(Review by Lance)
Ellington didn't use girl singers a lot but, when he did, they weren't the crooning thrush's favoured by white bands or the blues mamas that most black bands used No, Duke, who let's face it was never a swing band, although, on its day, they could outswing the lot of them. Duke had pretensions but, unlike Paul Whiteman, didn't aim to bring the classical audience down to his level, Duke sought to bring the classical audience up to his level! This he did without resorting to strings (did Ellington ever use strings? I'm sure Colin will remind me if he did!) The only compromise he ever made to the straight music world to which he aspired, and, almost, achieved, was his use of straight singers such as Adelaide Hall and, particularly, Kay Davis.
Here she sings like Maria Callas may have done had she been born in Harlem!
With guys like Wycliffe Gordon, Joe Temperley and Ted Nash around there's a whole lot of jazz in there alongside the vocals - or should we call them arias?
It may well be that Duke's acceptance by the 'squares' may not be because of his suites such as Black Brown and Beige but by his use of the operatic soprano - just a thought and Candice, like Kay and Adelaide before her, does nothing to disprove it!
Lance.
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