PEARL BAILEY - St. Louis Blues (1958) lp | 24bits-192hz | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Side A
1    St. Louis Blues    2:50
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
2    Hesitatin' Blues    3:32
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
3    Shine Like A Morning Star    2:56
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
4    Aunt Hagar's Blues 2:55
    Written-By – Brymn / W.C. Handy
5    I'll Turn Back No More    2:01
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
6    Ole Miss 2:21
    Written-By – W.C. Handy / Hirsch
Side B
1    Long Gone 2:00
    Written-By – Smith   / W.C. Handy
2    Friendless Blues 3:35
    Written-By – W.C. Handy / Gilbert
3    Careless Love 2:40
    Written-By – W.C. Handy / Koenig / Williams
4    Way Down South Where The Blues Began     2:45
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
5    I've Heard Of A City Called Heaven    1:45
    Written-By – W.C. Handy
6    Beale Street Blues    2:51
    Written-By – W.C. Handy

PEARL BAILEY - 1947-1950 {CC, 1293} (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The second volume in Classics' welcome wrap-up of Pearl Bailey's early career begins at the end of 1947, with Bailey fresh from the success of her film debut, Variety Girl, and its career-making song, "Tired." During the next two years, she would refine her approach to jive rhythm and sweet singing, a relaxed sense of vocal cool that fused the exquisite phrasing of Billie Holiday to the hip majesty of Cab Calloway. The first two sessions include her usual studio orchestra of the time, led by Mitchell Ayres and featuring great work from Peanuts Hucko on clarinet and the Charioteers on vocal backing. Most of the rest are small-group dates, during which she recorded some of her finest material; present are two of her best performances, the gloriously swinging, exuberant duets "Baby, It's Cold Outside" featuring Hot Lips Page and "Saturday Night Fish Fry" featuring Moms Mabley. Even the obscure songs from this period are filled with great moments, as on the solos "Johnson Rag" and "Not Tonight," as well as her appearance with Tony Pastor on "Mamie Is Mimi." Fans looking to find more excellent material after enjoying a collection like Ain't She Sweet! will find much to love here on these sides, originally recorded for Columbia and Harmony. by John Bush  
Tracklist :
1     That's No Way to Do 3'06
2     Blue Grass 3'23
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
3     Old Man, You Been Gone Too Long 3'02
4     I'm Lazy, That's All 2'37
5     Don't Ever Leave Me 2'17
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
6     Who? 2'50
Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
7     Protect Me 3'24
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
8     Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me 2'40
Sidney Clare / Con Conrad
9     Don't Sit on My Bed 2'44
10     Here You Come With Love 3'05
Neil Moret (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias / Jo Trent
11     Baby, It's Cold Outside 3'00
Frank Loesser
12     The Hucklebuck 3'12
Roy Alfred / Andy Gibson
13     It's a Great Feeling 2'24
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
14     Ain't She Sweet? 3'01
Milton Ager / Jack Yellen
15     Frankie and Johnny 3'04
Boyd Bunch / Bernie Leighton
16     Not Tonight 2'37
17     Johnson Rag 3'03
Guy Hall / Henry Kleinkauf / Jack Lawrence
18     Saturday Night Fish Fry 2'55
Louis Jordan / Ellis Walsh
19     Mamie Is Mimi 3'01
Leo Robin / Jule Styne
20     For You My Love 3'05
Paul Gayten
21     Nothing for Nothing 3'14
Dorothy Fields / Morton Gould
22     They Didn't Believe Me 2'37
Jerome Kern / Herbert Reynolds
23     There Must Be Something Better Than Love 2'32
Dorothy Fields / Morton Gould

