In a perfect world, Lucy Reed would have been much better-known and
would have built a large catalog. But regrettably, the obscure
Midwestern jazz singer never became well-known, and she only recorded a
few albums. Recorded at various sessions in January 1957, This Is Lucy
Reed is the second of two albums she provided for Fantasy. This album,
which Fantasy reissued on CD in 2001, finds Reed backed by some of bop's
heavyweights, including trumpeter Art Farmer, trombonist Jimmy
Cleveland, bassist Milt Hinton, arranger George Russell (who is heard on
drums), and arranger Gil Evans (who plays piano on four selections).
Unfortunately, the sidemen usually don't get enough solo space. But
Reed's vocals are the main thing, and the singer really shines on
cool-toned yet expressive performances of well-known standards like "You
Don't Know What Love Is" and W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." Cool
School goddesses like Chris Connor and June Christy are prominent
influences, and yet, the recognizable Reed was a fine singer in her own
right. The word "recognizable" also describes Gil Evans' arranging on
"Love for Sale," "No Moon at All," and the goofy novelty item "A Trout,
No Doubt"; Evans' classical-influenced style of arranging is quite
distinctive, and true to form, his contributions to This Is Lucy Reed
underscore his interest in European classical music. Equally attractive
are Russell's arrangements on "Born to Blow the Blues," "This Is New,"
and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." Russell was only 34 when
this album was recorded, but even in early 1957, he was a forward
thinker. Anyone who is seriously into Cool School singers of the 1950s
should give This Is Lucy Reed a very close listen. by Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1 There He Goes 2:54
Jack English
2 Lucky to Be Me 2:31
Leonard Bernstein / Betty Comden / Adolph Green
3 In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning 4:22
Bob Hilliard / David Mann
4 St. Louis Blues 3:28
W.C. Handy
5 Easy Come, Easy Go 4:59
Johnny Green / Edward Heyman
6 Love for Sale 4:30
Cole Porter
7 Little Boy Blue 2:58
Eugene Field
8 A Trout, No Doubt 2:41
Lucy Reed
9 Born to Blow the Blues 4:45
Bob Russell / Jack Segal
10 This Is New 4:00
Ira Gershwin / Kurt Weill
11 No Moon at All 2:17
Redd Evans / Dave Mann
12 You Don't Know What Love Is 4:03
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
Credits :
Don Abney Piano
Jimmy Cleveland - Guest Artist, Trombone
Jack English - Arranger, Composer, Director
Gil Evans - Arranger, Director, Guest Artist, Piano
Art Farmer - Guest Artist, Trumpet
Barry Galbraith - Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
John Gray - Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Eddie Higgins - Arranger, Director, Piano
Milt Hinton - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Dave Kurtzer - Bassoon
Harry Lookofsky - Tenor Violin
Tommy Mitchell - Trombone (Bass)
Bill Pemberton - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)
Romeo Penque - Flute, Flute (Alto), Horn (English)
Lucy Reed - Primary Artist, Vocals
George Russell - Guest Artist
Sol Schlinger - Baritone Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
Kenneth Soderblom - Clarinet 
