Here are some of the swinginest vintage vocals by the kings and queens of cool.
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1 Chris Connor and Maynard Ferguson Summertime 2.Mel Torme' The Lady's in love with you 3.Nina Simone The more I see you 4.Ella Fitzgerald Sunny 5.Madaleine Peyroux (Getting some) Fun out of life 6.Mose allison Your molecular structure 7.Esther Phillips Fever 8.Chiles and Pettiford The Joker 9.Lea DeLaria All that Jazz 10.Jimmy Scott All the way 11.Carmen McRae For once in my life 12.Sammy Davis, Jr What kind of fool am I 13.Ann Richards Bewitched 14.Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Al Hibbler Do nothin' 'till you hear from me 15.Rosemary Clooney Yours Sincerely   1. Chris Connor & Maynard Ferguson - Summertime For nearly a decade, Chris Connor reigned supreme as Atlantic’s first lady of jazz. The smoky-voiced, Kansas City-born songstress, who had initially developed her skills with the big bands of Claude Thornhill and Stan Kenton, began working as a solo artiste in 1952. In 1960 she teamed up with trumpet giant Maynard Ferguson (another ex-member of the Stan Kenton band) for Double Exposure, from which this exquisitely phrased rendition of ‘Summertime’ is taken. 2. Mel Tormé - The Lady’s In Love With You In 1962 Mel Tormé recorded Comin’ Home Baby! for Atlantic, an LP whose title track was to be his only hit of the rock era. The album, a true soul-jazz crossover classic, balanced groovy dance tunes with versions of early ‘60s standards like ‘Moanin’’ and ‘Dat Dere’, as well as this subtly swinging number, which the Velvet Fog tackles with ineffable cool and flair. 3. Nina Simone - The More I See You No single female voice has so furiously assaulted injustice, ranging from racism to adultery, in modern times. A civil rights activist as well as a superb love stylist, Nina Simone, a classically trained pianist, was a uniquely versatile performer who recorded soul, jazz and pop extensively, whilst being equally comfortable with gospel, folk and show tunes. From her last studio album, A Single Woman, comes this sparkling rendition of ‘The More I See You’. 4. Ella Fitzgerald - Sunny At the dawn of the ‘70s, Ella Fitzgerald recorded Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (And You Better Believe It), an LP that took her on a voyage through contemporary classics such as Bobby Hebb’s ‘Sunny’. With a propulsive band behind her, Norman Granz in the producer’s chair and a funky song to sing, Ella sounds sassier and hipper than ever, alchemising sweet pop into jazz. 5. Madeleine Peyroux (Getting Some) Fun Out Of Life Echoes of Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith can be heard in Madeleine Peyroux’s recordings, and the release of her debut album Dreamland in 1996 caused quite a stir as a result. A sensitive interpreter of jazz and blues tunes, as well as sultry torch songs, her rendition of this Lady Day tune is enchantingly smooth and playful. 6. Mose Allison Your - Molecular Structure Legendary singer/pianist/songwriter Mose Allison’s unique combination of blues, jazz and folk as well as his wit, have earned him the admiration of many musicians, including Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Georgie Fame. Your Mind Is On Vacation from 1976 feature classics like its title track, and ‘Your Molecular Structure’. 7. Esther Phillips - Fever Discovered by Johnny Otis at a talent show in 1949 at the age of 13, Esther Phillips, then billed as ‘Little Esther’, topped the R&B charts the following year with the Savoy single ‘Double Crossin’ Blues’. Back in the public eye in 1962 with her country-soul take on ‘Release Me’, she signed to Atlantic in 1964, where she recorded a series of R&B, blues and jazz-tinged sides, including this smouldering take on ‘Fever’. 8. Chiles & Pettiford - The Joker Pianist Walter Chiles and bassist Clarence Pettiford (only a distant relation of Oscar Pettiford), are joined by drummer Al Harewood for this rendition of ‘The Joker’. The song, from the Broadway show The Roar Of The Greasepaint, has since become a standard for jazz musicians, and was recorded in the mid ‘60s at Jilly’s, New York’s top nightspot, and Sinatra and friends’ favourite hangout. 9. Lea DeLaria - All That Jazz (from Chicago) Jazz singer, comedienne and Broadway star Lea DeLaria is a majestically voiced performer, equally at ease with standards, pop and rock songs and show tunes. Play It Cool, her debut album for Warner Brothers, featured compositions from contemporary theatre given the jazz treatment, including this sassy boogaloo take on ‘All That Jazz’. 10. Jimmy Scott - All The Way Few singers have articulated emotions as poignantly as Jimmy Scott. A vocalist for the Lionel Hampton Band of the late ‘40s, he began a very promising career as a solo artiste in the early ‘50s with the Roost and Coral labels, until a disastrous record deal with Savoy Records put a stop to his musical career for nearly two decades. Spotted singing at his friend Doc Pomus’ funeral in 1991, he was signed by Sire Records the very next day. This, the title track from his label debut All The Way, beautifully frames Jimmy’s haunting voice and his unique, behind-the-beat phrasing. Now in his late ‘70s, Jimmy Scott is still one of the most captivating voices in jazz. Since the revival of his musical career, he has toured the world extensively, recorded seven albums, and has been the subject of a biography and two documentaries. 11. Carmen McRae - For Once In My Life By the time Carmen McRae had signed to Atlantic in 1967, she was an acclaimed master of the jazz vocalist’s art, and an international treasure. Her distinct, intelligent choice of phrasing is well demonstrated here with ‘For Once In My Life’, taken from her label debut of the same name. Lavishly arranged and conducted by Johnny Keating, the line-up featured, along with strings and horns, the ethereal sound of the rarely heard Martenot (an early electronic keyboard). 12. Sammy Davis, Jr. - What Kind Of Fool Am I A spectacular singer, dancer and performer who epitomised ‘60s cool, Sammy was at his most successful during his time at the Reprise label. Between 1962 and 1968 he introduced one hit song after another, many of them the work of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. ‘What Kind Of Fool Am I’ became one of his showstopping signature tunes. 13. Ann Richards - Bewitched Hailed by Playboy magazine in 1960 as ‘”the Liz Taylor of the hip set” over a four-page spread entitled Ann, Man!, Ann Richards sounded every bit as good as she looked, as is more than proved here by her elegant rendition of this Rodgers and Hart standard. 14. Rahsaan Roland Kirk & Al Hibbler - Do Nothin’ ‘Till You Hear From Me In 1973, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, one of jazz’s most energetic and versatile musicians, teamed up with Al Hibbler, one of the most underrated and forgotten jazz singers of the ‘40s, for A Meeting Of The Times. A tribute to the work of Duke Ellington, the album includes this stellar take on ‘Do Nothin’ ‘Till You Hear From Me’, a song that began its life as ‘Concerto For Cootie’, an instrumental for trumpeter Cootie Williams, until Bob Russell wrote lyrics for it, creating a hit record. 15. Rosemary Clooney - Yours Sincerely Perhaps best known for her novelty hits of the ‘50s like ‘Come On-A My House’, Rosemary Clooney’s background and foundation were however rooted in jazz. In 1961 she recorded Love for RCA Victor, who shelved the album until Frank Sinatra signed her to Reprise, bought the master, and released it. Nelson Riddle, with whom she was passionately in love at the time, wrote some of the most beautiful scores of his entire career for this album, whilst leading an orchestra with one of the most luscious sounds of the decade. These twelve ballads, which she picked herself, include the spellbinding ‘Yours Sincerely’. MINNIE ‘MINX’ MEHARI TOP