Track Listing

1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Ella Fitzgerald
2. Love Is Here to Stay - Ella Fitzgerald
3. Come Rain or Come Shine - Billie Holiday
4. God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday
5. 'Deed I Do - Lena Horne
6. Ain't Misbehavin' - Dinah Washington
7. What a Diff'rence a Day Made [*] - Dinah Washington
8. 'S Wonderful [*] - Sarah Vaughan
9. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - Sarah Vaughan
10. I Loves You, Porgy [Live] - Nina Simone
11. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? - Abbey Lincoln
12. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Shirley Horn

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50600 in Music
• Released on: 1995-04-16
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

these ladies sold their songs without even trying--and that's no small feat !!!
Great Ladies of Jazz is a very solid CD that features some really great songs performed by some of the very best female jazz singers ever. The quality of the sound is fantastic; and the artwork is very well done as well.

"It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a live track of the great Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady Of Song; and Ella swings this out like the pro she always was! The piano arrangement is stunning and Ella really throws herself into this number. If you listen it's immediately apparent that Ella enjoyed a great rapport with her audience, too--she usually did! Ella was the best of them! Ella returns for "Our Love Is Here To Stay;" I love that horn treatment and the overall musical arrangement works wonders for "Our Love Is Here To Stay." I love it! Ella's voice is in excellent form; it's rich, warm and extremely vibrant. Great!

Listen also for the great Billie Holiday to perform a sublime rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine." Billie sounds more mature on this recording; but make no mistake about it--her voice is still in excellent form. Billie's uncanny sense of timing and her excellent diction bolster her ability to sing this ballad with panache, heart and all her soul. In addition, Billie's treatment of "God Bless The Child" strikes me as being especially pretty and moving; Billie Holiday was always one of my very favorite female vocalists and just one listen to this will tell you why! "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Dinah Washington features Dinah squarely front and center--and that's where she belongs! The big band arrangement enhances "Ain't Misbehavin';" this Fats Waller tune shines brightly when the great Dinah Washington delivers it flawlessly.

Sarah Vaughan sings "'S Wonderful" with her usual style and grace; and the horn stands out in the music that accompanies her fine singing! "'S Wonderful" by Sarah Vaughan is easily a major highlight of this album. Listen for Sarah a second time around as she performs "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with yet another big band arrangement. Sarah's voice is clear as a bell and her voice is very rich and full.

"Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" gets a fine jazzy interpretation from Abbey Lincoln; Abbey's voice sounds better than ever and this Depression era ballad is greatly enhanced by Abbey's interpretation. The CD even ends strong with Shirley Horn delivering "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" flawlessly; the piano arrangement is very elegant as well.
Shirley does this one up right!

Fans of the great female vocalists on this album are bound to want this CD in their collections. This CD oozes good taste and class and it's bound to be available for sale for quite some while to come.

An Aptly Titled Jazz Album
This is the quintessential collection of the best female voices in jazz. This collection has the songs that made these women famous and/or the songs for which they are most remembered. Every song on the cd is a gem!!! The highlights are Ella's live recording of "It Don't Mean a Thing(If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and Nina Simone's "I Loves You, Porgy." All twelve songs run the gamut of emotions from true bliss to deepest sorrow. These women knew how to sing and these selections are some of the greatest in the american songbook. I highly recommend this cd.

good cd
this a good cd full of great ladies of jazz (hence the name) singing some of the classic jazz tunes. its a steal at 6 clams. trust me and cough up for it. i'v got not regrets