Fats Waller "The Centennial Collection" (BMG/RCA Victor, 2004)
Pianist-singer Fats Waller was one of the great performers of the Great Depression era, embuing countless recordings with his playful wit and lively, cheerful humor... There are about a bazillion collections of his work out there -- definitives, ultimates, greatests and anthologies galore -- but what this tasty collection has to off that others do not is a tasty bonus DVD disc of vintage film material, presenting Waller at his finest. Taken largely from short, one-reeler films, these archival clips show Waller at work in his milieu; some may find the eye-rolling and big-grinnin' depictations of African-American juke-joints and house parties to be offensive, but Waller was a transcendant showman who took these images to a level far above stereotypes, and into the realm of immortal art. I think most fans will simply revel in the chance to see Fats in the flesh, as it were, and while there are only a handful of video clips on this disc, they are really, really cool to watch. The music CD is awesome as well... although many fans may find that one CD's worth of Waller's music just ain't enough. Good thing all those bazillions of other CDs are out there as well. But if you want a good starting point, this collection is highly recommended. (By the way, here's a link to a great Fats Waller website that you might want to check out as well...)
Dinah Washington "A Slick Chick On The Mellow Side: The Rhythm & Blues Years" (Polygram Classics, 1983)
Best known as a swanky pop singer, Dinah Washington was sort of an old-school R&B equivalent to Patsy Cline's as a honkytonker... pretty slick, but completely compelling. There are multi-CD retrospectives which trace her progress from a bluesy jazz singer to a pop diva, and those collections have their charms. This double LP set is pure gold, though -- Washington's best R&B material from the '40s and early '50s, playing with hotshot bands led by Lionel Hampton, Cootie Williams and Tab Hunter, as well as swinging jazzcats such as Wynton Kelly, Ben Webster and Wardell Gray. Hard to go wrong here! Dinah gets down and dirty, yet also proves herself a classy dame. Highly recommended!
Dinah Washington "20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection" (Universal/Hip-O, 2002)
Kind of a no-nonsense, bare-bones hits package, including her biggest hit, "What A Difference A Day Makes," along with similarly swank, pop-oriented material such as "Unforgettable," "Baby, You've Got What It Takes" and "Baby, Get Lost." Sure, there's plenty more Dinah Washington worth checking out, but for a quick, inexpensive look at her best known stuff, this overview of her later years is pretty darn efficient.
Helen Ward "The Complete Helen Ward On Columbia" (Collector's Choice, 2000)
During Benny Goodman's early years as a king of swing, New York native Helen Ward was his featured female vocalist. Ward brought a peculiarly All-American girl-next-door charm to her performances, as well as a fairly choppy, undisciplined style that's almost unimaginable in our modern era of computer-perfected pop. Her career was choppy as well: as Goodman's star really began to rise, Ward retired from show biz in 1939, apparently at the insistence of her first husband. She recorded sporadically thereafter, mainly for the Columbia label, which is where she and Goodman first met... This 2-CD set collects all of her Columbia recordings, from a handful of 1935 78s cut with Benny Goodman (before the band moved to the Victor label...) to the '50s reunion of Goodman's big band, and several appealling one-off appearances made in the early years of WWII. Ward's singing style changed subtly in the late 1930s, and jazz diva Billie Holiday seems to have been a clear influence, bringing a broader, more languid approach to the melody. Ward returned to this relaxed, melodic approach later on, as heard on the long out-of-print Percy Faith LP from 1953 that closes out this collection. Arguably, Ward was better suited to this crooning style than to the bouncy, rhythm-oriented numbers that fill these discs, but throughout she has an undeniable charm, as she cruises through the hits of the day. Nice stuff.
Ethel Waters "The Incomparable Ethel Waters" (Sony Legacy, 2003)
This volume, gathering music from the years of Water's greatest commercial success, features her working with some of the top talent of the day, from Duke Ellington and Bunny Berigan to up-and-coming white swingsters like Benny Goodman and the Dorsey Brothers (who were still working mainly as session players...) Although she hits some sweet grooves on several songs, for the most part Waters sounds mannered and intentionally camp on most tracks, with plenty of odd vocal swoops and exaggerated, haughty-taughty enunciation. She covers a lot of great songs of the day, such as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Stormy Weather" and an early version of "Heat Wave." But generally speaking, she doesn't exactly cut loose on the material the way other singers would. Humorous classy/crude contrasts were her schtick, but sound pretty dated now. Unless you're in the mood for kitschy, antiquated performances and old-fashioned Gramophone ambience, this disc may be slightly harder to get into. Her jibes at Mae West in the break of "Come Up And See Me Sometime" are pretty funny, though.
Ethel Waters "1921-1923" (Classics, 1998)
Ethel Waters "1923-1925" (Classics, 1998)
Ethel Waters "1925-1926" (Classics, 1998)
Ethel Waters "1926-1929" (Classics, 1996)
Waters on the edge of widespread stardom. She takes odd chances on a few songs -- her phrasing on "One Sweet Letter From You" and a couple of other tunes is simply distracting and bizarre, although you get the sense that she was trying to push at the boundaries of her craft, and have to admire her for the attempt. Other songs are closer to her blues roots, and a series of smutty blues sessions recorded with the likes of James P. Johnson and Clarence Williams yield a several gems. Her version of "My Handy Man" is a triumph of the genre, while "Get Up Off Your Knees" is positively scandalous. A few other milder hokum tunes are more reserved, but similarly enjoyable. Recommended!
Ethel Waters "1929-1931" (Classics, 1996)
Ethel Waters "1931-1934" (Classics, 1996)
This volume, gathering music from the years of Water's greatest commercial success, features her working with some of the top talent of the day, from Duke Ellington and Bunny Berigan to up-and-coming white swingsters like Benny Goodman and the Dorsey Brothers (who were still working mainly as session players...) Although she hits some sweet grooves on several songs, for the most part Waters sounds mannered and intentionally camp on most tracks, with plenty of odd vocal swoops and exaggerated, haughty-taughty enunciation. She covers a lot of great songs of the day, such as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "Stormy Weather" and an early version of "Heat Wave." But generally speaking, she doesn't exactly cut loose on the material the way other singers would. Humorous classy/crude contrasts were her schtick, but sound pretty dated now. Unless you're in the mood for kitschy, antiquated performances and old-fashioned Gramophone ambience, this disc may be slightly harder to get into. Her jibes at Mae West in the break of "Come Up And See Me Sometime" are pretty funny, though.
Ethel Waters "1935-1940" (Classics, 1998)
Ethel Waters "1946-1947" (Classics, 2002)
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