DINAH WASHINGTON - Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes (2001) 4CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A third-generation blues singer who matched the interpretive brilliance of Billie Holiday and the vocal sweetness of Ella Fitzgerald very early in her career, Dinah Washington needed precious little time to hone her art. While still a teenager, she recorded her first hit, "Evil Gal Blues," with Lionel Hampton's band, and was recording as a solo act by 1946. During the next five years she steadily broadened her interests past classic female blues to embrace swing, traditional pop, jive -- no jazz-based genre lay beyond her grasp. For vocal fans unwilling to expend the effort or cash required for Mercury's massive series The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury (over 20 discs of issued sides and alternates), this four-disc set by The Jazz Factory will come as quite a relief. Covering 1946 through 1951, her first five years at Mercury (plus an early Keynote session from 1943 that grabs "Evil Gal Blues"), Complete 1943-1951 Mercury Master Takes covers some of the best material of her career, a period resulting in music that varied from Cootie Williams to Mitch Miller. John Bush
All Tracks & Credits

DINAH WASHINGTON - The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (2007) 5CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

During 1944-1958, Dinah Washington recorded jazz, blues, R&B, pop, and even gospel, excelling in each area. In 1959 after she had a major pop hit in "What a Difference a Day Makes," the quality of her recordings declined as she was mostly backed by large anonymous studio orchestras in an attempt to duplicate that song's commercial success. The arrangements were often more suitable for a country singer than for Washington, and her own singing seemed exaggerated and overly mannered. In 1962 she switched labels, from Mercury to Roulette, and during the next 19 months recorded nine LPs of material, all of which are reissued on this limited-edition five-CD Mosaic box set. Again Washington's backing is by orchestras (the complete personnel listings no longer exist) but she was given a wider range of material, ranging from a full album of blues to her renditions of current pop hits, standards, and novelty material. The arrangements (mostly by Fred Norman and Don Costa) are mostly better than on her later Mercury material, and her own interpretations seem more relaxed, use space dramatically, and contain plenty of wit. Included are a few previously unreleased performances which are mostly alternate takes with one exception. An eight-song medley, recorded at the end of one of the earlier Roulette dates, has Washington joined by just pianist Jack Wilson and flutist Frank Wess, showing that she could still sing jazz at a high level. Dinah Washington passed away two months after her final Roulette date from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills when she was just 39. This box features her final recordings, which have been long underrated and overlooked. Recommended. Scott Yanow
All Tracks & Credits

DINAH WASHINGTON - Compact Jazz : Dinah Sings the Blues (1987) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Dinah Washington is one of the all-time great jazz singers, and she staked that claim with a whole lot of blues in her delivery. This roundup of blues-heavy sides from her Mercury heyday, then, is a welcome addition to an already impressive catalog. Cut during the '50s and early '60s, the 16 tracks include such usual suspects as "Trouble in Mind," "You Don't' Know What Love Is," and Bessie Smith's classic "Backwater Blues." Nicely augmenting these fine renditions, Washington transforms pop numbers like "Since I Fell for You" and "Soft Winds" with some juke-joint heat. And with plenty more gems to be had and fine support from arranger Quincy Jones, tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, drummer Max Roach, and many others, one can't lose gettin' real lowdown with the swingin' (and bluesy) "Miss D." Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     Show Time 2'53
Juanita Hill / Dinah Washington
2     Time Out for Tears 2'54
Irving Berman / Abe Schiff
3     Trouble in Mind 2'22
Richard M. Jones
4     A Bad Case of the Blues 2'36
Clyde Otis
5     Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? 2'42
Bill Austin / Louis Jordan
6     Bad Luck 2'50
Juanita Hill / Dinah Washington
7     You Don't Know What Love Is 3'59
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
8     Trouble in the Lowlands 9'10
Bessie Smith
9     Blue Gardenia 5'15
Lester Lee / Bob Russell
10     Soft Winds 3'00
Benny Goodman / Fred Royal
11     Somewhere Along the Line 2'38
Walter Merrick / Dinah Washington
12     Salty Papa Blues 2'27
Leonard Feather / Lionel Hampton
13     Make the Man Love Me 5'30
Dorothy Fields / Arthur Schwartz
14     Lingering 2'24
Stanley Adams / Dinah Washington
15     Since I Fell for You 3'14
Buddy Johnson
16     No More 3'18
Tutti Camarata / Bob Russell

