Before she devoted her life to Christ and became associated with The Billy Graham Crusade (as well as the movie Cabin In The Sky), Ethel Waters was arguably THE jazz vocalist, swinging more than the bluesy Bessie Smith and bolder than Mildred Bailey. This three disc, 70 song anthology collects material from her earliest days as a blues belter to a sophisticated swinger.
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The earliest material has her supported by pianists Fletcher Henderson most of the time, with sidemen including Coleman Hawkins/ts and Joe Smith for some rowdy pieces like “I’ve Found A New Baby”, “Dinah “ and “ Sweet Georgia Brown”. Blues pianists like James P Johnson and Clarence Williams have her gritty on “Guess Who’s In Town” and “West End Blues” while a definitive “Am I Blue” includes Tommy/ab and Jimmy/as Dorsey. This started a long associates between them with a definitive read of “Stormy Weather” and “Don’t Blame Me” showing Waters’ strengths. She’s also backed by Duke Ellington’s 1932 Orchestra on a glorious “Porgy” and Benny Goodman’s band has her back on “A Hundred Years From Today”. There’s a wonderfully nostalgic read of “Cabin In The Sky” from the famous film, while a rare return to her roots closes out the set with a 1947 read of “Careless Love”. Inspiring, but before inspired.