Tag Archives: Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington: Swingin’ Miss D

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In September 1957, “EmArcy” label released “The Swingin’ Miss D”, the sixth Dinah Washington studio album. It was recorded in December 1956, and was produced by Bob Shad.

Personnel:

  • Dinah Washington – vocals

Quincy Jones and His Orchestra

  • Quincy Jones – conductor, arrangements
  • Ernie Wilkins – arrangements
  • Benny Golson – arrangements
  • Anthony Ortega – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone, clarinet
  • Lucky Thompson – tenor saxophone, clarinet
  • Don Elliott – trumpet, mellophonium, vibraphone, bongos; xylophone
  • Jimmy Maxwell – trumpet
  • Doc Severinsen – trumpet
  • Charlie Shavers – trumpet
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Bernie Glow – trumpet
  • Nick Travis – trumpet
  • Ernie Royal – trumpet
  • Joe Wilder – trumpet
  • Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
  • Urbie Green – trombone
  • Quentin Jackson – trombone
  • Tommy Mitchell – bass trombone
  • Hal McKusick – flute, alto saxophone
  • Danny Bank – bass clarinet, baritone saxophone
  • Clarence “Sleepy” Anderson – piano, celeste
  • Barry Galbraith – guitar
  • Milt Hinton – double bass
  • Osie Johnson – drums
  • Jimmy Crawford – drums
  • Murray Garrett, Gene Howard – photography
  • John S. Wilson – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. They Didn’t Believe Me – Jerome Kern, Herbert Reynolds
  2. You’re Crying – Leonard Feather, Quincy Jones
  3. Makin’ Whoopee – Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn
  4. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye – Cole Porter
  5. But Not for Me – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  6. Caravan – Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol
  7. Perdido – Ervin Drake, H. J. Lengsfelder, Tizol
  8. Never Let Me Go – Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
  9. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? – Billy Austin, Louis Jordan
  10. I’ll Close My Eyes – Buddy Kaye, Billy Reid
  11. Somebody Loves Me – Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Ballard MacDonald

Dinnah Washington: Newport 58

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In July 1958, “EmArcy” label released “Newport ’58”, the ninth Dinnah Washington album. It was recorded in July 1958, at the “Newport Jazz Festival”, in Newport, Rhode Island, and was produced by Jack Tracy.

Personnel:

  • Dinah Washington – vocals, vibraphone
  • Harold Ousley – tenor saxophone
  • Sahib Shihab – baritone saxophone
  • Blue Mitchell – trumpet
  • Melba Liston – trombone, arrangements
  • Urbie Green – trombone
  • Terry Gibbs – vibraphone
  • Don Elliott – vibraphone, mellophone
  • Wynton Kelly – piano
  • Paul West – bass
  • Max Roach – drums

Track listing:

  1. Lover, Come Back to Me – Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II
  2. Backwater Blues – Bessie Smith
  3. Crazy Love – Sammy Cahn, Phil Tuminello
  4. All of Me – Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons
  5. Backstage Blues (instrumental) – Don Elliott, Terry Gibbs, Urbie Green
  6. Julie and Jake (instrumental) – Terry Gibbs

Dinah Washington: For Those In Love

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In June 1955, “EmArcy” label released “For Those in Love”, the seventh Dinah Washington album. It was recorded in March 1955, and was produced by Bob Shad.

Personnel:

  • Dinah Washington – lead vocals
  • Wynton Kelly – piano
  • Barry Galbraith – guitar
  • Paul Quinichette – tenor saxophone
  • Cecil Payne – baritone saxophone
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
  • Keter Betts – bass
  • Jimmy Cobb – drums

Track listing:

  1. I Get a Kick Out of You – Cole Porter
  2. Blue Gardenia – Lester Lee, Bob Russell
  3. Easy Living – Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin
  4. You Don’t Know What Love Is – Don Raye, Gene de Paul
  5. This Can’t Be Love – Rodgers and Hart
  6. My Old Flame – Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston
  7. I Could Write a Book – Rodgers and Hart
  8. Make the Man Love Me – Dorothy Fields, Arthur Schwartz

Dinah Washington: Back to the Blues

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In February 1963, “Roulette” label released “Back to the Blues”, the fifteenth Dinah Washington studio album. It was recorded in 1962, and was produced by Henry Glover.

Personnel:

  • Dinah Washington – vocals
  • Billy Butler – guitar
  • Eddie Chamblee – tenor saxophone
  • Illinois Jacquet – tenor saxophone
  • Fred Norman – arranger
  • Howard Nostrand – illustration
  • Moskof-Morrison Inc. – design

Track listing:

  1. The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ but a Woman Cryin’ for Her Man – J. Mayo Williams
  2. Romance in the Dark – Lil Green
  3. You’ve Been a Good Old Wagon – Perry Bradford
  4. Let Me Be the First to Know – Leroy Kirkland, Dinah Washington, P. Woods
  5. How Long, How Long Blues – Leroy Carr
  6. Don’t Come Running Back to Me – Johnson, Dinah Washington, P. Woods
  7. It’s a Mean Old Man’s World – Leroy Kirkland, Dinah Washington
  8. Key to the Highway – Big Bill Broonzy, Charlie Segar
  9. If I Never Get to Heaven – Napp, Dinah Washington
  10. Duck Before You Drown – Napp, Dinah Washington
  11. No Hard Feelings – Jacobs, Al Roberts
  12. Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning – Pearl Delaney, Tom Delaney

Dinah Washington: Dinah Jams

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In February 1955, “EmArcy” label released “Dinah Jams”, the second Dinah Washington studio album. It was recorded in August 1954, and was produced by Bob Shad.

