DAKOTA STATON - The Complete Early Years 1955-58 (2019) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist 1 :
1     My Heart Delight 2'13
Rose Marie McCoy / Charles Singleton
2     What Do You Know About Love 2'17
Mack David / Jerry Livingston    
3     No Mama, No Papa 1'56
Bert Kriechman / Gerry Luoma    
4     For the Rest of My Life 2'36
Rose Marie McCoy / Charles Singleton
5     A Little You 2'12
Bobby Sharp
6     Don't Leave Me Now 2'48
Alan Freed / Joe Westray    
7     Abracadabra 2'41
J. Leslie McFarland / Bobby Sharp
8     I Never Dream (You'd Fall in Love With Me) 2'09
Vivian Ellis / Donovan Parsons    
9     I Feel So Nice 2'41
Dennis Farnon / Bill Olofson    
10     A Dangerous Age 2'35
Sherman Edwards / Ben Raleigh
11     Weak for the Man 2'30
Jeanne Burns    
12     How High the Moon 1'54
Nancy Hamilton / Morgan Lewis
13     Don't Mean Maybe 2'52
J. Leslie McFarland
14     My Friend 2'09
Buddy Kaye / Fred Spellman    
15     You Know I Do 2'41
J. Leslie McFarland    
16     I Told You So 2'47
J. Leslie McFarland    
17     Trust in Me 2'43
Milton Ager / Jean Schwartz / Ned Wever
18     The Late, Late Show 2'33
Roy Alfred / Murray Berlin
19     Invitation 3'07
Bronislaw Kaper / Paul Francis Webster
20     The Party's Over 2'24
Betty Comden / Adolph Green / Jule Styne
21     Blues in My Heart 2'57
Benny Carter    
22     Confessin' the Blues 2'44
Walter Brown / Jay McShann    
23     Broadway 2'49
Bill Bird / Teddy McRae / Henri Woode
24     Summertime 2'08
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / Dorothy Heyward / DuBose Heyward    
25     Misty 2'33
Johnny Burke / Erroll Garner
26     A Foggy Day 2'17
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
27     What Do You See in Her? 2'35
Hal David / Frank Weldon
28     My Funny Valentine 2'42
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
Tracklist 2 :
1     Give Me the Simple Life 2'14
Rube Bloom / Harry Ruby
2     You Showed Me the Way 2'46
Ella Fitzgerald / Bud Green / Teddy McRae / Chick Webb
3     Moonray 2'40
Nat Madison / Artie Quenzer / Artie Shaw
4     Ain't No Use 2'40
Leroy Kirkland / Sid Wyche
5     In the Night 2'02
Norman Mapp
6     I Hear Music 2'31
Burton Lane / Frank Loesser
7     The Thrill Is Gone 3'07
Lew Brown / Ray Henderson
8     I'd Love to Make Love to You 2'45
Bob Emmerich / Ruth Poll
9     Let Me Off Uptown 2'28
Earl Bostic / Redd Evans
10     Night Mist 2'49
Vic Abrams / Murray Berlin    
11     Anything Goes 2'27
Cole Porter     
12     When Sunny Gets Blue 2'50
Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal    
13     They All Laughed 2'09
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
14     I Wonder 2'46
Cecil Gant / Raymond Leveen
15     Say It Isn't So. Joe 2'16
Al Frisch / Kay Twomey / Fred Wise
16     Too Close for Comfort 2'21
Jerry Bock / Larry Holofcener / George David Weiss
17     Little Girl Blue 3'27
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
18     It Could Happen to You 2'14
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen    
19     Some Other Spring 2'43
Arthur Herzog, Jr. / Irene Kitchings
20     Cherokee 2'34
Ray Noble    
21     Crazy He Calls Me 2'55
Bob Russell / Carl Sigman    
22     Idaho 1'58
Jesse Stone
23     Can't Live Without Him Any More 2'18
Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal
24     Angel Eyes 3'28
Earl Brent / Matt Dennis
25     No Moon at All 1'51
Redd Evans / Dave Mann
26     Morning, Noon or Night 2'27
Mack Discant / Dick Miles
27     How Does It Feel? 2'02
Roy Alfred / Marvin Fisher

DAKOTA STATON - Dynamic! (1958-2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Singer Dakota Staton's follow-up album to The Late Late Show (her big hit) is even better and still stands as one of the highpoints of her career. Backed on some selections by trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and either a rhythm section or an orchestra, Staton (who turned 26 around this time) is heard throughout in peak form. She really tears into "Let Me off Uptown," puts plenty of feeling into "When Sunny Gets Blue" and swings hard on "Cherokee." Other highlights include "They All Laughed," "Say It Ain't So, Joe," "Too Close for Comfort" and "It Could Happen to You." Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Let Me off Uptown 2:30
