Here’s a honey of a collection by one of the overlooked female jazz singers. Rosemary Clooney will forever be remembered as the wiser sister in White Christmas, but she also had a run as one of the best vocalists later in her career in the 70s. What people have forgotten was that post “Sisters,” she was a regular on the radio, as these recordings on not only her own show, but with The Ford Motor Company and Bing Crosby himself aptly display, she was a force to be reckoned with.
This 5 disc limited edition set is very similar to the format of the earlier collection of Bing Crosby sessions previously released by Mosaic. The same team of Buddy Cole/key, Vince Terri/g, Don Whitaker/b and Nick Fatool/dr supports her all throughout the recordings from Hollywood and Palm Springs, when Hollywood WAS Hollywood, and Palm Springs was where the Rat Pack detoxed.
The thing that makes this collection so attractive is the same thing that is alluring about the Crosby set; the complete relaxed and informal setting of Clooney with a cozy yet flexible little combo takes away all pretension and polish, making you feel like you’re in a real jazz session. All of the tunes clock in from 1 ½ to just under 3 minutes, so you’re getting mini arias of Ms. Clooney, and she makes it work on tunes like “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” and “Mood Indigo.” Not only does she do jazz standards, but she pulls out some real left fielders like “You’re In Kentucky Sure As You’re Born” and “You Ol’ Son of a Gun” and makes each one work, as the well honed twinkle in the eye voice brings you in on the inside joke.
Clooney was made for ballads, and she milks the lyrics for “Don’t Blame Me” and “The Nearness of You” with complete vulnerability along with wholesomeness. More like Betty than Veronica in Archie Comics, Clooney exudes a girl-next-door familiarity that even works on the peppier pieces such as “Lover Come Back to Me” and the darker “It’s All Right With Me.” The backup team propelled by Nick Fatool, who worked the traps behind Benny Goodman, is old school swinging, and sound like they were born for this material.
An excellent venture into the art of song, performed by a lady who had her own style, and what a style it was!
Mosaic Records