Don't Forget the Queen of the Blues and Jazz and more

How can there be people who do not own these recordings. How can people live without Dinah. She was special. From the first blues sides she cut with the men from Hamp's band in the forties, to her last effort, there is a deeply African American blues and church based depth to her, but something personal, so totally real, so totally of her own,bitter sometimes, sweet rarely, moving always to her singing.

In these recordings we see a great range of Dinah. She's doing R & B (TV is the thing this year), Torch songs, she singing Jazz and even playing vibes with ace Jazz Musicians, she is cutting through oceans of strings on What a Difference a Day Makes, she is all over. There are so many shining gems on this record, there is so much lost that music is so categorized that you cannot have a Diva like Dinah today who the Jazzbos call their own, whom the blues singers must tip their hats to, who provides the slow song to make your move for the dancers, and who is a star even for the squares listening to MOR--does that exist any more middle of the road radio?

I'm convinced that when John Hammond first produced Aretha Franklin as a Jazz-Blues artist before Jerry Wexler took her to soul, that Hammond thought he was trying to create a Dinah Washington.

I do not think a single artist has come along since she left us to fill those voids. No one with all that soul!

Dynamite Dinah

This was one of two Dinah Washington's CD's I recently acquired, having not even heard her sing before! I figured I'd give her a try since I love the likes of and listen almost constantly to one version or another of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Dionne Warwick, and Diana Ross. All these Black Beauties, including the new-to-only-me Dinah, have just marvelous voices, fantastic lyrics, and are wonderful, uplifting, and soothing to listen to. Never depressing. Music is rarely made today like the likes of this.

Dinah's "First Issue" is very well-rounded music. With this two-CD set, I simultaneously purchased "The Essential Dinah Washington." I don't find "The Essential Dinah Washington" repetitive of "Dinah Washington First Issue." In fact, I think they're a great complement to one another. I pop in all three CDs and hit "repeat all discs" and go literally all day! It really is wonderful. (I think even my cats have them memorized!) But really, with a snazzy jazzy beat and lyrics like "Fat Daddy, bring it on home to me," how can you resist this???

And there's the little bonus fun for we philatelists who also have collected the US stamp pictured on this fine CD. Sophisticated music, really wonderful, highly recommended for the good life. Don't forget to check out all the other girls I mentioned above, particularly "Natalie Cole Unforgettable...With Love" to experience an updated yet continuing tradition of Black Beauty vocalists.

PS Dionne Warwick "Reservations for Two" is wonderful too, but last time I checked was not available on CD. I'm slowly wearing out my cassette tape.

Good sampler of the "Queen of the Blues."

This 2-CD set is about as good an intro to "Miss D" as you'll find. I still have some bones to pick with it, however. Those bones come mainly in the form of the last eight songs on the second disc. They were recorded with ghastly orchestras and choirs which sound horrifyingly dated. To think that these were her biggest hits (gasp!). Anyway, the rest of the collection is first-rate. It starts off with her early jump blues sides and continues through to some fine songs that are pure jazz. It includes covers of her idols, Billie Holiday ("Crazy He Calls Me") and Bessie Smith ("Back Water Blues"), as well as fine interpretations of jazz and pop standards, and even a reworking of a country song ("I Don't Hurt Anymore"). After listening to this, it's not hard to see where Aretha Franklin got her inspiration from. Fantastic stuff!