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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
binaural
18 posts
 
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 :^)
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
The Shirley Horn I like is "I Thought About You," a live recording on Verve. Her version of Estate is particularly engaging and something of a test/reference track for me. the first time I heard it was in the Sound Lab
room at CES in 1995, and it's been a favorite ever since.
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Hi Sean; I agree with Drubin re a good Shirley Horn CD, but would also recommend her "Ultimate" CD also on the Verve label. This CD has a variety of Ms. Horn's songs, but I love the ballads especially-- she does "Estate" on this CD too. In the Ultimate Jazz Series Shirley horn was nominated as on one of the Jazz Greats by Diana Krall.

I grew up with Rosemary Cloony and Peggy Lee but don't have any of their music-- I'll have to remedy that from recommendations on this thread. Cheers. Craig
newbee
4,767 posts
 
three more shirley horn alblums, all on verve. you won't forget me, close enough for love, and here's to life. i agree with drubin on i thought about you and i have heard it so often i use it as a reference testing equipment.
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