Rebecca Kilgore - Harlem Butterfly: A Remembrance Of Maxine Sullivan (2001)

Jazz singer Rebecca Kilgore was an ideal choice for this tribute to the later years of Maxine Sullivan's recording career. Kilgore is a student of the music of her predecessors, and her voice is in many ways similar to Sullivan's. Jazz fans will recall that Sullivan had a two-part career, singing "Loch Lomond" and similar songs with a big band, then dropping out of sight to raise her children and work in health care before re-emerging about 20 years ago to sing an entirely different genre of songs.This CD, issued by George Buck's Audiophile label, features tunes from the latter era, including "Harlem Butterfly," "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," "A Hundred Years From Today," "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye," "As Long As I Live" and "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams." Backed by the wonderful clarinetist Bobby Gordon and his trio of Kilgore-friend Hal Smith on drums and Chris Dawson on piano, Kilgore sings 17 songs (including two versions of "Harlem Butterfly") while providing 72+ minutes of wonderful singing. ~Steve Emerine