ALBUM REVIEW

THE BEBOP SINGERS -
(Prestige CD # PRCD 24216.2)

This 1999 offering from the Prestige label, well-known for its jazz products, recently came my way via a dealer in New Orleans. The package is a great compilation of works in the style known as vocalese - the art of putting lyrics to instrumental jazz performances. Vocalese differs from scat singing in its use of real, meaningful words in lieu of scat's nonsense syllables.

The folks at Prestige have pulled together some of the finest practitioners of the vocalese art in compiling this collection - Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks), Annie Ross, Jon Hendricks - the list goes on. Vocal music in the bebop tradition, mainly from the early 1950s.

Liner notes by Harvey Peckar augment this collection, which is still in print and available from the usual "mainstream" on-line sources.

Easy on the ears...

Dates shown in the track listing are recording dates.

Track List:
1. Red Top - King Pleasure & Betty Carter (12 Dec 1952)
2. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid - King Pleasure (12 Dec 1952)
3. Don't Get Scared - King Pleasure, Eddie Jefferson & Jon Hendricks (7 Dec 1954)
4. Parker's Mood - King Pleasure (24 Dec 1953)
5. I'm Gone - King Pleasure, Eddie Jefferson & the Three Riffs (7 Dec 1954)
6. I'm in the Mood for Love - King Pleasure & Blossom Dearie (19 Feb 1952)
7. She's Gone Again - Dizzy Gillespie (16 Sep 1950)
8. Workshop [a/k/a Blues for a Debutante] - Eddie Jefferson (8 Jan 1954)
9. I've Got the Blues (Lester Leaps In) - Eddie Jefferson (28 Jan 1955)
10. Disappointed - Eddie Jefferson (23 Aug 1955)
11. Twisted - Annie Ross (9 Oct 1952)
12. Farmer's Market - Annie Ross (9 Oct 1952)
13. Jackie - Annie Ross (14 Sep 1953)
14. Tomorrow Is Another Day - King Pleasure (20 Jun 1960)
15. Moanin' - Jon Hendricks (27 Mar 1973)
16. Along Came Betty - Jon Hendricks (28 Mar 1973)
17. Old Shoes - Eddie Jefferson & Irv Taylor (20 Feb 1953)
18. Strictly Instrumental - Eddie Jefferson & Irv Taylor (20 Feb 1953)
19. Start Walkin', Stop Talkin - Eddie Jefferson & Irv Taylor (20 Feb 1953)
20. Pennies from Heaven - Joe Carroll (30 Dec 1952)
21. Two Wrongs Won't Make It Right - Joe Carroll (30 Dec 1952)
22. I Was in the Mood - Joe Carroll (30 Dec 1952)
23. Got a Penny, Benny? - Joe Carroll (30 Dec 1952)

Copyright � 2003 - Doo Wop Gino

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Last updated 18 April 2003.

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