R. Evans    
2     Night Mist 2:50
M.R. Berlin    
3     Anything Goes 2:28
Cole Porter    
4     When Sunny Gets Blue 2:51
M. Fisher / J. Segal
5     They All Laughed 2:11
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
6     I Wonder 2:47
Cecil Gant / Raymond Leveen       
7     Say It Isn't So, Joe 2:18      
Frisch, Toomey, Wise
8     Too Close for Comfort 2:23
Larry Holofcener    
9     Little Girl Blue 3:27
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers     
10     It Could Happen to You 2:16
Johnny Burke    
11     Some Other Spring 2:44
Arthur Herzog, Jr. / Irene Kitchings    
12     Cherokee 2:35
Ray Noble
- BONUS TRACKS -
13     Invitation 3:09
Bronislaw Kaper / Paul Francis Webster    
14     The Party's Over 2:25     
Styne / Comden / Green
15     The Nearness of You 2:41
Ned Washington    
16     I'll Remember April 2:16
Gene DePaul / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
Credits :
Arranged By – Sid Feller
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - Time to Swing (1959-2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Dakota Staton was a classy Sarah-influenced vocalist who easily straddled the worlds of jazz and supper club pop. Her biggest success, 1957's "The Late, Late Show," had a sort of novelty-value sing-song quality, almost a pre-requisite for a jazz side to hit the pop charts in the '50s. TIME TO SWING is a short and breezy Capitol LP from 1959, the mood uptempo though there are some ballad treatments here, like "You Don't Know What Love Is" and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along." The clean, lightly- scored arrangments are by Sid Feller, a Capitol house-arranger at the time. As stated, the album is a short one; all the tracks clock in under 2:50 and a few are under 2:00! The reissue label DRG (which has been licensing neglected Capitol LPs as of late) includes five bonus cuts to make up the shortfall, including a fine version of "You've Changed," which Billie Holiday memorably introduced on her 1958 LADY IN SATIN. Richard Mortifoglio
Tracklist :
1    When Lights Are Low 1'56
Written-By – Benny Carter, Spencer Williams
2    Willow Weep For Me 2'30
Written-By – Ann Ronnell
3    But Not For Me 1'55
Written-By – George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin
4    You Don't Know What Love Is 2'28
Written-By – Don Raye, Gene de Paul
5    The Best Thing For You 1'45
Written-By – Irving Berlin
6    The Song Is You 2'12
Written-By – Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II
7    Avalon 2'03
Written-By – Jolson, DeSylva, Rose
8    Baby, Don't You Cry 2'34
Written-By – Buddy Johnson
9    Let Me Know 2'34
Written-By – Hank Jones
10    Until The Real Thing Comes Along 2'37
Written-By – Nichols, Freeman, Holiner, Cahn, Chaplin
11    If I Should Lose You 2'49
Written-By – Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger
12    Gone With The Wind 1'43
Written-By – Allie Wrubel, Herb Magidson
- BONUS TRACKS -
13    You've Changed 2'50
14    All In My Mind 2'27
15    Detour Ahead 3'04
16    Once There Lived A Fool 2'27
17    You'd Better Go Now 2'29
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Sid Feller (pistas: 1-13)
Bass – George Duvivier
Drums – Don Lamond
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Oboe, Flute – Romeo Penique
Orchestra – Normal Simmons And His Orchestra (pistas: 15-17)
Piano – Hank Jones
Saxophone – Bill Woods, Al Johnson, Don Hammond, George Berg, Jerome Richardson, Ray Beckenstein
Trumpet – Joe Wilder, Taft Jordan

