Dinah Washington - In Love (Remastered Edition) (2024) [Hi-Res]

Vocal tour de force Dinah Washington headlines this week with her 1955 release For Those In Love. This album is unique amongst Dinah’s offering from that period, with the singer opting to work alongside a smaller combo as opposed to a larger jazz orchestra. This album also saw Washington team up with arranger Quincy Jones – who she used on subsequent releases; plus her long-time collaborators Clark Terry and Wynton Kelly are also featured as sidemen and soloists.
Why you’ll love it…“Dubbed the Queen of the Blues and the Queen of the Jukeboxes — titles Dinah Washington used herself — she nevertheless resisted genre orthodoxy, and was clearly resentful whenever she was asked to explain or categorize her vast catalog.
And yet, her omnivorousness has made consolidating her legacy a knottier task than most are willing to take on. Compared to Billie and Ella — inarguably her peers — Washington’s reach was broader, more challenging to sort into canons and best-of lists. Pop and blues and big band singles were recorded and released without an easily traced chronology or progressive narrative. The Queen could do it all, so why wouldn’t she?”