experimentalism of her work with George Russell or Carla Bley, mostly this is a set of intimate & subtly shaded standards.

I remember seeing Jordan in performance; she is an ebullient performer in front of an audience, & the sheer joy she gives off can be sampled here in "Falling in Love with Love" or "Dat Dere". Yet the real show-stopper was an emotional, draining version of "Don't Explain"; she seemed a little self-conscious about it afterwards ("Just goes to show that there's nothing people like more than a good old depressing ballad.")--I get the feeling that that sort of material draws on areas of herself she doesn't want to go into too often. On this disc there are several such moving vehicles for her ballad-readings: I'd single out "When the World Was Young". The voice is fresher than in most of her other discs (it is truly criminal that she was little-recorded until late in her career), but the depth of feeling is already present.

This is a classic vocal disc--one of those vocal discs you could recommend to a friend who "doesn't like jazz singing". It's not as self-consciously musicianly as a Betty Carter disc but is no less intelligent & creative.

The other reviewers have used up all the superlatives, and they're right. This is a classic of vocal jazz (or ought to be considered so). Sheila's voice at this stage of her career was as fresh and delicate as a rose petal. But don't let the comments about few instrumental solos let you think that the supporting musicians are unimportant. This is a very significant album for all of them. It's probably the most beautiful recording of Steve Swallow's acoustic bass sound (before he left that axe behind to become one of the greatest electric bassists)- "Baltimore Oriole" is one of his essential recordings. It has the utterly superb playing of Barry Galbraith, a master of guitar effects and a brilliant accompanist. And it has Denzil Best, one of the legendary and unsung bebop drummers, in a rare high fidelity recording.

if you want to find a clear voice in jazz, please look for Sheila. This album of the 60's will change your mind in jazz singing. Powerful & swinging freely across the music. Genius!

An old girlfriend of mine, upon hearing this album, said it sounded like a woman singing to herself in her kitchen. I haven't come up with a better description since. There's an intimacy, an innocence to Sheila's singing here that is enthralling. Sheila went on to record some masterful albums -- 1977's Sheila and 1989's Lost & Found being among the best -- but it is with Portrait of Sheila that we discover a singer discovering herself. Her mirth is contagious in "Falling in Love with Love," her wistful remembrances in "When the World Was Young" enter the listener's heart like a sigh, and her sorrows are laid out in all their blue beauty in "I'm a Fool to Want You," the loveliest version of this song I have ever heard. This is an essential album for any jazz collection.

Sheila Jordan is no Helen Merrill, but this recording is the embodiment of what a female jazz singer should sound like. I compare her to Merrill only because Helen Merrill with Clifford Brown is probably my single favorite jazz recording of all time, and I have a hard time arguing to myself that Jordan has not topped it. This is simply a wonderful work. Falling in Love with Love is such a convincing track, and I'm a Fool to Want You puts the Sinatra version to shame. Every track has something different to say, and Jordan plays her voice like a finely tuned instrument to make each song come alive. The supporting cast on this CD is suitably low key, yet efficient and spot-on, anchored by one of the true greats of jazz, Steve Swallow on bass. The Rudy Van Gelder recording is typical of his work for Blue Note (which might put off people who think Van Gelder's work is as flat as the lines on his equalizer), meaning it is very high quality and expertly executed. Although Helen is still my favorite fave, Sheila won me over in one listening, and she will you too. No wonder The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Eighth Edition (Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings) makes this part of its core collection. This one should not - cannot - be skipped. (Might as well pick up Helen Merrill, too.)

This is the only Jordan album I own, and I know it's her first. Sheila's performances here are absolutely amazing. She can swing with the best of them,and she can charm you senseless on her ballads. She has a way of personalizing a melody, with her very personal vocal colorings, which never sound like vocal "pyrotechnics" at all. Sounds like pure emotion coming through her voice, that's what it is. On some songs she employs only bass and drums, on others solo guitar, and this shows her thirst for experimentation, and also, her fearlessnes in performing without the usual chordal accompaniment of the piano or guitar. I know she later went with the voice/bass duo in full force - that takes guts, period.
One little, little gripe, though. There are basically no solos at all on this album. Maybe it's just a musicians' point of view, but just a chorus for a guitar, or bass solo on at least several songs would have been extremely welcome. But, her vocal performance is so strong, that this minor detail does not even merit taking out one star. I still think it is a 5-star album. It is fair to say that even though her musicians do not get solo space, the way they support her vocal excursions is exemplary, and beautifully complements her unique style. As it is, the songs are very short, and to-the-point. So short, in fact, that you are left wanting more. A powerful and evocative album that left no doubt that a new, unique talent had arrived.

