Stardust Presents: Vocal And Jazz Ecstasy

構成数 : 1
合計収録時間 : 00:46:48
Personnel: Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby (vocals). Unknown Contributor Roles: Coleman Hawkins; Dizzy Gillespie; Django Reinhardt; Joe Williams ; Miles Davis; Stephane Grappelli; Ray Charles; Billy Eckstine; Charles Brown; Charlie Parker . When people thought of Cleopatra Records in the 1990s, they usually thought of heavy metal, goth rock, industrial, or alternative rock -- not Billie Holiday, Nat "King" Cole, or Charlie Parker. But in 2000, Cleopatra branched out by launching Stardust Records, which focused primarily on jazz and pre-rock pop. Stardust usually went for major names, and even though it didn't always have access to an artist's most famous or definitive work, its releases were usually respectable. In 2001, Stardust celebrated its first anniversary with this collection of 15 songs (most of them from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s). Vocal and Jazz Ecstasy is full of big names, and in some cases, the material is excellent -- you certainly can't go wrong with Holiday's famous 1946 recording of "Don't Explain," Dinah Washington's 1945 jazz-blues gem "All or Nothing Blues," or Dizzy Gillespie interpreting "All the Things You Are" with Charlie Parker. But even the tracks that aren't essential or definitive are enjoyable. "Starlit Hour" (1940) is far from Ella Fitzgerald's most essential recording -- she still had some growing and developing to do -- but it's pleasant. Charles Brown's 1970s remake of "Driftin' Blues" is pleasing even though it isn't his most famous version of the song, and the Nat King Cole Trio's 1943 torch gem "My Lips Remember Your Kisses" is intoxicating even though it isn't the group's most celebrated performance. The CD's most recent offering is the Blue Dahlia's charming arrangement of Ary Barroso's "Brazil," which was recorded in 2000 and features singer Athan Maroulis (who assembled this collection). All things considered, Vocal and Jazz Ecstasy paints an attractive, if imperfect, picture of Stardust's first year. ~ Alex Henderson
録音 : モノラル／ステレオ (Studio)