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"The Midnight Special" (08/20/2002) Jazz Vocal Turner, Big Joe, Original Jazz ClassicsPersonnel: Joe Turner (vocals), Sylvester Scott (piano), Cal Green (guitar), Bobby Haynes (bass), Washington Rucker (drums), Jake Porter (trumpet), Roy Brewster (baritone horn), Curtis Kirk (harmonica). Recorded in Los Angeles, May 1976. Personnel: Big Joe Turner (vocals); Cal Green (guitar); Curtis Kirk (harmonica); Curtis Peagler (alto & tenor saxophones); Jake Porter (trumpet); Roy Brewster (baritone horn); Sylvester Scott (piano); Bobby Haynes (bass); Washington Rucker (drums). Recorded at RCA Studios, Los Angeles, California on May 27, 1976. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Big Joe Turner (vocals); Curtis Peagler (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Jake "Vernon" Porter (trumpet); Roy Brewster (baritone horn); Sylvester Scott (piano); Washington Rucker (drums). Audio Remasterer: Kirk Felton. Audio Remixer: David Luke. Recording information: RCA Studio, Los Angeles, CA (1976). Big Joe Turner was among the greatest jump blues shouters of all time, and he certainly helped pave the way for the rock & roll explosion of the mid-'50s. But Turner was also a fine jazz singer. When the Kansas City native recorded for Norman Granz's Pablo label in the '70s, he was often heard in jazz settings -- and The Midnight Special is among the swing-oriented dates that Turner provided for Pablo when he was in his sixties. This album, which Fantasy reissued on CD in 2002 for the Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series, was recorded in a Los Angeles studio in 1976. But The Midnight Special sounds like it could have been recorded in a small club. That's because it has the feeling of a loose jam session; Turner and his hard-swinging sidemen (who include saxophonist Curtis Peagler, trumpeter Jake Porter, and guitarist Cal Green, among others) sound delightfully spontaneous on standards that range from "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and "You're Driving Me Crazy" to Leadbelly's "The Midnight Special." The singer also turns his attention to Woody Guthrie's "So Long" (a folk song) and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"; although Tony Bennett recorded the definitive version of the latter, Turner's jazz interpretation isn't without its charms. To his credit, Turner doesn't even try to emulate Bennett's version -- he's wise enough to do his own thing. The Midnight Special isn't among Turner's essential releases, but it's an enjoyable outing that hardcore fans will appreciate -- and collectors will be happy to know that Fantasy has added five bonus tracks (most of them alternate takes). ~ Alex Henderson

"Anthology 1943-1959: The Deluxe Edition [Digipak]" (08/02/2005) Blues Washington, Dinah, Master ClassicsPersonnel includes: Dinah Washington (vocals); Gene Porter (alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet); Jewel Grant (alto saxophone); Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone); Karl George (trumpet); Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton (vibraphone); Wilbert Baranco, Ernie Freeman (piano); Barney Kessel, Rene Hall (guitar); Charlie Mingus, Red Callender (bass); Lee Young, Earl Palmer (drums). Includes liner notes by Athan Maroulis. Personnel: Dinah Washington (vocals); Dinah Washington; Rene Hall, Billy Mackel (guitar); Gene Porter (clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Jewell L. Grant, Herb Geller, Gus Evans, George Dorsey (alto saxophone); Harold Land, Lucky Thompson (tenor saxophone); Charlie Fowlkes (baritone saxophone); Clark Terry, Karl George, Joe Morris , Lamar Wright, Maynard Ferguson, Snooky Young, Wendell Culley (trumpet); Fred Beckett, Vernon Porter, Andrew Penn, Sonny Craven, Allen Durham (trombone); Wilbert Baranco, Ernie Freeman Combo, Junior Mance, Milt Buckner (piano); Charles Mingus (bass instrument); Earl Palmer , Fred Radcliffe, Lee Young, Red Callender (drums); Barney Kessel (guitar); Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson (vibraphone); Max Roach (drums). Recording information: Los Angeles, CA (12/10/1945-08/??/1959); New York, NY (12/10/1945-08/??/1959). Arranger: Belford Hendricks. Like Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington went from being a great jazz vocalist to being a great traditional pop vocalist. Jazz snobs called her a sellout in the late '50s and early '60s, but jazz snobs be damned -- quality is quality. Spanning 16 years, Anthology 1943-1959: The Deluxe Edition focuses primarily on Washington's jazz side. The only traditional pop offering on this 62-minute CD is a lush, captivating 1959 arrangement of the Cole hit "Unforgettable"; otherwise, jazz prevails whether Washington is performing swing as a featured vocalist for Lionel Hampton's orchestra in 1943 and 1944 or taking a jazz blues approach on 12 solo recordings for Apollo Records in 1945. The Apollo material (which marked the beginning of Washington's solo career) is excellent, and her live performances with the Hampton band -- most or all of which were broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) during World War II -- are rewarding even though they fall short of essential. The only time Anthology moves into outright hard bop territory is on a passionate 1954 recording of "Lover Come Back to Me" that boasts an inspired solo by the distinctive trumpeter Clifford Brown (who was a major influence on Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Donald Byrd, and others). Anthology isn't really a best-of and wouldn't be the ideal place for a novice to get started, but Washington's more seasoned aficionados will find a lot to savor on this generally excellent CD. ~ Alex Henderson If you own Delmark's 1992 CD Mellow Mama, you have most of the recordings on this 2001 release from Cleopatra's Stardust label. Anthology, like Mellow Mama, contains all 12 of the songs that Dinah Washington recorded for Apollo on December 10-13, 1945, including sassy jazz/blues gems like "My Voot Is Really Vout," "Mellow Mama Blues," "Wise Woman Blues," and "Rich Man's Blues" (which humorously echoes the thoughts of gold diggers past and present). In fact, the 12 songs (which employ bop heavyweights like vibist Milt Jackson, tenor saxman Lucky Thompson, and bassist Charles Mingus) are heard in the same order on Anthology as they are on Mellow Mama. But while Mellow Mama focuses on the December 1945 sessions exclusively, Anthology contains three bonus tracks: "Shoo Shoo Baby," "Lover, Come Back to Me," and "Unforgettable." Recorded during a Lionel Hampton session of 1943, "Shoo Shoo Baby" is quite similar to the Apollo material. But "Lover, Come Back to Me" is pure bop, and Washington's famous 1959 recording of "Unforgettable" (a major hit for Nat "King" Cole in the early '50s) is a rewarding example of her talents as a jazz-influenced pop singer. Myopic jazz snobs love to denounce Washington as a sell-out for exploring pre-rock/pop in the 1950s and early '60s, but the singer never claimed to

"Smooth Jazz Does the Divas" (02/21/2006) Jazz Instrument Various Artists, Shanachie RecordsPersonnel: Nicki Richards (vocals); Randy Bowland, Rohn Lawrence, Bernd Schoenhart (guitar); David Andrew Mann (saxophone, keyboards, drum programming); Dave Wells , Kevin Levi (saxophone); Pamela Williams (tenor saxophone, background vocals); Chris "Big Dog" Davis (piano); Precious Iglesias (background vocals). Audio Mixers: David Andrew Mann; Chris "Big Dog" Davis. Recording information: Big Dog Studios, Waterbury, CT; Night Flight Studios, Ft. Washington, MD; Saxtress Studios; Studio 107, New York, NY.