Helen Carr - The Complete Bethlehem Collection (1993)

With the exception of one song cut with Charles Mingus in 1946 and two with King Curtis later in the 1950s, this single CD (which consists of Helen Carr's two Bethlehem albums) has the complete output of the talented but short-lived singer who died in 1960 at age 36. Carr's interpretations fall between jazz and middle-of-the-road pop, yet her treatments of the standards consistently swing and uplift the material. On one occasion she is joined by a quintet with husband/pianist Donn Trenner, trumpeter Don Fagerquist and altoist Charlie Mariano, while the other session finds Carr interacting quite winningly with a trio consisting of guitarist Howard Roberts, bassist Red Mitchell and the muted (but fiery) trumpet of Cappy Lewis. Recommended.