- When You Return
- If
- Bring Back the Thrill
- Stardust
- I Wanna Be Loved
- Here Comes the Blues
- I Left My Hat in Haiti
- I’m Yours to Command
- What Will I Tell My Heart?
- I’m a Fool to Want You
- Love Me
- Once
- Be Fair
- Pandora
- Wonder Why
- Enchanted Land
- I’ve Got My Mind on You
- Strange Sensation
- Because You’re Mine
- Until Eternity
These recordings were made in the period 1950 to
1952 and find Mr B in the company of several different Bandleaders
and Musical Directors. They were not just any Bandleaders and Musical
directors, the names of Pete Rugolo, Woody Herman, Nelson Riddle,
Russ Case and Buddy Baker show that by this time in his career he
could command the best.
Billy Eckstine had a unique voice and style of vocal
delivery, imitated by many people, but all pale shadows of the original
rich baritone voice that was his trademark. As a jazz person it always
seems a shame to me that a man who also played guitar, trumpet and
trombone brought so little of his jazz background to his commercial
presentation. His big band of 1944 was short lived, but one of the
most influential big bands of all time. It nurtured the talents of
Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Ammons, Art Blakey, Miles Davis,
Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro and Lucky Thompson to say nothing of vocalists
Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horne.
The performances here are immaculate, as you would
expect from a combination of a superb singer and the very best arrangers
of the day, using the pick of studio musicians. Unfortunately the
lack of jazz content in it makes everything sound similar
and whilst Joe Williams was probably a lesser vocal
talent he never forgot to swing, it is disappointing that I can’t
say the same for Billy Eckstine.
If you are an Eckstine fan this is an excellent sample
of his work of the period, if you are a fan of jazz vocals, there
is not much here for you.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
NAXOS
JAZZ LEGENDS 8.120687 
