Rosemary Clooney / Shirley Horn / Peggy Lee


Give the success of the "female vocalist" thread referenced below ( and BOY, is it long ), i was wondering about the performers mentioned above.

I've seen quite a few mentions of Shirley in several different forums. That one seems like a "sure thing" from what i can tell.

As to "Rosey", i remember listening to her as i grew up. No, i'm not THAT old but that doesn't mean that i didn't have records : ) Can't remember any song other than "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window", etc... I was kinda surprised that she only received one mention in the "mega thread" too. Anything worth looking into here or is there a reason that she didn't get many votes ?

As to Peggy, i saw some strong recommendations there for her too. One of my buddies has mentioned her in the past so i'm thinking that i might dig some of her stuff.

What are some good discs to pick up by these women ? I don't necessarily mean their best performances, but what would make the best introduction to them ? All too often i find that someone recommends a performers "best" disc and then everything from there seems like a let-down when listening to their other recordings. I'm the kind of person that likes to "grow" into an artist if you know what i mean. Most of the time, my favorite cuts by an artist are the "obscure gems" that most people tend to gloss over. As such, i'd be looking for a recording that was good and well balanced but maybe not as popular or commercial or "laden with hits". Sean
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http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?gmusi&960119533&openfrom&1&4#1
sean

Showing 1 response by binaural

Hi Sean,

I think all three are terrific. I got a chance to meet Rosie and hear her perform (with John Pizzarelli lending guitar and vocals) during a jazz weekend two years ago… what a classy lady. She had some big commercial hits, and people tend to only remember her in that ‘pop’ genre, but she has also recorded many great albums in a sultry-jazz style.

Here is a short list of recommended CDs that vary in style and period, but represent some of her best work (IMHO):

* Blue Rose: Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington (& His Orchestra)… Fantastic (her personal favorite). Many standards and surprisingly great sonics. Recorded in 1956 on Columbia/Legacy.

* The Classic Rosemary Clooney … More standards, a little lighter. Includes a couple pairings with Bing Crosby. Good sonics. Recorded mostly during the early 60’s on RCA/BMG.

* Brazil: Rosemary Clooney… Just sit back and relax with this one (cocktails optional). Appearances from John Pizzarelli and a great cover of ’Boy from Ipanema’ with Diana Krall. Warm recording (appropriately) with HDCD. Recorded in 2000 on Concord.

Hope that helps :^)