DAKOTA STATON - More Than the Most! (1959-1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Another of Dakota Staton's fine outings from the latter half of the '50s, More Than the Most finds the singer working her magic on a varied selection of standards and relatively obscure sides. While maybe not as well-regarded as her famous debut, The Late, Late Show, this Staton release stands as one of the singer's better early efforts. Enveloped in Sid Feller's urbane mix of romantic ballad backdrops and West Coast-style swingers, Staton wraps her coyly seductive pipes around standouts like "East of the Sun," "September in the Rain," and "Some Days It's Monday." Mixing in some of Dinah Washington's muscle and Sarah Vaughan's airy sophistication, Staton ably navigates this fine program of classic pop-jazz. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     September in the Rain 2:26
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
2     Walkin' by the River 2:45
Una Mae Carlisle / Robert Sour   
3     East of the Sun 2:11
Brooks Bowman   
4     I Could Make You Care 3:02
Saul Chaplin
5     It's You or No One 1:38
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne  
6     High on a Windy Hill 2:11
Alex Kramer, Joan Whitney
7     My Heart Beats Like a Hammer 2'13
Leslie McFarland, Joe Bailey
8     The Crazy Things We Do 2:54
 Harold Mott, Jeanne Burns
9     Some Days It's Monday 3:09
Jack Wilson, Michael Corda
10     The Song Is Ended 2:49
Irving Berlin   
11     Good-Bye 2:37
Gordon Jenkins
12     Love Walked In 1:44
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
Credits :
Arranged, Conductor – Sid Feller
Illustration – Jim Jonson
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON — Dakota at Storyville (1962-1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This album features singer Dakota Staton at her best. Recorded live at Boston's Storyville, Staton sounds quite inspired on such numbers as "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby," "Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week," "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" (which spontaneously becomes a crowd singalong), "Mean and Evil Blues," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Other than pianist Norman Simmons, the accompanying quartet is unidentified, but the man on tenor, flute, and (on "Music, Maestro, Please") oboe is obviously Yusef Lateef. An underrated gem. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? 2:59
Bill Austin / Louis Jordan    
2     This Is the Beginning of the End 2:34
Mack Gordon
3     Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week) 2:08
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
4     The Show Must Go On 2:47
Alfred / Frisch
5     When I Grow Too Old to Dream 3:43
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
6     Mean and Evil Blues 2:47  
Claude De Metrius    
7     Don't Get Around Much Anymore 2:07
Hank Crawford / Duke Ellington / Bob Russell
8     It's the Talk of the Town 4:02
Jerry Livingston / Al J. Neiburg / Marty Symes
9     Easy to Love 1:55
Cole Porter
10     Music, Maestro, Please! 2:39     
Allie Wrubel / Herb Magidson
11     Play Your Hands, Girls 2:56     
Dakota Staton
Credits :
Accompanied By – Norman Simmons Quartet
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - The Late, Late Show (1957-1991) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Singer Dakota Staton's first full-length album was one of her best. She had a hit with "The Late, Late Show" and performed memorable versions of "Broadway," "A Foggy Day," "What Do You See in Her," "My Funny Valentine" and "Mooney." Backed by a largely unidentified orchestra arranged by Van Alexander (with Hank Jones on piano), Staton sounds both youthful and mature, displaying a highly appealing voice on a near-classic set. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Broadway 2:50
Billy Bird / Teddy McRae / Henry J. Wood
2     Trust in Me 2:44
Schwartz, Ager, Wever
3     Summertime 2:10
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
4     Misty 2:35
Johnny Burke / Erroll Garner
5     A Foggy Day 2:18
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
6     What Do You See in Her? 2:36
Hal David / Frank Weldon