DINAH WASHINGTON - Compact Jazz (1987) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Not quite as fine as Sarah Vaughan's Compact Jazz disc, this Verve roundup still nicely frames Dinah Washington's stay at the label with a fetching array of her best cuts from the '50s and early '60s. Taking in some of Washington's best-known pop songs ("What a Difference a Day Makes"), the disc touches on her excellent Fats Waller ("Keepin' out of Mischief Now") and Bessie Smith ("Backwater Blues") songbooks, while also including something from a fiery live date with Clifford Brown ("I've Got You Under My Skin"). And this is not to forget a handful of finely gauged readings of such perennials as "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Easy Living," and "I Could Write a Book." Topped off with fine support by a bevy of top players, Compact Jazz: Dinah Washington makes for the ideal introductory disc. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     What a Diff'rence a Day Made 2'29
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever
2    I Could Write a Book 4'23
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3     Make Me a Present of You 2'49
Joe Greene
4     Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 3'21
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern    
5     I Want to Be Loved 2'41
Savannah Churchill    
6     Manhattan 4'16
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
7     I've Got You Under My Skin 5'20
Cole Porter    
8     I Remember Clifford 2'34
Benny Golson    
9     Unforgettable 2'41
Irving Gordon    
10     Easy Living 4'57
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
11     Backwater Blues 4'42
Huddie Ledbetter / Bessie Smith    
12     If I Were a Bell 2'04
Frank Loesser    
13     Teach Me Tonight 2'44
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul    
14     Keepin' Out of Mischief Now 2'37
Andy Razaf / Fats Waller    
15     All of Me 5'21
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons    
16     This Bitter Earth 2'25
Clyde Otis

DINAH WASHINGTON - Blues For A Day (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist :
1    Go Pretty Daddy 2'23
Written-By – Sandford
2    I Ain't Going To Cry No More 2'36
Written-By – Sandford, Medley
3    Wise Woman Blues 2'47
Written-By – Henry
4    New Blowtop Blues 2'36
Written-By – J. Feather, L. Feather
5    Blues For A Day 2'51
Written-By – Henry
6    Feel Like I Wanna Cry 3'18
Written-By – Kirkland
7    Am I Blue 3'13
Written-By – G. Clark, H. Akst
8    Rich Man's Blues 2'53
Written-By – Lowe
9    Since I Fell For You 2'38
Written-By – Johnson
10    Surprise Party 2'36
Written-By – Hillard, Bishop
11    Long John Blues 3'08
Written-By – D. Washington
12    Never, Never 2'14
Written-By – Luke, Kirkland
13    Please Send Me Someone To Love 3'00
Written-By – P. Mayfield
14    Pacific Coast Blues 2'39
Written-By – Mingus, Baranco
15    Trouble In My Mind 2'49
Written-By – R. M. Jones
16    If You Don't Think I'm Leavin' 2'39
Written-By – Bachelor, Astor, Ford

DINAH WASHINGTON - Mad About A Boy (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Mad About the Boy 2'50
Noël Coward
2     What a Diff'rence a Day Made 2'31
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever
3     Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 3'23
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
4     Such a Night 2'27
Lincoln Chase
5     Time Out for Tears 2'56
Irving Berman / Abe Schiff
6     Harbor Lights 2'37
Gordon Kennedy / Hugh Williams    
7     Trust in Me 3'01
Milton Ager / Jean Schwartz / Ned Wever    
8     This Bitter Earth 2'29
Clyde Otis    
9     Unforgettable 2'43
Irving Gordon    
10     September in the Rain 2'09
Al Dubin / Harry Warren    
11     Make Me a Present of You 2'51
Joe Greene    
12     I Wanna Be Loved 2'44
Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Billy Rose    
13     Salty Papa Blues 2'30
Leonard Feather / Lionel Hampton    
14     Mixed Emotions 3'55
Stuart F. Louchheim    
15     If I Were a Bell 2'07
Frank Loesser    
16     Teach Me Tonight 2'46
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul    
17     If I Loved You 2'27
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers    
18     Keepin' Out of Mischief Now 2'39
Andy Razaf / Fats Waller   

DINAH WASHINGTON - Verve Jazz Masters 19 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dinah Washington's Verve Jazz Masters, Vol. 19 may not be a definitive overview of her time at the label, but it's nevertheless a good 16-track sampler, containing excellent versions of such songs as "What a Difference a Day Makes," "Please Send Me Someone to Love," "Cold, Cold Heart," "This Can't Be Love," "A Foggy Day," "Pennies from Heaven," "Our Love is Here to Stay" and "Unforgettable." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     A Slick Chick (On the Mellow Side) 2:40
Hadda Brooks    
2     What a Diff'rence a Day Made 2:28
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever
3     Please Send Me Someone to Love 3:05
Percy Mayfield    
4     This Can't Be Love 6:49
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
5     New Blowtop Blues 2:36     
Jane Feather / Leonard Feather    
6     Cold, Cold Heart 3:20
Hank Williams    
7     This Bitter Earth 2:27
Clyde Otis    
8     A Foggy Day 8:00
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9     Darn That Dream 5:16     
Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen
10     You Don't Know What Love Is 4:03     
Gene DePaul / Don Raye    
11     Pennies from Heaven 2:16
Johnny Burke / Arthur Johnston    
12     Long John Blues 3:11
Dinah Washington    
13     Love Is Here to Stay 3:08
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
14     Squeeze Me 2:11
Fats Waller / Clarence Williams    
15     Baby (You've Got What It Takes) 2:45
Brook Benton / Clyde Otis / Jules Stein
16     Unforgettable 2:42
Irving Gordon

