AVID Jazz presents the latest release in our Five Classic Album series with a re-mastered 2CD release from Beverly Kenney, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.
“Sings For Johnny Smith”; “Come Swing With Me”; “Sings With Jimmy Jones & The Basie-Ites”; “Sings For Playboys” and “Like Yesterday”.
AVID Jazz is proud to feature a wonderful jazz singer who’s tragic early death robbed the jazz world of potentially one of it’s brightest stars. Beverly Kenney was born in New Jersey in January 1932 and began her musical career touring with The Dorsey Brothers. Later she was to be found singing with the likes of Don Elliott, Kai Winding and George Shearing. Said to sound like Billie Holiday crossed with Anita O’Day, Beverly got her big break when she starred on a bill which included Miles Davis and Art Blakey. She was also gigging with none other than Lester Young at Birdland. Making her debut at the Basin Street Club she was favourably compared to Helen Merrill, Teddi King and Chris Conner by renowned jazz critic Nat Hentoff. Beverly Kenney was clearly forging a successful career in jazz and between 1956-1960 she recorded six albums for two different labels. Five of which we have included in this fine re-mastered set. I’m afraid we will have to leave you to track down her sixth and final album “Born To Be Blue”. Known to be often withdrawn, moody and often fearful it was the utmost tragedy that on her third attempt Beverly Kenney took her own life in April 1960. There is still no apparent reason for her devastating action and the case remains a mystery to this day. For this release we have chosen five of Beverly Kenney’s six jazz albums to highlight her prodigious talents. Just a look at some of the fine jazz musicians and arrangers on board for these recordings will tell you that Beverly Kenney was considered a serious singer in the jazz world. On these fine albums you will hear the work of musicians and arrangers like Johnny Smith, Ralph Burns, Urbie Green, Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton, Frank Wess, Joe Newman, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, Ellis Larkins, Jerome Richardson, Chuck Wayne and Ed Shaughnessy. As with all AVID releases, we hope you enjoy this classic set and check out our extensive catalogue for more great music across jazz, blues and many other musical genres.
Check out:- Julie London (AMSC1356 & 1424); Billie Holiday (AMSC1329); Nancy Wilson (AMSC1349); Dinah Washington (AMSC1367); Sarah Vaughan (AMSC1352); Dakota Staton (AMSC1259); Jeri Southern (AMSC1291); Nina Simone (AMSC1268); Helen Merrill (AMSC1337); Annie Ross (AMSC1015); Peggy Lee (AMSC1290); June Christy (AMSC1305 & 1392); Ann Richards (AMSC1239); Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (AMSC1320); Ernestine Anderson (AMSC1170); Teddi King / Carol Sloane / Morgana King (AMSC1154) Helen Humes (AMSC1397); Lurlean Hunter (AMSC1171); Abbey Lincoln (AMSC1302); Anita O’Day (AMSC1129); Della Reese (AMSC1295); Jo Stafford (AMSC1372); Lee Wiley (AMSC1113).
CD1
1-12: ‘Sings For Johnny Smith’
1.The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
2. Tis’ Autumn
3. Looking For A Boy
4. I’ll Know My Love (Greensleeves)
5. Destination Moon
6. Ball & Chain (Sweet Lorraine)
7. Almost Like Being In Love
8. Stairway To The Stars
9. There Will Never Be Another You
10. This Little Town In Paris
11. Moe’s Blues
12. Smuggled On Your Shoulder
13-24: ‘Come Swing With Me’
13. Give Me The Simple Life
14. I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
15. The Trolley Song
16. Violets For Your Furs
17. This Can’t Be Love
18. Scarlet Ribbons
19. If I Were A Bell
20. Why Try To Change Me Now
21. Swinging On A Star
22. You Go To My Head
23. It Ain’t Necessarily So
24. You Make Me Feel So Young
25-30: ‘Sings With Jimmy Jones & The Basie-Ites’
25. Nobody Else But Me
26. The More I See You
27. Old Buttermilk Sky
28. I Never Has Seen Snow
29. A Fine Romance
30. Who Cares What People Say
CD2
1-6: ‘Sings With Jimmy Jones & The Basie-Ites’
1. Makin’ Whoopee
2. The Charm Of You
3. Isn’t This A Lovely Day
4. Mairzy Doats
5. My Kind Of Love
6. Can’t Get Out Of This Mood
7-18: ‘Sings For Playboys’
7. Do It Again
8. A Woman’s Intuition
9. You’re My Boy
10. Mama, Do I Gotta?
11. What Is There To Say
12. A Lover Like You
13.A Summer Romance
14. Life Can Be Beautiful
15. It’s Magic
16. A-You’re Adorable (The Alphabet Song)
17. Try A Little Tenderness
18. It’s A Most Unusual Day
19-30: ‘Like Yesterday’
19. Undecided
20. Sentimental Journey
21. I Had The Craziest Dream
22. And The Angels Sing
23. More Than You Know
24. The Dipsy Doodle
25. What A Diff’rence A Day Made
26. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place
27. A Sunday Kind Of Love
28. Any Old Time
29. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
30. Tampico