7     The Late, Late Show 2:34
Roy Alfred / Murray Berlin
8     My Funny Valentine 2:44
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
9     Give Me the Simple Life 2:16
Rube Bloom / Harry Ruby
10     You Showed Me the Way 2:48
Ella Fitzgerald / Bud Green / Teddy McRae / Chick Webb
11     Moonray 2:42
Quenzer, Shaw, Madison    
12     Ain't No Use 2:40
Leroy Kirkland / Sidney Wyche
Credits :
Conductor, Orchestrated By – Van Alexander
Orchestrated By [Assistant] – Hank Jones
Soloist, Piano – Hank Jones
Soloist, Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - Dakota Staton (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although Dakota Staton recorded extensively from 1954-1961 for Capitol and 1963-1964 for United Artists, her earlier recordings are almost all out of print and difficult to find. This 1991 CD finds the singer still in prime form, assisted on most tracks by tenor saxophonist Houston Person, pianist Bross Townsend, bassist Fred Hunter, and drummer Paula Hampton. Staton performs a wide variety of music ranging from swing standards ("Mean to Me" and "Body and Soul") and blues to more current material ("The Thrill Is Gone" and "This Bitter Earth"). No matter what the source, Staton gives each of the tunes soul, swing, the proper amount of emotion, and a bluesy feeling. Recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Country Man 2:45
Dakota Staton
2     Mean to Me 5:04
Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk
3     The Thrill Is Gone 5:25
Rick Darnell / Roy Hawkins
4     This Bitter Earth 4:08
Clyde Otis
5     C.C. Rider 3:29
Public Domain
6     Jim 4:27
Caesar Petrillo / Edward Ross / Milton Samuels / Nelson Shawn
7     That's No Joke 2:46
J. Bailey
8     Body and Soul 3:45
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
9     Stop Doin' for Her 2:56
Gladys Shelley
10     I Did Everything Right With the Wrong Man 4:16
Gladys Shelley
- BONUS TRACKS -
11     I'm Tired of That 3:39
12     Cherokee 1:51
Ray Noble
Credits :
Tenor Sax – Houston Person
Piano – Bross Townsend
Bass – Fred Hunter
Drums – Paula Hampton
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - Darling Please Save Your Love (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 The repertoire is fine on this CD, as is the backup group (Bill Easley on reeds, pianist Bross Townsend, bassist Leon Dorsey and drummer Michael Carvin). Unfortunately, Dakota Staton's singing is quite erratic -- her vibrato is overly wide, and she shows too much emotion in spots and overall sounds a bit past her prime. Considering that her next recording, Isn't This a Lovely Day, was on a higher level, this particular project obviously found the singer on an off day. The versions of standards (including "I Thought About You," "Save Your Love for Me," "I'm Just a Lucky So and So" and the amusingly titled "Your Husband's Cheating On Us") are OK, but fall short of their potential and what Dakota Staton is capable of. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    I Thought About You 3:32
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer
2     You've Changed 3:39
Bill Carey / Carl Fischer
3     I Can't Quit You Baby 4:43
Willie Dixon    
4     You Better Go Now 4:15
Irvin Graham / Bix Reichner
5     Gone With the Wind 1:33
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel
6     Save Your Love for Me 5:05
Buddy Johnson    
7     East of the Sun 2:12
Brooks Bowman    
8     Walking the Back Streets 5:16
Booker T. Jones    
9     I'm Just a Lucky So and So 3:13
Mack David / Duke Ellington    
10     Skylark 4:32
Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer    
11     Your Husband's Cheating on Us 5:29
Denise LaSalle
Credits :
Bass – Leon Dorsey
Drums – Michael Carvin
Piano – Bross Townsend
Saxophone, Flute – Bill Easley