DINAH WASHINGTON - Verve Jazz Masters 40 : Dinah Washington Sings Standards (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Creating yet another series to justify reissuing material from its vaults, this Verve Jazz Masters entry raids albums Dinah Washington recorded for the Mercury label from 1952 through 1958. This is the second Dinah Washington compilation in this series. Although advertised as an album of standards, Washington avoids making these tunes come across as the romantic warhorses most of them are. Rather, her gospel-inspired voice conveys the song's message with a blues, funky tinge that always distinguished her from the rest of the crowd since she began her career at the age of 15. On these tracks, Washington is joined by the crème de la crème of jazz musicians who were part of the Mercury stable during these years. While some of the arrangements were not all that creative, Washington's inimitable style and the playing of her fellow musicians make up for any shortcomings. "I'll Remember April" is an 11-plus minute jam session spotlighting solos by Clifford Brown, Harold Land, Herb Geller, and Junior Mance (or Richie Powell). Washington swings hard on "They Didn't Believe Me" in front of a big band led by Quincy Jones and then goes sentimental on "You Go to My Head" before seguing into a second chorus behind a Latin beat. On the latter track Washington and the unknown group backing her is energized by the urging of a live audience. There's more Latin on "I've Got You Under My Skin" built around the trumpet trio of Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, and Maynard Ferguson. (The liner notes listing of personnel for this track are incorrect). While the album has several excellent instrumental solos, none is better than Rick Henderson's extended alto sax work on "Blue Skies." There's a relaxed traditional jazz atmosphere underlying "All of Me" with Washington chatting away in the background during solos by vibist Terry Gibbs and trombonist Urbie Green. Whatever style or beat, each tune is delivered by Washington's instantly recognizable penetrating but tender voice, buttressed by her consistently precise enunciation. This more than an hour long album is a worthy tribute to the one of a kind vocal skills of Dinah Washington. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1     Trouble in Mind 2:52
Richard M. Jones    
2     I'll Remember April 11:46
Gene DePaul / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye    
3     Teach Me Tonight 2:48
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul
4     Love for Sale 2:13
Cole Porter    
5     They Didn't Believe Me 2:48
Jerome Kern / Herbert Reynolds    
6     You Go to My Head 11:13
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie    
7     After You've Gone 3:38
Henry Creamer / Turner Layton
8     I've Got You Under My Skin 5:23
Cole Porter    
9     Blue Skies 10:58
Irving Berlin    
10     Never Let Me Go 2:44
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston    
11     All of Me 5:34
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons    
12     Crazy He Calls Me 4:47
Bob Russell / Carl Sigman

DINAH WASHINGTON - Blue Gardenia : Songs of Love (1995) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Yet another sampling from the massive Dinah Washington Mercury catalog, this one shows off her tart, immaculately crisp voice in a pleasant, undemanding collection of love songs. You get a smattering of charted hits ("What a Difference a Day Makes," "Teach Me Tonight," "Unforgettable," "Soft Winds"), some standards, lots of period strings, subdued big bands and jazz combos and some choral backups -- none of which fazes or alters the approach of this focused stylist. There is one track from the celebrated Brownie session, "There Is No Greater Love," but without any of the celebrated horns on hand. Obviously this is hardly an all-inclusive summary of Washington's diversified Mercury record shelf, yet it does make for good, relaxed listening. Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1     Soft Winds 3:01
Benny Goodman / Fred Royal    
2     I'll Close My Eyes 3:58
Buddy Kaye / Billy Reid    
3     Never Let Me Go 2:42
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston    
4     It Could Happen to You 2:18
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen    
5     There Is No Greater Love 2:14
Isham Jones / Marty Symes    
6     Unforgettable 2:41
Irving Gordon    
7     Invitation 2:55
Bronislaw Kaper / Paul Francis Webster    
8     When I Fall in Love 2:33
Edward Heyman / Victor Young    
9     Easy Living 5:00
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
10     What a Diff'rence a Day Made 2:28
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever    
11     Teach Me Tonight 2:45
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul    
12     I'm a Fool to Want You 3:00
Joel Herron / Frank Sinatra / Jack Wolf    
13     Blue Gardenia 5:16
Lester Lee / Bob Russell    
14     More Than You Know 3:50
Edward Eliscu / Billy Rose / Vincent Youmans
15     This Love of Mine 2:39
Sol Parker / Henry Sanicola / Frank Sinatra    
16     Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye 2:27
Cole Porter

