Want some extra spice in your jazz vocals? Don’t think there’s anything new out there to excite you? Wait until you hear this overlooked big, beautiful , bodacious and black vamp named Sallie Blair. She had a stint with R&B er Johnny Otis, put out a couple albums that went from jazz to pop and then dropped out of sight.
Just wait until you hear the stuff on these two discs! First, just get a load of the two titles of her albums to get a hint of what you’re in for: Squeeze Me from 1957 and Hello, Tiger from 1958. Some friendly advice-keep these away from your wife. YEOW!!
Backed up by a steamy band including Urbie Green/tb, Sal Salvador/g, Milt Hinton/b and Mongo Santamaria/perc, she growls like a hungry animal on “ Squeeze Me” and sizzles like hot and sour soup on “What is This Thing Called Love.” She’ll send shivers down your spine on “How Long Has This Been Going On” while she puts a hex on you during “Witchcraft.” I’d have her replace Gwen Verdon any day if her visuals on “Whatever Lola Wants” matches her vocals. Loosen up the collar!
Neal Heft conducts the orchestra for the Hello, Tiger sessions, and the opening to “Daddy” is an absolute hoot! Blair creates a gust of cool air on “She Serves A Nice Cup of Tea” while makes everyone forget what’s-her-name from White Christmas on “I’m Through With Love.” A handful of singles give a hint to what became of her, as her style slowly got taken over by the Philistines of pop music. But still, you aren’t going to go wrong with this lady. The excellent notes inside give you enough information to make you an expert on this lady. A lotta woman is on these albums!
Fresh Sound Records