Back in 1991 I got the chance to see Ms. Jones at a club in in San Francisco. She didn't disappoint. Among female singers, Jones and Dinah Washington stand out above almost all others for me. Jones can sell a song.
Obviously influenced by Billie Holiday (her imitation of Holiday at the end of Fine and Mellow will send chills down your spine), she sits back on the beat, sometimes til the last moment. Yet she can jump out in front of the beat too, and that is hard to make work. She sings like a horn player, moving her tone off the center, shifting and sliding. Sincerity is her forte, and a sense of humor.
This record (a combination of two albums, one recorded in 80 and the other in 86) comes from the middle-late period of her career, when she had nailed the process, but before age had taken its small toll on her pipes (she adjusted her style slightly as she got older). Her bands are superb, particularly her husband, Houston Person, on saxophone, and pianist Cedar Walton on the Save Your Love album.
Jones died in October of 2001 from complications due to pneumonia. That same day her final recording was released, Etta Jones Sings Lady Day. She was 72.
These are exquisite.
Hear
note: This is Etta Jones, not Etta James. The two are often confused to the detriment of both.
Obviously influenced by Billie Holiday (her imitation of Holiday at the end of Fine and Mellow will send chills down your spine), she sits back on the beat, sometimes til the last moment. Yet she can jump out in front of the beat too, and that is hard to make work. She sings like a horn player, moving her tone off the center, shifting and sliding. Sincerity is her forte, and a sense of humor.
This record (a combination of two albums, one recorded in 80 and the other in 86) comes from the middle-late period of her career, when she had nailed the process, but before age had taken its small toll on her pipes (she adjusted her style slightly as she got older). Her bands are superb, particularly her husband, Houston Person, on saxophone, and pianist Cedar Walton on the Save Your Love album.
Jones died in October of 2001 from complications due to pneumonia. That same day her final recording was released, Etta Jones Sings Lady Day. She was 72.
These are exquisite.
Hear
note: This is Etta Jones, not Etta James. The two are often confused to the detriment of both.
No comments:
Post a Comment