It’s amazing how many jazz vocalists have been overlooked over the decades. Here are three reissue sets that make you wonder how some singers strike it big and others get overlooked, as no one here deserved the obscurity that they received.
Kitty White (1923-2009) remained unknown in Los Angeles probably because she never toured around, singing mostly in local clubs. These two albums, one from 1954 and the other from 1962, display a haunting beauty, both in an intimate and spartan setting. The first, A Moment Of Love has her joined by harpist Corky Hale and occasionally with Bud Shank joining in on flute. White’s voice is reminiscent of Kay Davis in tender purity, and with just the celestial stringed support, he gentle vibrato lures you in on “I’m Glad There Is You,’ “My Romance” and “ I See Your Face Before Me”. Shank joins in for a glowing “Autumn Leaves” and dark “Yesterdays” with plenty of space between the three artists to create rich impressions of light and darkness. Eight years later, she is accompanied by Angelenos Buddy Collette/fl, Red Mitchell/b and Laurindo Almeida/g for softly swinging pieces such as “A Sleeping Bee” while giving dramatic subtones to the flamenco strums of “Johnny Guitar”. Unforgettable are the duets such as with Collette on the aria He’s Gone Away,” or on “Fare Thee Well” and “Trina” with Almeida. Even deeper are her a cappella journeys, such as “Look Away” and “Your Eyes” where she draws you in with her silhouette of a voice. Sui generis
The latest of the female version of The Best Voices Time Forgot include Dinah Washington-influenced Donna Drake, who’s backed by the adroit team of 2/3rds of Miles Davis’ trio pianist Wynton Kelly, drummer Jimmy Cobb and bassist Keter Betts. The 1968 session has her classy on “Dream”, sassy on “Evil Gal Blues”, fingersnapping with Betts on “What A Difference A Day Makes” and dressed well in blue on “For All We Know” while agonizing on “I Could Have Told You So”. Paula Haliday had her chance in the spotlight with this charmer of standards supported by pianist Don Abney and his quartet. The backing trumpet player is positively Ellingtonian as he plunges on a dramatic “Gloomy Sunday” and gives a nice wah wah on “Love Me Or Leave Me”. Haliday herself has a twinkle in her eye on “If It’s The Last Thing I Do” and slinks to the sway of “Until The Real Thing Comes Along”. A pair of Forget-Me-Nots.
Tony Travis was actually pretty well known for his acting roles, such as The Beatnicks and Perry Mason, but he also doubled as a crooner, sounding somewhere halfway between a vintage Mel Torme’ and an early Mark Murphy. His tenor’d voice is teamed with a 1956 Hollywood band that includes guitarist Howard Roberts and some nice alto sax work by Phil Sobel on “Georgia On My Mine” and the B-movie noirish “Moanin’ Low”. 1958 has him using the title Come Swing With Me a few years before Sinatra, but Travis sounds just as Rat Packy with Russ Garcia’s big band (which included Roberts, Nick Nash/tb, Paul Horn/fl, Larry Bunker?vb and Pete Condoli/tp) on the Basie-ish “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” , the extroverted “What Is This Thing Called Love” and the Vegas-stripped “Jeepers Creepers”. A night at the Golden Nugget.