DINAH WASHINGTON - Lady Sings the Blues (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Evil Gal Blues     2:52
2    I Know How to Do It    3:10
3    Baby, Get Lost    2:51
4    Trouble in Mind    2:48
5    Fat Daddy    2:25
6    TV Is the Thing This Year    2:23
7    Salty Papa Blues    3:03
8    New Blowtop Blues    2:35
9    Gambler's Blues    3:13
10    Don't Hold It Against Me    2:52
11    Long John Blues    3:11
12    Homeward Bound    2:50
13    Good Daddy Blues    2:26
14    Drummer Man    2:46
15        Be Fair to Me    2:57

DINAH WASHINGTON - The Diva Series (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Part of Verve's Diva Series, this Dinah Washington collection serves as a solid introduction to her dynamic work. Featuring such popular Washington mainstays as "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," "If I Were a Bell," and "I'll Close My Eyes," this is a timely introduction to one of the jazz world's most versatile artists. While by no means definitive, at over 14 tracks one could do worse with a single-disc overview than to check this one out first. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1     If I Were a Bell 2:08
Frank Loesser    
2     You Do Something to Me 2:23
Cole Porter    
3     What a Diff'rence a Day Made 2:30
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever    
4     Sometimes I'm Happy 2:19
Irving Caesar / Clifford Grey / Vincent Youmans
5     Caravan 2:39
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol    
6     Teach Me Tonight 2:47
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul    
7     Blue Skies 10:57
Irving Berlin    
8     I've Got You Under My Skin 5:21
Cole Porter    
9     Invitation 3:04
Bronislaw Kaper / Paul Francis Webster    
10     Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? 2:59
Bill Austin / Louis Jordan    
11     Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You 2:37
Fred Fisher / Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal    
12     Bargain Day 2:53
William Roy    
13     Goodbye 3:22
Gordon Jenkins    
14     Perdido 3:25
Ervin Drake / Hans Lengsfelder / Juan Tizol    
15     There'll Be a Jubilee 2:09
Phil Moore    
16     I'll Close My Eyes 3:57
Buddy Kaye / Billy Reid

DINAH WASHINGTON - Standards (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With her clipped phrasing, high-pitched voice, and unhurried pacing, Dinah Washington could have easily been one of the definitive jazz singers of her generation, and one could certainly make the case that she was anyway, but she baffled a lot of critics by straying often from the jazz book of standards, as if commercial pop success was somehow a betrayal. This brief set of tracks drawn from her stay at Verve Records paints a portrait that’s closer to the one the critics seemed to want, a gifted singer showing her jazz chops. Among the highlights of this lightly orchestrated sequence of jazz standards are Washington’s fine versions of “Am I Blue?” (Washington was always at her best when she sang about lost or damaged love -- she had seven marriages, after all), “Cry Me a River,” and “September in the Rain,” although all eight of these tracks have a similar feel and texture to them. It was Washington’s clear, clipped, and deliberate singing that defined her, and it is on display everywhere here, making this an affordable quick introduction to this often underappreciated artist. Steve Leggett
Tracklist :
1     Teach Me Tonight 2:45
Sammy Cahn / Gene DePaul    
2     Am I Blue? 3:14
Harry Akst / Grant Clarke    
3     Somebody Loves Me 2:34
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin / Ballard MacDonald
4     I'll Close My Eyes 3:59
Buddy Kaye / William Reid    
5     I Thought About You 2:32
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer    
6     Love Is Here to Stay 2:31
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
7     Cry Me a River 2:27
Arthur Hamilton    
8     September in the Rain 2:05
Al Dubin / Harry Warren

DINAH WASHINGTON - For Those In Love (1955-1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Dinah Washington cut a lot of sides in two decades of recording. However, her straight jazz sessions were few and far between because of the mass popular and commercial appeal that she had as a pop singer. Still, the versatile Dinah thrived in just about any setting and the one provided here in 1955 by the gifted Chicago producer Bob Shad showcases her intimate side to perfection.

