Cleo Laine - Jazz (1991)

Cleo Laine has always had a beautiful voice with a very wide range and she sounds her best in jazz settings. Laine isn't that much of a jazz singer herself since she does not improvise (her scatting passages tend to be played in unison with her husband, John Dankworth) but she swings. Jazz is one of her best sets of the '90s, teaming her with five reeds (including Dankworth), guitarist Larry Koonse and one of two rhythm sections. Gerry Mulligan guests on "Walking Shoes" and "Midnight Sun," Clark Terry is exuberant on "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'" and a medium-tempo version of "A Child Is Born," Toots Thielemans is a strong asset on three songs, Jane Ira Bloom co-stars on "I Told You So" and Mark Whitfield is on the two Terry numbers. Throughout, Cleo Laine is heard in prime form, not offering surprises as much as confirmation of her love for jazz. Recommended.

Tracks:

01 Just a Sittin' and a Rockin' (Ellington, Gaines, Strayhorn) 6:37
02 My One and Only Love (Mellin, Wood) 5:53
03 Walking Shoes (Mulligan, Torme, Troup) 3:59
04 I Told You So (Lamont) 6:38
05 It Don't Mean a Thing (If ItAin't Got That Swing) (Ellington, Mills) 4:04
06 Won't You Tell Me Why (Dankworth, Laine) 4:26
07 Bluesette (Gimbel, Thielemans) 4:31
08 Midnight Sun (Burke, Hampton, Mercer) 6:39
09 Oh, Lady Be Good (Gershwin, Gershwin) 3:43
10 St. Louis Blues (Handy) 4:16
11 A Child Is Born (Jones, Wilder) 5:07
12 You Can Always Count on Me (Coleman, Zippel) 5:01

Personnel:

Cleo Laine - vocals
Toots Thielemans - harmonica (#2, 6, 7)
Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone (#3, 8)
Clark Terry - trumpet, flugelhorn (#1, 11)
Larry Koonse, Mark Whitfield - guitar
Ray Loeckle, Jerry Niewood, Gerry Niewood, Roger Rosenberg, John Dankworth - reeds
Jane Ira Bloom - soprano saxophone
John Campbell, John Campbell , Mike Renzi - piano
Jim Zimmerman, Terry Clarke - drums