Home » Jazz Articles » Radio & Podcasts » McRae, Bird @ 100, Newk & More

McRae, Bird @ 100, Newk & More

By Marc Cohn | Gifts & Messages
March 13, 2020
Sign in to view read count

Click the play button to listen

This week we celebrate the centennial of singer Carmen McRae with three selections from her stupendous 1961 recording, Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man. We put on our 'professor's hat' and do a compare and contrast with primarily Billie Holiday on each tune and guest appearances from Dianne Reeves and Shirley Horn. Fascinating to hear how each singer uses rhythm and phrasing to put a unique stamp on these tunes. Oh, and also the first recording of "Them There Eyes" from the Gus Arnheim Cocoanut Grove Orchestra (with Bing Crosby in the vocal group), which—by the way-was a 'hit' in 1931. Go figure. We also celebrate the Charlie Parker centennial and have another chapter in our chronological Sonny Rollins retrospective. Along the way the new Lynne Arriale session, Geof Bradfield, Trane at the Vanguard with Eric, Yasushi Nakamura, Jackie McLean, Keith Jarrett and John Surman. It's a whole lotta music that's worth your time. So, hit that play button and enjoy!

Playlist

Lynne Arriale "Journey" from Chimes of Freedom (Challenge) 00:00
Geof Bradfield "Before This Time Another Year" from Our Roots (Origin) 05:04
John Coltrane "India" from Complete Village Vanguard Recordings (Impulse) 12:14
Yasushi Nakamura "FRB" from Hometown (self-produced) 22:45
Sonny Rollins "Kids Know" from Rollins Plays for Bird (Prestige) 28:46
Sonny Rollins "The House I Live In" from Sonny Boy (Prestige) 41:29
Charlie Parker "Bird Gets The Worm" from Complete Savoy Studio Sessions (Savoy) 50:45
Charlie Parker "Cheryl" from Complete Savoy Studio Sessions (Savoy) 54:47
Carmen McRae "Them There Eyes" from Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man (Columbia) 57:55
Billie Holiday "Them There Eyes" from Lady Day (Columbia) 1:01:37
Gus Arnheim & His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra "Them There Eyes" from 78 rpm single (RCA Victor) 1:04:16
Carmen McRae "Trav'lin' Light" from Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man (Columbia) 1:07:59
Billie Holiday "Trav'lin' Light" from Billie's Blues (Blue Note) 1:11:13
Shirley Horn "Trav'lin' Light" from Trav'lin' Light (Impulse) 1:14:34
Carmen McRae "Some Other Spring" from Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man (Columbia) 1:17:14
Dianne Reeves "Some Other Spring" from The Grand Encounter (Blue Note) 1:21:30
Billie Holiday "Some Other Spring" from Lady Day (Columbia) 1:26:43
Jackie McLean "Plight" from Action (Blue Note) 1:29:43
Keith Jarrett "How Long Has This Been Going On" from At the Blue Note, Complete (ECM) 1:38:23
John Surman "Concentric Circles" from Invisbile Threads (ECM) 1:47:25

< Previous
Concert In Vilnius

Next >
Cold Fusion: The Search for the Jazz/...

Comments

About Carmen McRae

Instrument: Vocals

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.