Since Dinah Washington just about invented gospel-based soulful singing, it's thrilling to hear her at the peak of her powers backed by a small group that includes trumpeter Clark Terry and pianist Wynton Kelly. The session is also graced by Quincy Jones' tidy arrangements. With such expert support, the singer's powerful phrasing, precise diction, and pitch-perfect intonation draw as much emotion and meaning possible out of her chosen material, including Billie-associated tunes like "Easy Living" and "My Old Flame." Dinah Washington was first and foremost a musician--not a showboat. And part of her genius was that she could make her formidable presence actually underscore her own vulnerability, as in the lilting "Blue Gardenia" and blues-tinged "You Don't Know What Love Is." AllMusic
Tracklist :
1     I Get a Kick Out of You 6:21
Cole Porter    
2     Blue Gardenia 5:21
Lester Lee / Bob Russell    
3     Easy Living 5:03
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin    
4     You Don't Know What Love Is 4:05
Gene DePaul / Don Raye    
5     This Can't Be Love 6:53
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
6     My Old Flame 3:08
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
7     I Could Write a Book 4:28
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
8     Make the Man Love Me 5:35
Dorothy Fields / Arthur Schwartz   

 - BONUS TRACKS -
9     Ask a Woman Who Knows 3:16
Maurice Abrahams / Vic Abrams / Victor Abrams   
10     If I Had You 4:45
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Ted Shapiro
Credits :
Arranged By – Quincy Jones
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Keeter Betts
Drums – Jimmy Cobb
Guitar – Barry Galbraith
Piano – Wynton Kelly
Tenor Saxophone – Paul Quinichette
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland
Trumpet – Clark Terry
Vocals – Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON - Dinah Jams (1954-1990) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded at the start of Dinah Washington's climb to fame, 1954's Dinah Jams was taped live in front of a studio audience in Los Angeles. While Washington is in top form throughout, effortlessly working her powerful, blues-based voice on both ballads and swingers, the cast of star soloists almost steals the show. In addition to drummer Max Roach, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and other members of Brown and Roach's band at the time -- tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow -- trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry, alto saxophonist Herb Geller, and pianist Junior Mance also contribute to the session. Along with extended jams like "Lover Come Back to Me," "You Go to My Head," and "I'll Remember April" -- all including a round of solos -- there are shorter ballad numbers such as "There Is No Greater Love" and "No More," the last of which features excellent muted, obbligato work by Brown. Other solo highlights include Land's fine tenor solo on "Darn That Dream" and Geller's alto statement on the disc's standout Washington vocal, "Crazy." And even though she's in the midst of these stellar soloists, Washington expertly works her supple voice throughout to remain the star attraction, even matching the insane, high-note solo blasts trumpeter Ferguson expectedly delivers. A fine disc. Newcomers, though, should start with more accessible and more vocal-centered Washington titles like The Swingin' Miss D or The Fats Waller Songbook, both of which feature top arrangements by Quincy Jones. Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Lover, Come Back to Me 9:54
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg    
2     Alone Together 2:25
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz    
3     Summertime 2:26
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward    
4     Come Rain or Come Shine 2:28
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer    
5     No More 3:22
Tutti Camarata / Bob Russell    
6     I've Got You Under My Skin 5:26
Cole Porter    
7     There Is No Greater Love 2:15
Isham Jones / Marty Symes    
8     You Go to My Head 11:12
J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie    
9     Darn That Dream 5:14
Eddie DeLange / James Van Heusen    
10     Crazy He Calls Me 4:47
Bob Russell / Carl Sigman    
11     I'll Remember April 11:46
Gene DePaul / Patricia Johnston / Don Raye
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Herb Geller
Bass – George Morrow, Keeter Betts
Drums – Max Roach
Piano – Junior Mance, Richie Powell
Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson
Vocals – Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON - In The Land Of Hi-Fi (1956-1988) FLAC (tracks), lossless

As with most Dinah Washington records, In the Land of Hi-Fi includes an eclectic program of ballads and swingers, all of which become prime vehicles for the singer's dramatic, blues-tinged vocal stylings. Framed by Hal Mooney's mix of string-laden arrangements and big-band charts, Washington imparts both tenderness and passion to slow numbers like "I've Got a Crush on You" and "Say It Isn't So," while getting into some charged vocal buildups on swingers like "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "If I Were a Bell." In addition to the gospel-imbued number "There'll Be a Jubilee," Latin-tinged cuts like the beautiful bolero-style "Let Me Love You" and the lounge mambo "Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You" provide nice contrast to this jazz and pop set. Topped off with fine contributions by alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and pianist Junior Mance, In the Land of Hi-Fi is yet another impressive set among the many fine EmArcy records Washington cut in the '50s. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1     Our Love is Here to Stay 3:06
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
2     Let Me Love You 2:09
Bart Howard    
3     There'll Be a Jubilee 2:06
Phil Moore    
4     My Ideal 2:19
Newell Chase / Leo Robin / Richard A. Whiting    
5     I've Got a Crush on You 3:04
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
6     Let's Do It 2:36
Cole Porter    
7     Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You 2:34
Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal    
8     What'll I Tell My Heart 3:17
Jack Lawrence / Peter Tinturin    
9     Sunny Side of the Street 2:26
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh    
10     Say It Isn't So 2:41
Irving Berlin    
11     Sometimes I'm Happy 2:16
Irving Caesar / Clifford Grey / Vincent Youmans    
12     If I Were a Bell 2:05
Frank Loesser
Credits :
Conductor – Hal Mooney
Vocals – Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON - Unforgettable (1960-1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

