Label: Vintage Jazz Classics.
Release Date: July 29, 1993.
Recording Time: 77 minutes.
Recording Date: September 15, 1931 - April 25, 1950.
Styles: Classic Female Blues, Standards, Swing, Traditional Jazz.
The superior swing singer is heard on 20 studio performances throughout this diverse CD which spans virtually her entire recording career. The best selections are the first four, a complete session from 1935 that has Bailey joined by an all-star quartet comprised of trumpeter Bunny Berigan, altoist Johnny Hodges, pianist Teddy Wilson and bassist Grachan Moncur. In addition she sings four ballads from 1931 with The Casa Loma Orchestra and is accompanied on ten songs by The Delta Rhythm Boys, a quartet led by pianist Herman Chittison or Harry Sosnick's octet in 1941-42. This interesting CD concludes with Mildred Bailey's final studio session, two numbers ("Cry, Cry, Cry" and "Blue Prelude") from 1950. Some of the material was formerly rare, making this an essential CD for swing collectors.
by Scott Yanow
Credits: Harold Arlen - composer; Mildred Bailey - composer, primary artist, vocals; Lew Brown - composer; Vernon Brown - trombone; Johnny Burke - composer; Ernie Caceres - bars; Charles Wakefield Cadman - composer; Hoagy Carmichael - composer; Nat King Cole - composer; Buddy DeSylva - composer; Nelle Richmond Eberhart - composer; Roy Eldridge - director; Edward Eliscu - composer; Livingston Gearhart - composer; George Gershwin - composer; Ira Gershwin - composer; Benny Goodman - clarinet; Stuart Gorrell - composer; Oscar Hammerstein II - composer; Gladys Hampton - composer; E.Y. "Yip" Harburg - composer; Ray Henderson - composer; James Van Heusen - composer; DuBose Heyward - composer; Billy Higgins - composer; Tommy Kay - guitar; Buddy Kaye - composer; Alex Kramer - composer; Yank Lawson - director; Mickey McMickle - trumpet; Reggie Merrill - sax (alto); Irving Mills - composer; Phil Moore - composer; Red Norvo - composer; W. Benton Overstreet - composer; Tiny Parham - composer; Specs Powell - drums; Billy Reid - composer; Arthur Rollini - sax (tenor); Sigmund Romberg - composer; Billy Rose - composer; Hymie Schertzer - sax (alto); Ward Silloway - trombone; Benjamin Franklin Spikes - composer; John Spikes - composer; Wolfe Tayne - sax (tenor); Gene Traxler - bass; Joan Whitney - composer; Alec Wilder - composer; Teddy Wilson - composer, piano; Vincent Youmans - composer; Hy Zaret - composer.
Tracks: 1) Rockin' Chair, and Opening Announcement; 2) There'll Be Some Changes Made; 3) It All Comes Back to Me Now; 4) Give Me Some Skin; 5) Georgia on My Mind; 6) Bugle Woogie; 7) Closing Theme and Announcement; 8) Rockin' Chair; 9) Sunday, Monday or Always; 10) Scrap Your Fat; 11) More Than You Know; 12) Someday, Sweetheart; 13) Breakdown One; 14) Breakdown Two; 15) Master Take; 16) Breakdown One; 17) Breakdown Two; 18) Complete Take, Unissued; 19) There'll Be a Jubilee; 20) Summertime; 21) Right as the Rain; 22) Together; 23) Evelina; 24) From the Land of the Sky Blue Water; 25) I'll Close My Eyes; 26) That Ain't Right; 27) Lover, Come Back to Me; 28) It's So Peaceful in the Country.