DINAH WASHINGTON - What a Diff'rence a Day Makes (1959-1997) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

One of the more notorious albums in the history of vocal music, What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! is the lush session that bumped up Dinah Washington from the "Queen of the Blues" to a middle-of-the-road vocal wondress -- and subsequently disenfranchised quite a few jazz purists. Washington had been praised in the same breath as Holiday and Fitzgerald for more than a decade, but Mercury nevertheless decided to back her with mainstream arrangements (by Belford Hendricks), heavy strings, and wordless vocal choruses similar to the radio hits of the day. Apparently, the mainstream backings didn't faze Washington at all; she proves herself with a voice as individual and evocative as ever. To be honest, the arrangements are quite solid for what they're worth; though it's a bit jarring to hear Washington's voice wrapped in sweet strings, the effect works well more frequently than not. Most of the songs here are familiar standards ("I Remember You," "I Thought About You," "Cry Me a River," "Manhattan," "Time After Time"), but they've been transformed by Washington as though they'd never been sung before. The Top Ten title track is by no means the best song on the album, but its title proved prophetic for Washington's career. Though her vocal style hadn't changed at all, one day she was a respected blues singer; the next, according to most of the jazz cognoscenti, she had become a lowbrow pop singer. Thankfully, the evidence against Washington's "transformation" is provided right here. John Bush
Tracklist :
1     I Remember You 2:48
Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger    
2     I Thought About You 2:34
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer    
3     That's All There Is to That 2:19
Clyde Otis / Kelly Owens    
4     I Won't Cry Anymore 2:21
Al Frisch / Fred Wise    
5     I'm Thru with Love 2:29
Gus Kahn / Fud Livingston / Matty Malneck    
6     Cry Me a River 2:30
Arthur Hamilton    
7     What a Diff'rence a Day Makes 2:31
Stanley Adams / María Mendez Grever    
8     Nothing in the World 3:18
Brook Benton / Belford Hendricks / Clyde Otis    
9     Manhattan 4:19
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers    
10     Time After Time 2:30
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne    
11     It's Magic 2:41
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne    
12     A Sunday Kind of Love 2:36
Barbara Belle / Anita Leonard / Louis Prima / Stan Rhodes
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Belford Hendricks
Vocals – Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON ! BROOK BENTON — The Two of Us (1959-1995) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Wonderful duets between Brook Benton (v) and Washington, plus solo cuts by both from 1960. Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1    Dinah Washington–    There Goes My Heart 3:29
Written-By – Abner Silver, Benny Davis
2    Brook Benton–    Call Me 2:36
Written-By – Belford C. Hendricks, Clyde Otis
3    Brook Benton & Dinah Washington–    Baby (You've Got What It Takes) 2:43
Written-By – Brook Benton, Clyde Otis, Murray Stein
4    Dinah Washington–    Love Walked In 2:08
Written-By – George & Ira Gershwin
5    Brook Benton–    Not One Step Behind 2:22
Written-By – Brook Benton, Chris Towns
6    Brook Benton & Dinah Washington–    A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around And Fall In Love) 2:25
Written-By – Brook Benton, Clyde Otis, Luchi DeJesus
7    Brook Benton–    Someone To Believe In 2:36
Written-By – Bobby Stevenson, Brook Benton, Clyde Otis
8    Dinah Washington–    This I Promise You 2:36
Written-By – Clyde Otis, Vincent Corso
9    Brook Benton & Dinah Washington–    I Do 2:21
Written-By – Ben Raleigh, Don Wolf
10    Brook Benton–    Because Of Everything 2:25
Written-By – Belford C. Hendricks, Clyde Otis
11    Dinah Washington–    Again 3:22
Written-By – Dorcas Cochran, Lionel Newman
12    Brook Benton & Dinah Washington–    I Believe 3:21
Written-By – Al Stillman, Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl
- BONUS TRACKS -    
13    Dinah Washington–    Nothing In The World 3:14
Written By – Brook Benton
Written-By – Belford C. Hendricks, Clyde Otis
14    Dinah Washington–    While We're Young 2:23
Written-By – Alec Wilder, Morty Palitz, Bill Engvick
15    Dinah Washington–    Looking Back 2:25
Written-By – Belford C. Hendricks, Brook Benton, Clyde Otis
16    Dinah Washington–    We Have Love 2:24
Written-By – Alfonso Higgins, Dinah Washington
17    Dinah Washington–    Early Every Morning 2:18
Written-By – Belford C. Hendricks, Clyde Otis
18    Dinah Washington–    Love Walked In 2:13
Written-By – George & Ira Gershwin
19    Brook Benton–    Someone To Believe In 2:13
Written-By – Bobby Stevenson, Brook Benton, Clyde Otis
Credits :
Arranged By – Belford Hendricks (pistas: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11 to 19), Fred Norman (pistas: 5, 10)
Conductor – Belford Hendricks (pistas: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19), Fred Norman (pistas: 16, 17)
Directed By [Recording] – Clyde Otis
Orchestra – Fred Norman Orchestra (pistas: 5, 10, 16, 17), Nat Goodman Orchestra (pistas: 1, 4, 18)
Producer – Clyde Otis
Vocals – Brook Benton (pistas: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 19), Dinah Washington (pistas: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 to 18)