After her hit of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" in 1959, Dinah Washington largely discarded her blues and jazz roots (at least on recordings) and played the role of a pop star. This CD (which has the original LP program of 12 songs joined by six others) finds Washington singing brief (mostly under three-minute) versions of standards in hopes of gaining another hit. The backing is strictly commercial and, although some may enjoy "This Bitter Earth," "The Song Is Ended" and "A Bad Case of the Blues," the music is consistently predictable and disappointingly forgettable. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    This Bitter Earth 2:27
Written-By – Clyde Otis
2    I Understand 2:38
Written-By – Kim Gannon, Mabel Wayne
3    This Love Of Mine 2:39
Written-By – Frank Sinatra, Henry Sanicola, Sol Parker
4    Alone 2:21
Written-By – Arthur Freed, Nacio Herb Brown
5    Somewhere Along The Line 2:39
Written-By – Washington, Merrick
6    The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) 2:52
Written-By – Irving Berlin
7    Everybody Loves Somebody 2:26
Written-By – Irving Taylor, Ken Lane
8    Ask A Woman Who Knows 2:42
Written-By – Washington, Hill
9    A Man Only Does (What A Woman Makes Him Do) 2:24
Written-By – Clyde Otis, Kelly Owens
10    A Bad Case Of The Blues 2:38
Written-By – Clyde Otis
11    When I Fall In Love 2:33
Written-By – Edward Heyman, Victor Young
12    Unforgettable 2:42
Written-By – Irving Gordon
- BONUS TRACKS -    
13    Lingering 2:35
Written-By – Washington, Adams
14    Do You Want It That Way 2:24
Written-By – Billy Bowen, Dinah Washington
15    Congratulations To Someone 2:14
Written-By – A. Frisch, R. Alfred
16    I'm In Heaven Tonight 2:31
Written-By – Otis, Kirkland
17    Our Love Is Here To Stay 3:42
Written-By – George & Ira Gershwin
18    Surprise Party 1:54
Written-By – Hilliard, Bishop
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Belford C. Hendricks
Vocals - Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON WITH QUINCY JONES AND HIS ORCHESTRA - The Swingin' Miss "D" (1957-1998) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Dinah Washington was accompanied by an orchestra organized and conducted by Quincy Jones on this 1957 album, and she was singing to arrangements mostly written by the young bandleader, swing charts of pop standards by the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington. The result had much in common with the swing albums of Frank Sinatra in the same period, especially because Jones' arrangements were heavily influenced by Billy May and Nelson Riddle. Sinatra's records were regarded as "pop, " of course, and Washington's, at least when released on the EmArcy subsidiary of Mercury Records, as "jazz, " but her precise articulation and attention to lyrical meaning left little room for improvisation, and while Jones allowed for brief solos from a band that included Charlie Shavers, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, and Milt Hinton, the jazz categorization was actually arbitrary. Whatever musical genre you assign it to, however, this is an excellent Washington album. [For the 1998 reissue, Verve added seven bonus tracks recorded around the same time and with much the same personnel, though they were intended as singles and thus are inferior contemporary tunes. Often, however, Washington sounds more comfortable and enthusiastic on these pop and R&B songs than she does on the standards.] William Ruhlmann  
Tracklist :
1     They Didn't Believe Me 2'49
Jerome Kern / Herbert Reynolds    
2     You're Crying 3'33
Leonard Feather / Quincy Jones
3     Makin' Whoopee 2'30
Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn
4     Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye 2'32
Cole Porter    
5     But Not for Me 2'28
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin    
6     Caravan 2'41
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol    
7     Perdido 3'26
Ervin Drake / Hans Lengsfelder / Juan Tizol    
8     Never Let Me Go 2'46
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston    
9     Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? 3'00
Bill Austin / Billy Austin / Louis Jordan    
10     I'll Close My Eyes 4'01
Buddy Kaye / William "Billy" Reid    
11     Somebody Loves Me 2'48
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin / Ballard MacDonald
12     I'll Drown in My Tears 3'12
Henry Glover    
13     You Let My Love Grow Cold 2'30
Jessie Mae Robinson    
14     Bargain Day 2:55
William Roy    
15     Relax Max 2:46
Al Frisch / Sid Wayne    
16     Tears To Burn 2:47
Arthur S. Alberts / Tibor Alberts / Richard Bruce    
17     The Kissing Way Home 2:27
Mann Curtis / Manny Curtis / Manny Kurtz / Harold Solomon
18     I Know 3'07
Hallowell / Teddy Powell
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Anthony Ortega
Alto Saxophone, Flugelhorn – Hal McKusick (tracks: 1 to 14)
Arranged By – Benny Golson (tracks: 8), Ernie Wilkins (tracks: 4, 5)
Arranged By, Conductor – Quincy Jones (tracks: 1 to 3, 6, 7, 9 to 18)
Baritone Saxophone – Danny Bank (tracks: 1 to 14)
Double Bass – Milt Hinton (tracks: 1 to 14)
Drums – Jimmy Crawford (tracks: 6, 7, 9, 11 to 13), Osie Johnson (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 10, 14)
Guitar – Barry Galbraith (tracks: 1 to 14)
Piano, Celesta – Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson (tracks: 1 to 14)
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Jerome Richardson (tracks: 1 to 14), Lucky Thompson
Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland, Quentin Jackson (tracks: 1 to 14), Tommy Mitchell* (tracks: 1 to 14), Urbie Green (tracks: 1 to 14)
Trumpet – Bernie Glow (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 10, 14), Charlie Shavers (tracks: 1 to 14), Clark Terry (tracks: 1 to 14), Nick Travis (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 10, 14)
Trumpet, Mellophone, Vibraphone, Bongos – Don Elliott
Trumpet, Vibraphone – Ernie Royal (tracks: 6, 7, 9, 11 to 13), Joe Wilder (tracks: 6, 7, 9, 11 to 13)
Xylophone – Don Elliott (tracks: 3)

