One of the real pleasures in today’s technology is the fact that guys like Spain’s Jordi Pujols is able to find obscure jazz albums and help us rediscover true artists that were overlooked during a time of singer overload. This latest pair is simple irresistible. The liner notes answer the questions as to why these ladies never got much traction, but for one of them, she’s still in the jazz scene, although in a different role.
The first album pairs Jean Hoffman with Dorothy Carless, both ladies from the mid 50s, and both in a small and spartan musical format. Hoffman comes of casual and influenced by June Christy, accompanying herself on the slinky “Dancing On The Ceiling” and sly on “Makin’ Whoopee” with Jack Weeks-Dean Reilly/b and Bill Young/dr. A mix of mature confidence and earthy swing are felt on “Street of Dreams” and she carries a torch on “What Is There To Say”. Any more of this lady?
Dorothy Carless is supported by Barney Kessel/g, Joe Mondragon/b and Milt Holland/vb-glock-d-bong as she mixes moods ranging from sassy Sarah Vaughanish swoons on “Baby, Baby, You’re The One” to dreamy atmospheres on “Ev’ry time We Say Goodby” and “I’ll Never Be The Same”. She carries a glowing torch with Kessel as she oozes out “My Old Flame” and “Here Lies Love”. Classy lassie.
The real ringer her is the two disc set by Ruth Price, who’s now best known as the owner of LA’s best jazz venue, the venerable Jazz Bakery. I’m willing to bet that no one who attends the shows that she sponsors and produces has even an inkling of how powerful and original a vocalist this lady was. There’s a video of her singing with Stan Getz on youtube, and that’s about as much as I knew. Now, with this albums from 55-56, you can’t look at her the same way.
Her 1955 session has her teamed with pianist/arranger Lou Stein’s trio of Milt Hinton/b and Ellis Tollin/dr along with guests Tony Mottola/g, Frank Wess/ts and Joe Newman/tp from Count Basie’s Orchestra. What grabs you right away is her mastery of giving clever intros to each song, flexible and clever on “My Shining Hour”, giving a dash of Ella Fitzgerald on a clever “Gentleman Friend” declaratory with Tollin on a bold “Shadrack” and giving a hint of Judy Garland on the vibrato’d and hopeful “Someday My Prince Will Come”. Through it all, she oozes with confidence and artistic ambition.
Her 1956 follow-up with Norman Price/p, Frank Cerchia/g and Ed Arndt/b (and various guests) shows that her debut was no fluke. She loves grabbing your attention, going into a dark Judy Garland mode with Price on “Calypso Blues”, playing her role well on “I Am The Girl” and a hep cat with vibe support on “I Guess I’ll Have To Dream The Rest.” Her solo intro to the album on “By Myself” lures you in before she then teams up with the drummer for a great swinging feel. She gets reflective buoyed with Cerchia on “(I’m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over” and gives an aria for the title tune a la Pagliacci. She gives slight colors of a wide variety of vocalists, such as Ella, Garland and even Blossom Dearie, but she sounds completely original, making you want to ask her next time at a Bakery gig when she’ll sing at her own club!