VI Redd - Bird Call (1962/2019)

Vi Redd is best known as a Charlie Parker-influenced alto saxophonist, though she also sings on the 1962 Bird Call studio sessions. She leads an excellent band that includes pianist Russ Freeman, either Leroy Vinnegar or Bob Whitlock on bass, guitarist Herb Ellis, trumpeter Carmell Jones, vibraphonist Roy Ayers (before his defection to lightweight smooth jazz), and her then-husband, Richie Goldberg, on drums. Redd is more impressive as a player than a singer. She is at her best on standards like "All the Things You Are" and "Old Folks." It's little surprise that producer Leonard Feather induced her to record a couple of his mediocre songs (as well as updating the lyrics to "Anthropology" with little success), as he was notorious for pushing his work on artists, particularly when he was in charge of the date. Originally released by United Artists, this album was briefly available as a Solid State LP before it once again lapsed from print. Either version should be considered difficult to find.