A mesmerizing, poignant portrait!

I don't know the whole story about this N.Y. night club sensation Sheila Jordan. All I do know is this - I am completely at sea about why she never hit it big, especially after this sensational 1962 debut album. The way she improvises, the way she is able to extend herself to the nth degree to the chord changes, the way she blends her sweet, sultry voice into the trio playing behind her, her wide range of moods, inflections, etc... It's just a thing a beauty. Simply put, this sleeper is one of the best female jazz vocal albums EVER! Hyperbole? See for yourself if you think I am just blowing smoke...

Again, I can't believe that a voice like hers never hit it big. When I sit back and listen to this, I feel as if she is singing every song for me personally. Some of the classics she canvasses for us - "Am I Blue", "If You Could See Me Now", "When The World Was Young", "I'm a Fool to Want You", "Willow Weep For Me", - are all done to absolute perfection. This one is too good to pass up if you are a jazz fan. Like Helen Merrill's debut effort, this was her biggest moment under the sun as far as commercial efforts go and well worth every penny.

Don't let this one elude you folks. Sheila is also backed by one hec of a trio in Barry Galbraith (guitar), Steve Swallow (bass) and the soft brush strokes of Denzil Best (drums). Again, a very pretty, poignant portrait of one of the most underated jazz vocalists of the 20th Century.

Relax and enjoy!

Among the cognoscenti (and given that I'm only the 6th to review this 1962-released c.d., obviously there are not enough of them), this is the finest Sheila Jordan c.d. released. It also was her first. For someone who has been performing as long as Sheila Jordan, there are precious few to choose from.

Nevertheless, I don't quite agree. I prefer her 2005 "Live at the Triad", and her 1975 release, "Confirmation." The reason why is simply that Ms. Jordan sings flat once too often on this disc for my taste--especially on "If You Could See Me Now."

But no matter. If you are a vocal jazz fan, or a jazz fan period, you should get this if you don't already have it. With the possible exception of Mark Murphy, I can't think of a singer who sounds more like a jazz musician. By that, I don't mean someone who scats inside and outside the chord; I mean someone who takes great liberties not only with the lyrics, but also with the melody.

Check out what Ms. Jordan does to "Baltimore Oriole", for example, or "Let's Face the Music and Dance", or "Willow Weep for Me," to name but three examples. These tunes of Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin, and Paul Whiteman by way of Ronell, have been covered a bazillion times in a bazillion tempos. But among singers, only Ms. Jordan, like a Charlie Parker or a middle-period Miles Davis, would reinvent their melodies as blues while still keeping the harmonic structures of the songs essentially intact.

And, as I mentioned on "Confirmation", Sheila Jordan has one of the most interesting voices in all of jazz. She can go breathy or powerful, big or small. She gets the "inquisitive little kid" voice of "Dat Dere" down to a tee. And she can sound worldly in her own way on "When the World Was Young" without copying Dietrich in the least.

Perhaps the thing to admire most about Sheila Jordan is that she insists upon being one of the most unaccompanied of all singers. A 16-piece orchestra might cover a flat note here and there for her; but she'll have none of that. If Ornette can play with just bass and drums, Sheila likewise can so sing. As a result, maybe her mistakes will jump out more, but so will her good things. And there are good things aplenty on this disc. RC

A little while ago, it occurred to me that a pretty good legacy to leave in this world would be to do my small part in convincing other people to buy Sheila Jordan recordings. She is one of the very finest--and in inverse measure, certainly the most overlooked--jazz singers out there. Her recordings are painfully few in number. A function, I assure you, of an imperfect and unjust world.

This first recording of hers is the best introduction to her music: Relatively short tracks, a nice mix of tempos, and a magical sampling of how she can do with her voice what Charlie Parker did with a saxophone. She ranges effortlessly from intimate and soulful to showy and playful. Highlights include "Am I Blue" and "Dat Dere," but--Lord!--don't make me really choose a favorite.

It had to be more than ten years ago that I first wandered into The Green Mill (a small, but legendary Chicago club) and had my introduction to Sheila. The stars were aligned and the gods were smiling. I'll never forget that night. She has mastered her voice as a jazz instrument, and she can hypnotize you with it at will.

The next day I went out and bought this album. Then soon got the rest. You should too. Seriously, for--what?--twelve dollars?--you can buy yourself a whole lot of happy here. Then go out and do your part to spread the gospel of Sheila Jordan.