Personnel:

  • Dinah Washington – vocals
  • Clifford Brown – trumpet
  • Maynard Ferguson – trumpet
  • Clark Terry – trumpet
  • Herb Geller – alto saxophone
  • Harold Land – tenor saxophone
  • Richie Powell – piano
  • Junior Mance – piano
  • George Morrow – double bass
  • Keter Betts – double bass
  • Max Roach – drums

Track listing:

  1. Lover, Come Back to Me – Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg
  2. Alone Together – Arthur Schwartz
  3. Summertime – George Gershwin
  4. Come Rain or Come Shine – Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
  5. No More – Tutti Camarata, Bob Russell
  6. I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Cole Porter
  7. There Is No Greater Love – Isham Jones, Marty Symes
  8. You Go to My Head – John Frederick, Havem Gillespie

Junior Mance

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On January 16, 2021, Julian Clifford Mance, Jr. aka Junior Mance died aged 92. He was musician (piano) and composer, one of the main figures of the Hard bop jazz scene. He recorded and performed with some of the biggest names of jazz, blues and soul music including Gene Amons, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Wynton Kelly, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Nat Adderley, Joe Gordon, Bennie Green, Al Grey, Ernie Andrews, Johnny Griffin, Art Blakey, Cliford Brown, Benny Carter, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Cleveland, Arnett Cobb, Red Holloway, Jose James, Ray Crawford, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Eddie Jefferson, Aretha Franklin, Etta Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Irene Kral, Jay Leonhart, Les McCann, Paul Gonsalves, Howard McGhee, The Metronomes, Virgil Gonsalves, James Moody, Wild Bill Moore, Barbara Morrison, Sandy Mosse, Leo Parker, Ken Peplowski, Billie Poole, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Alvin Queen, Jimmy Scott, Arnold Sterling, Sonny Stitt, Clark Terry, Frank Vignola, Wilbur Ware, Ben Webster, Joe Williams, Marion Williams, and Leo Wright. As leader, Monce released 56 albums (live and studio). In 2007, Mance and his wife Gloria started their own record label “JunGlo”.

Dinah Washington

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On December 14, 1963, Ruth Lee Jones aka Dinah Washington died aged 39. She was musician (piano) and singer, known as the “the most popular black female recording artist of the ’50s”, and “Queen of the Blues”. Her music was mixture of R&B, and traditional pop, but she was primarily a Jazz singer. She performed and recorded with Fats Waller, Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, Ben Webster, Lionel Hampton, and Nat King Cole. In 1986, Washington was inducted in the “Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame”, and in 1993 was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”. In 1959, she won “Grammy Award” for “Best Rhythm & Blues Performance”. As a leader Washington released 17 albums.

Wilbur Cobb

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On May 24, 2020, Wilbur James Cobb died aged 91. He was musician (drums), one of the most influential and respected drummers in Jazz music. He has recorded and performed with many musicians including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Dinah Washington, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Wynton Kelly, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Art Pepper, Gil Evans, Paul Chambers, Kenny Burrell, J. J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Phil Upchurch, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Fathead Newman, Geri Allen, Earl Bostic, Leo Parker, Charlie Rouse, Ernie Royal, Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Timmons, Walter Booker, Jerome Richardson, Joey DeFrancesco, Keter Betts, Jimmy Cleveland, Sam Jones, Red Garland, Joe Henderson, Eddie Gómez, Bill Evans, Jeremy Steig, Richard Wyands, Peter Bernstein, Walter Bishop, Jr., Richie Cole, Nancy Wilson, Ricky Ford, David Amram, Donald Byrd, Kenny Barron and Toshiko Akiyoshi. Cobb recorded 17 albums as a leader.

Cannonball Adderley

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On August 8, 1975, Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley died aged 46. He was musician (alto saxophonist), active at the hard bop era of the 50s and 60s, has performed and recorded with some of the most important names of jazz music, including: Kenny Clarke, Nat Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, Louis Smith, Gil Evans, John Benson Brooks, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Heath. Sam Jones, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, Gene Ammons, David Axelrod and Raul de Souza. Adderley achieved success with 1966 single “Mercy Mercy Mercy”, a crossover hit on the pop charts and was member of the “dream team” on the Miles Davis essential album Kind of Blue.

Charles Mingus

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On January 5, 1977, Charles Mingus Jr. Died aged 57. He was musician (bass), composer and bandleader, regarded as one of the most creative and influential Jazz artists of all times.

For his work and contribution to the modern music, Mingus has received many awards including:

  • “Guggenheim Fellowship” (1971).
  • Inducted in the “Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame” (1971).
  • “National Endowment for the Arts” provided grants for a Mingus nonprofit called “Let My Children Hear Music” which cataloged all of Mingus’s works (1988)
  • “The Library of Congress” acquired Mingus’s collected papers in what they described as “the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library’s history.(1993)]
  • “The United States Postal Service” issued a stamp in his honor (1995).
  • Posthumously awarded the “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” (1997)
  • Album “Mingus Dynasty”(1959) inducted in the “Grammy Hall of Fame” (1999)
  • Inducted in the “Jazz at Lincoln Center”, Nesuhi Ertegun “Jazz Hall of Fame” (2005)

Mingus has recorded and performed with some of the most important musicians of the modern music, including: Illinois Jacquet, Dinah Washington, Wilbert Baranco, Ivie Anderson, Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo, Billy Taylor, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach,  Bud Powell, Paul Bley, Teo Macero, Oscar Pettiford,  Ada Moore,  Charlie Parker, J.J. Johnson, Hazel Scott, John Mehegan,  Thad Jones, John Dennis, Ralph Sharon, Miles Davis, Teddy Charles, The Metronome All-Stars, Jimmy Knepper, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Eric Dolphy.