DINAH WASHINGTON - Dinah '62 (1962) lp | 24bits-96Hz | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The first of five LPs Dinah Washington recorded for Roulette during her last year and a half of life, Dinah '62 finds one of the foremost interpreters in vocal jazz treading merrily through a set of standards informed by Fred Norman's modern and commercially slanted big-band arrangements. Despite a few trad vocal backgrounds, most of these charts never overwhelm the songs or Washington's performances, and sometimes add to them; this version of the decades-old "Red Sails in the Sunset" benefits from its earthy electric guitar and organ. The singer brings a lifetime of experience to these songs, carrying the soporific world-weariness of Johnny Mercer's "Drinking Again" but then skating rompishly over the light novelty "Destination Moon." Washington is far more willing to indulge in histrionics than earlier in her career, but still exhibits remarkable control over her vocalizing, whether light or forceful. John Bush
Tracklist :
A1    Drinking Again    3:32
Johnny Mercer / Doris Tauber
A2    Destination Moon    2:35
Roy Alfred / Marvin Fisher
A3    Miss You    3:39
Charles Tobias / Harry Tobias
A4    A Handful Of Stars    3:25
Jack Lawrence / Ted Shapiro
A5    Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby    3:25
Bill Austin / Louis Jordan
B1    You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You    2:47
James Cavanaugh / Russ Morgan / Larry Stock
B2    Red Sails In The Sunset    2:31
Jimmy Kennedy / Hugh Williams
B3    Where Are You?    2:15
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
B4    Coquette    2:58
Johnny Green / Gus Kahn / Carmen Lombardo
B5    Take Your Shoes Off Baby    2:44
Gene Austin
Credits :
Conductor – Fred Norman
Vocals - Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON - The Fats Waller Songbook (1957-1985) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The 1957 LP Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller appropriately brings together Waller's vivacious songs and Washington's demonstrative vocal talents. The jazz diva effortlessly handles Waller classics like "Keeping out of Mischief Now," "Just Squeeze Me," and "Ain't Mibehavin'," while turning in particularly emotive renditions of "'Tain't Noboby's Biz-Ness If I Do" (actually a Clarence Williams tune), and "Jitterbug Waltz" (this last cut featuring Washington's keen and signature blend of blues vocal power and streamlined diction). Adding nice variety to the already strong set, Washington's husband at the time, saxophonist Eddie Chamblee, joins the singer for playful duets on "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Everybody Loves My Baby" (ironically, the love sentiments of both songs were not to stick, as the couple called it quits after just a year of marriage). In addition to "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "'Tain't Noboby's Biz-Ness If I Do," Washington covers other songs associated with Waller, but not penned by him, including "Christopher Columbus" and the highlight of the set, "Somebody's Rocking My Dreamboat." Topped off with solidly swinging charts by Ernie Wilkins and fine backing by an all-star band, the date registers as one of Dinah Washington's best and most enjoyable records. [Reissued in the '90s by Verve as The Fats Waller Songbook.] Stephen Cook  
Tracklist :
1     Christopher Columbus 2:45
Leon Berry    
2     Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do 3:27
Porter Grainger / Graham Prince / Clarence Williams
3     Jitterbug Waltz 1:50
Fats Waller    
4     Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat 1:58
Otis T. Rene Jr. / Leon René / Emerson Scott    
5     Ain't Cha Glad 2:43
Fats Waller    
6     Squeeze Me 2:07
Fats Waller / Clarence Williams    
7     Ain't Misbehavin' 2:32
Harry Brooks / Fats Waller    
8     Black and Blue 2:55
Harry Brooks / Fats Waller    
9     Everybody Loves My Baby (But My Baby Don't Love Nobody But Me) 2:39
Jack Palmer / Spencer Williams    
10     I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling 2:23
Harry Link / Billy Rose / Fats Waller    
11     Honeysuckle Rose 2:33
Fats Waller    
12     Keepin' Out of Mischief Now 2:34
Fats Waller
Credits :
Arranged By – Ernie Wilkins
Bass – Richard Evans
Guitar – Freddie Green (pistas: 7 to 12), Sebastian Muro (pistas: 1 to 6)
Lead Vocals – Dinah Washington
Percussion – Charlie Persip, Wesley Landers
Piano – Jack Wilson
Saxophone – Benny Golson, Charles Davis, Eddie Chamblee, Frank Wess (pistas: 7 to 12), Hal McKusick (pistas: 1 to 6), Jerome Richardson, Sahib Shihab (pistas: 7 to 12)
Trombone – Chauncey Welsch (pistas: 1 to 6, 7, 11), Jimmy Cleveland (pistas: 1 to 6, 10, 12), Julian Priester, Melba Liston (pistas: 7 to 12), Rodney Levitt, Sonny Russo (pistas: 8, 9)
Trumpet – Charlie Shavers (pistas: 1 to 6), Clark Terry (pistas: 10, 12), Doc Severinsen (pistas: 1 to 6), Ernie Royal (pistas: 7 to 12), Joe Newman (pistas: 1 to 6), John Coles (pistas: 1 to 6), Ray Copeland (pistas: 1 to 6), Reunald Jones (pistas: 1 to 6, 7 to 9, 11)
Vocals – Eddie Chamblee (pistas: 9, 11)