DINAH WASHINGTON - Back to the Blues (1963-1997) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Prior to her 1959 hit "What a Difference a Day Makes," nearly every Dinah Washington recording (no matter what the style) was of interest to jazz listeners. However, after her unexpected success on the pop charts, most of Washington's sessions for Mercury and Roulette during the last four years of her life were quite commercial, with string arrangements better suited to country singers and Washington nearly parodying herself with exaggerated gestures. Fortunately, this 1963 LP is an exception, a blues-oriented collection that features Washington returning to her roots, backed by a jazz-oriented big band (with occasional strings and background voices). Eddie Chamblee and Illinois Jacquet have some tenor solos, guitarist Billy Butler is heard from, and the trumpet soloist is probably Joe Newman. In general, this is a more successful date than Washington's earlier investigation of Bessie Smith material, since the backup band is more sympathetic and the talented singer is heard in prime form. Dinah Washington clearly had a real feeling for this bluesy material. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Woman Cryin' for Her Man 3:46
J. Mayo Williams
2     Romance in the Dark 2:12
Lillian "Lil" Green
3     You've Been a Good Old Wagon 3:50
Perry Bradford
4     Let Me Be the First to Know 2:39
Leroy Kirkland / Dinah Washington / Pearl Woods    
5     How Long, How Long Blues 4:58
Leroy Carr
6     Don't Come Running Back to Me 2:23
Dinah Washington
7     It's a Mean Old Man's World 3:10
Leroy Kirkland / Dinah Washington
8     Key to the Highway 2:39
Big Bill Broonzy / Charles Segar    
9     If I Never Get to Heaven 3:44
Dinah Washington
10     Duck Before You Drown 2:11
Dinah Washington    
11     No Hard Feelings 2:33
Al Jacobs
12     Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning 8:40
Pearl Delaney / Tom Delaney
- BONUS TRACKS -
13    Don't Say Nothing At All    2:34
14    No One Man    2:05
15    Me And My Gin    4:15
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Fred Norman
Vocals – Dinah Washington

DINAH WASHINGTON - I Wanna Be Loved (1962-2005) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

A torch song date recorded between Dinah Washington's commercial breakthrough in 1959 and her death in 1963, I Wanna Be Loved flaunts a large cast of talented collaborators -- plus, to be sure, Washington's regal readings of 12 great songs -- but, unfortunately, the musical side is overwhelmed by the heavy strings in attendance. Working with Quincy Jones, Washington found her studio cast to include Joe Newman and Clark Terry on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland and Kai Winding on trombone, and Al Cohn on tenor. However, the arrangements (from Ernie Wilkins and Quincy Jones) rarely leave room for the musicians -- and, in fact, rarely feature them at all -- preferring instead to concentrate on strings and the occasional wordless vocal chorus. As usually happened in these circumstances, Washington appears unfazed by the treacle surrounding her; although she doesn't improvise, her performances of "Blue Gardenia," "Don't Explain," and the title track (originally an R&B hit for her 12 years earlier) are elegant and bewitching. The larger big band makes its presence felt on the two side-closers, both of them ("Let's Fall in Love," "Sometimes I'm Happy") more uptempo material. Although Washington's latter-day Mercury material is often derided, she always succeeded despite her surroundings, and this date is no different. by John Bush  
Tracklist:
1 I Wanna Be Loved 2:40
Written-By – Heyman, Rose, Green
2 Don't Explain 2:28
Written-By – Herzog, Jr., Holiday
3 Everybody's Somebody's Fool 2:27
Written-By – Adams, Hampton
4 Invitation 2:59
Written-By – Kaper, Webster
5 You're Crying 3:25
Written-By – Feather, Jones
6 Let's Fall In Love 2:15
Written-By – Arlen, Koehler
7 When Your Lover Has Gone 2:08
Written-By – Swan
8 A Stranger In Town 2:15
Written-By – Tormé
9 God Bless The Child 2:43
Written-By – Herzog, Jr., Holiday
10 Blue Gardenia 3:19
Written-By – Russell, Lee
11 I Can't Face The Music (Without Singin' The Blues) 3:20
Written-By – Bloom, Koehler 
12 Sometimes I'm Happy 2:04
Written-By – Grey, Caesar, Youmans
Credits:
Arranged By – Billy Byers (tracks: 1), Ernie Wilkins (tracks: 2, 3, 10), Hal Mooney (tracks: 2, 3, 10), Quincy Jones (tracks: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Conductor – Quincy Jones (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Drums – Gary Chester (tracks: 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Guitar – George Barnes (tracks: 2, 3, 10)
Piano – Jack Wilson (tracks: 1, 5), Patti Bown (tracks: 2, 3, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Al Cohn (tracks: 2, 3, 10)
Trombone – Billy Byers (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10), Jimmy Cleveland (tracks: 2, 3, 10), Kai Winding (tracks: 2, 3, 10)
Trumpet – Clark Terry (tracks: 2, 3, 10), Ernie Royal (tracks: 2, 3, 10), Joe Newman (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10)
Vocals – Dinah Washington (tracks: 1-12)

DINAH WASHINGTON - Dinah Jams (1954-1997) RM / MONO / 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. by Stephen Cook  

Tracklist :

1 Lover Come Back To Me 9:54

Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg 

2.a Alone Together {Ballad Medley} 2:25

Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz 

2.b Summertime 2:26

George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward  

2.c Come Rain Or Come Shine 2:28

Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer

3 No More 3:22

Tutti Camarata / Bob Russell 

4 I've Got You Under My Skin 5:26

Cole Porter

5 There Is No Greater Love 2:15

Isham Jones / Marty Symes 

6 You Go To My Head 11:12

J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie  

Credits:

Alto Saxophone – Herb Geller
Bass – George Morrow, Keter Betts
Drums – Max Roach
Piano – Junior Mance, Richie Powell
Tenor Saxophone – Harold Land
Trumpet – Clark Terry, Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson
Vocals – Dinah Washington