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - A Packet of Love Letters (1999) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Now in her mid-sixties, Dakota Staton has never sounded better. Her soulful, hither-come-yon, rich voice and clean inflections sound as graceful and classy as the early days. Backed by a very complementary crew including tenor saxophonist Houston Person and guitarist Melvin Sparks, Staton is able to win long time fans and newcomers over to her soulful way of thinking quite easily. This is not an album of all ballads, which has been the exception rather than the norm. There are plenty of tearjerkers, like "More Than You Know," the Billie Holiday influenced "Too Late Now," the midnight slow "Travelin' Light," and the R&B-based "Guess Who?" "What Now My Love?" gets a mid-tempo treatment with Staton's phrasing reminiscent of Carmen McRae, fortified by Person's happy tenor. Forward moving upbeat numbers "Remember" and "The Way You Look Tonight" find Staton bubbling like a glass of vintage champagne, and the zinger, Willie Nelson's "Night Life" is a down home blues version, Staton animated and nonplussed, with Sparks in a B.B. King mode. Staton remains an expert in her field, and this will be an essential purchase for those devotees who remember "The Late Late Show, " her classic. One nit to pick; this effort only cracks a total of some 40 minutes of music. Wish she would have cut a few more tunes. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     More Than You Know 5:30
Edward Eliscu / Billy Rose / Vincent Youmans
2     Remember 2:45
Irving Berlin
3     Too Late Now 5:29
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner
4     What Now, My Love? 4:29
Gilbert Bécaud / Pierre Delanoë
5     Trav'lin' Light 5:19
Johnny Mercer / Jimmy Mundy / Trummy Young
6     Night Life 4:59
Walt Breeland / Paul Buskirk / Willie Nelson
7     The Way You Look Tonight 4:04
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern    
8     Guess Who 5:15
Arthur Freed / Burton Lane    
9    You'd Better Love Me 2:49
Timothy Gray / Hugh Martin
Credits :
Bass – Nat Reeves
Drums – Percy Smith
Guitar – Melvin Sparks
Piano – Aaron Graves
Tenor Saxophone, Producer – Houston Person
Vocals – Dakota Staton

DAKOTA STATON - Softly + 'Round Midnight (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This two-fer from EMI features a pair of out of print Dakota Staton LPs: Softly and Round Midnight, both originally issued on Capitol Records in 1960 and 1961, respectively. Highlights among the 24 pop standards include "The Folks Who Live on the Hill," "The Very Thought of You," and "I Can't Get Started." This is a nice sampler of familiar items that should satisfy the needs of casual fans. Al Campbell
Softly
1     You're Mine You 3'14
Johnny Green / Edward Heyman
2     Dedicated to You 3'07
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin / Hy Zaret
3     Close Your Eyes 3'34
Bernice Petkere
4     Solitude 3'14
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
5     My Wish 3'19
Una Mae Carlisle
6     The Very Thought of You 2'52
Ray Noble
7     Be Anything 3'15
Alan Gordon
8     Congratulations to Someone 3'17
Roy Alfred / Al Frisch
9     Whispering Grass 3'09
Doris Fisher
10     Old Folks 3'32
Dedette Lee Hill / Willard Robison
11    Body and Soul 3'30
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
12     I Can't Get Started 3'23
Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin
'Round Midnight
13     'Round Midnight 3'01
Bernie Hanighen / Thelonious Monk / Cootie Williams
14     Knock Me a Kiss 2'14
Mike Jackson
15     Let Them Talk 2'37
Sonny Thompson
16     (Back Home Again In) Indiana 1'45
James F. Hanley / Ballard MacDonald
17     You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) 3'23
Russ Columbo / Con Conrad / Alain DuBois / Paul Gregory
18     So in Love 2'25
Cole Porter
19     I Won't Worry 2'29
Ron Westray
20     Don't Explain 2'32
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
21     Will You Be Mine? 2:11
Adair / Dennis    
22     Along About Midnight 2:33
Witherspoon    
23     The Folks Who Live on the Hill 3'20
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
24     Hey Lawdy Mama 2'22
Jimmy Reed
Notas.