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

PEARL BAILEY - Ain't She Sweet! (2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Jasmine presents a casual overview of selections from Pearl Bailey's first ten years as a recording artist (1945-1955). Picking up where Fats Waller left off, this gorgeous, powerful, and witty woman dismantled all kinds of long-established presentational conventions by half-singing, half-talking her way through every song she ever handled. On this compilation the two best examples of her as a solo act are "I Ain't Talkin'" and "Solid Gold Cadillac." Pearl's collaborations with the Charioteers are fun and her rowdy duets with Hot Lips Page are delightful; "The Hucklebuck" is an intimate riot and "It's a Great Feeling" successfully conveys the optimistic joy of mutual love and affection. "Saturday Night Fish Fry" appears to be a long-lost rehearsal take of the famous Pearl Bailey/Jackie "Moms" Mabley duet of 1949. The inclusion of these wonderful recordings places this little anthology among the best entries in Pearl Bailey's digital discography. by arwulf arwulf  
Tracklist :
1     Saturday Night Fish Fry 2'55
Louis Jordan / Ellis Walsh
2     The Hucklebuck 3'10
Roy Alfred / Andy Gibson
3     Ain't She Sweet? 2'58
Milton Ager / Jack Yellen
4     Who? 2'49
Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
5     Don't Ever Leave Me 2'17
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
6     I Ain't Talkin' (Though It's All Over Town) 2'44
7     Legalize My Name 3'20
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
8     Get It Off Your Mind 3'07
Claude Demetrius / Fleecie Moore
9     I Need Ya Like I Need a Hole in the Head 3'09
Al Stillman
10     Fifteen Years (And I'm Still Serving Time) 3'06
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
11     It's a Great Feeling 2'21
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
12     Row, Row, Row 3'05
William Jerome / James V. Monaco
13     Frankie and Johnny 3'05
Traditional
14     St. Louis Blues 2'12
W.C. Handy
15     That's Good Enough for Me 3'20
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
16     It's a Woman's Prerogative 3'11
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
17     Personality 3'14
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
18     He Didn't Ask Me 2'52
Sammy Cahn / Saul Chaplin
19     Tired 3'20
Doris Fisher / Alan Roberts
20     Here You Come with Love 3'05
Neil Moret (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias / Jo Trent
21     Baby, It's Cold Outside 2'58
Frank Loesser
22     Solid Gold Cadillac 3:03
23     Hit the Road to Dreamland 2'37
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
 

PEARL BAILEY - 16 Most Requested Songs (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
Some of the most productive years for the inimitable Pearl Bailey were those she spent recording for Columbia Records, between 1945 and 1950. Columbia paired the singer with other luminaries of the day, including Frank Sinatra. This album culls 16 of Bailey's best songs made during that magic time. The tunes are lovingly remastered to present the engaging vocalist at her very best. On this record, she is joined by colleagues she worked with regularly: singer/comedienne Moms Mabley and trumpeter/vocalist Oran "Hot Lips" Page. Also adding their gospel harmonies to the musical experience are the Charioteers. Together, they produced some of the best music in Bailey's long career. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is immediately evocative of the season as well as a bygone era. Arlen/Mercer tunes, such as "Legalize My Name" and "A Woman's Prerogative," have just the right degree of sophistication under Bailey's expert touch. Bailey and Mabley, surely two of the greatest female comedic singers of all time, team up on the delightful "Saturday Night Fish Fry." The songstress turns soulful on "Who?" and "Don't Ever Leave Me," accompanied by the Charioteers. Bailey and Page show why they were so popular on the classic "Ain't She Sweet?" Standards such as "St. Louis Blues" and "Here You Come With Love" bear witness to the sultry charm of the talented lady with the twinkle in her eye and to the hint of suggestion in her song. Whether remembering Pearl Bailey or discovering her for the first time, the listener cannot do better than this recording for its fidelity to the legacy of one of America's greatest singers. by Rose of Sharon Witmer 
Tracklist: 
1    Legalize My Name 3:18  
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
2    Tired 3:17  
Doris Fisher / Alan Roberts
3    St. Louis Blues 2:10    
W.C. Handy
4    It's a Woman's Prerogative 3:09 
Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer
Pearl Bailey
5    Baby, It's Cold Outside 2:57    
Frank Loesser
Pearl Bailey feat: Hot Lips Page
6    Who? 2:48  
Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
Pearl Bailey feat: The Charioteers
7    Don't Ever Leave Me 2:14 
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
Pearl Bailey feat: The Charioteers
8    Saturday Night Fish Fry 02:53
Louis Jordan / Ellis Walsh
Pearl Bailey feat: Jackie Mabley
9    Personality 3:11     
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
10    Ain't She Sweet? 2:57     
Milton Ager / Jack Yellen
Pearl Bailey feat: Hot Lips Page
11    Get It off Your Mind 3:05
Claude Demetrius / Fleecie Moore
12    The Hucklebuck 3:13  
Roy Alfred / Andy Gibson
Pearl Bailey feat: Hot Lips Page
13    They Didn't Believe Me 2:35
Jerome Kern / Herbert Reynolds
14    Frankie and Johnny 3:02  
Traditional
15    That's Good Enough for Me 3:18 
Doris Fisher / Allan Roberts
16    Here You Come With Love 3:02
Neil Moret (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias / Jo Trent

PEARL BAILEY - The Best of Pearl Bailey (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The daughter of a preacher, Pearl Bailey achieved success over several different levels of the entertainment industry, including recording, Broadway, films and television. Her first major record success came with 'Takes Two to Tango', a track that enabled her to appeal to the Pop and Jazz markets simultaneously. Her fame reached it's peak at the end of the 1950's with her appearance in the film Porgy And Bess alongside Sidney Poitier.