PEARL BAILEY - 1944-1947 {CC, 1213} (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Pearl Bailey was a magnificent jazz singer and comedienne. Check her out in front of the Cootie Williams Orchestra! That's Bud Powell back there behind the piano. Cleanhead Vinson and Lockjaw Davis are in the reed section. Pearl seems perfectly at home with this early modern-sounding big band, and Cootie puts extra sass in his horn to complement the lady's personality. Herman Chittison leads a much smaller and more intimate ensemble for "He Didn't Ask Me," a subtly soft-spoken lament with wistful incidental whistling. Pearl attracted a lot of attention by being unusually tough, candid, and outspoken in ways that few pop vocalists had ever dared to pursue. For a black woman to assert herself in this way anywhere near the mainstream was particularly refreshing during the late '40s. Pearl's high-stepping improvisations on "St. Louis Blues" are spectacular, but her relaxed conversational musings on "Tired" are perfectly timed theater, naturally hip and funny as hell. "I Ain't Talkin'" has a similar easy perfection about it. Some of this material is pure entertainment. "Personality" turns out to be a metaphor for booty. "That's Good Enough for Me," "Say It Simple," and "Get It Off Your Mind" are clever routines. Some of this stuff seems like it was inspired by Cole Porter's high camp. The Mitchell Ayres Orchestra likes to pour on a little extra glitz, and low-tech reverb makes it seem like Pearl is performing in a gymnasium. Finally, there's a two-part duet with Frank Sinatra. They sound at ease with each other: two actors with seasoned pipes who enjoy tearing apart a slow song note for note and phrase by phrase. by arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     Now I Know 3'05
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
2     Tess' Torch Song (I Had a Man) 2'36
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
3     He Didn't Ask Me 3'10
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin
4     The Quicker I Gets to Where I'm Goin' 2'37
Dorothy Fields
5     St. Louis Blues 2'14
W.C. Handy
6     Tired 3'20
Doris Fisher / Alan Roberts
7     Fifteen Years 3'05
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
8     I Ain't Talkin' 2'46
9     Don't Like 'Em 2'38
10     Personality 3'16
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
11     Legalize My Name 3'12
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
12     It's a Woman's Prerogative 3'12
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
13     Legalize My Name 2'52
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
14     It's a Woman's Prerogative 2'55
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
15     That's Good Enough for Me 3'19
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
16     Row, Row, Row 3'06
William Jerome / James V. Monaco
17     Get It off Your Mind 3'07
Claude Demetrius / Fleecie Moore
18     I Need Ya Like I Need a Hole in the Head 3'13
Al Stillman
19     But What Are These! 2'43
20     Say It Simple 3'07
Thomas
21     A Little Learnin' Is a Dangerous Thing, Pt. 1 3'27
Dick Jacobs / Sy Oliver
22     A Little Learnin' Is a Dangerous Thing, Pt. 2 3'08
Dick Jacobs / Sy Oliver