DINAH WASHINGTON - Dinah Sings Bessie Smith (1958-1999) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

It was only natural that the "Queen of the Blues" should record songs associated with the "Empress of the Blues." The performances by the septet/octet do not sound like the 1920s and the purposely ricky-tick drumming is insulting, but Dinah Washington sounds quite at home on this music. "Trombone Butter" (featuring trombonist Quentin Jackson in Charlie Green's role), "You've Been a Good Ole Wagon," "After You've Gone" and "Back Water Blues" are highpoints as she overcomes the cornball arrangements. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     After You've Gone 3:39
Henry Creamer / Turner Layton
2     Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair 3:17
George Brooks / Fletcher Henderson
3     Jailhouse Blues 3:12
Bessie Smith / Clarence Williams
4     Trombone Butter 3:31
Fletcher Henderson
5     You've Been a Good Old Wagon 4:02
Perry Bradford
6     Careless Love 3:37
W.C. Handy / Martha E. Koenig / Spencer Williams
7     Backwater Blues 5:00
Bessie Smith
8     If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) 2:49
Henry Creamer / James P. Johnson
9     Me and My Gin 3:11
Harry Burke
10     Fine Fat Daddy 3:05
Dinah Washington
- BONUS TRACKS -
11    Trombone Butter (Alternative Take)    3:35
12    Careless Love (Master Take In Mono)    3:35
13    Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair (Live Version)    3:53
14    Me And My Gin (Live Version)    3:26
15    Backwater Blues (Live Version)    4:40
Notas.
Recorded at Universal Studios, Chicago, Illinois on December 30, 1957 and January 7 & 20, 1958 and live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island on July 6, 1958.
Originally released on Emarcy (36130).
Credits :
Dinah Washington (vocals); Eddie Chamblee (arranger, tenor saxophone); Charles Davis, McKinley Easton (baritone saxophone); Fortunatus Ricard, Clark Terry (trumpet); Quentin Jackson, Julian Priester (trombone); James Craig, Jack Wilson (piano); Robare Edmonson, Robert Lee Wilson (bass); James Slaughter (drums). The Newport All Stars: Harold Ousley (tenor saxophone); Sahib Shihab (baritone saxophone); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); Melba Liston (trombone); Wynton Kelly (piano); Paul West (bass); Max Roach (drums).