2 LPs On 1 CD.
Two 1960 releases for Capitol
Softly is in stereo. 'Round Midnight is mono.

DAKOTA STATON - Dakota + Dakota Staton Sings Ballads And The Blues (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist:
Dakota
1 Rock Me To Sleep 2:33
Benny Carter / Paul Vandervoort II
2 Don't Leave Me Now 2:51
3 If I Love Again 2:25
J.P. Murray / Ben Oakland
4 Make Me a Present of You 3:39
Joe Greene
5 On Green Dolphin Street 1:57
6 Everybody's Somebody's Fool 3:16
7 Weak For the Man 2:33
Jeanne Burns
8 Meet Me At No Special Place 2:39
Arthur Terker
9 The Masquerade is Over 3:43
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel
10 Pick Yourself Up 2:07
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
11 I'll Close My Eyes 3:19
Buddy Kaye / Billy Reid
12 Trapped 2:26
Jeanne Burns
Dakota Staton Sings Ballads And The Blues
13 Someone To Watch Over Me 3:03
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
14 I Need Your Love So Bad 2:36
15 Why Don't You Think Things Over 3:14
H. Friedlander
16 Romance In the Dark 2:27
Lil Green
17 My One and Only Love 2:41
Robert Mellin / Guy Wood
18 Love Me 2:35
Alston 
19 I'll Know 3:05
Frank Loesser
20 Where Flamingos Fly 2:39
Jimmy Kennedy / Mischa Spoliansky
21 Time Was 3:26
22 My Babe 2:13
Willie Dixon
23 Come Home  2:53
Robert Johnson
24 Seems Like You Just Don't Care 2:13
R. McCoy
- Bonus Tracks -
25 On Chapel Hill 3:07
Sol Parker
26 Porgy 3:04
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
Notas
These are the original releases included on this CD:
Dakota Staton - Dakota
Dakota Staton - Sings Ballads And The Blues
Dakota Staton - Porgy / On Chapel Hill

THE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET WITH DAKOTA STATON - In the Night (1957-2003) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With its progressive-leaning jazz and modernist blues vocals, In the Night was the prototype for the piano-vocals collaboration record that George Shearing would remake with Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson while at Capitol (and many others afterwards). In July 1957, just after Dakota Staton's immense success with "The Late, Late Show," Capitol recorded two of its biggest jazz stars together for what would turn out to be one of the finest teamings in either's career. Staton appears on every other song, lending her blend of post-bop vocal prowess and late-night melodrama to a set of well-chosen songs including "In the Night" and "I Hear Music." (Ironically, the version of "The Late, Late Show" heard here is an instrumental.) Shearing and Staton are joined by the pianist's group at the time, including Emil Richards on vibes, the splendid Toots Thielemans on guitar, and a few features for Latin percussionist Armando Peraza. The group's finest features are the opener, "From Rags to Richards," a fine Shearing original with excellent solos from Richards and Shearing, and Ray Bryant's "Pawn Ticket," with fine work from Thielemans and Richards. by John Bush  
Tracklist:
1 From Rags To Richards 3:12
2 I'm Left With My Blues In My Heart 2:53
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
3 Pawn Ticket 2:19
4 In The Night 1:59
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
5 Easy 2:39
6 I Hear Music 2:30
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
7 Senor Blues 3:45
8 Confessin' The Blues 2:43
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
9 Later 2:49
10 The Thrill Is Gone 3:04
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
11 The Late, Late Show 2:31
12 I'd Love To Make Love To You 2:43
Featuring [Vocals] – Dakota Staton
Credits:
Bass – Al McKibbon
Bongos, Congas [Conga Drum] – Armando Peraza
Drums – Percy Brice
Guitar, Harmonica – Jean ''Toots'' Thielemans
Piano – George Shearing
Vibraphone – Emil Richards