Artist
Carmen Mcrae

Carmen McRae always had a nice voice (if not on the impossible level of an Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan) but it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretations of lyrics that made her most memorable. She studied piano early on and had her first important job singing with Benny Carter's big band (1944), but it would be another decade before her career had really gained much momentum. McRae married and divorced Kenny Clarke in the ' ... 40s, worked with Count Basie (briefly) and Mercer Ellington (1946-1947), and became the intermission singer and pianist at several New York clubs. In 1954 she began to record as a leader' and by then she had absorbed the influences of Billie Holiday and bebop into her own style. McRae would record pretty steadily up to 1989 and, although her voice was higher in the '50s and her phrasing would be even more laid-back in later years, her general style and approach did not change much through the decades. Championed in the '50s by Ralph Gleason, McRae was fairly popular throughout her career. Among her most interesting recording projects were participating in Dave Brubeck's the Real Ambassadors with Louis Armstrong, cutting an album of live duets with Betty Carter, being accompanied by Dave Brubeck and George Shearing, and closing her career with brilliant tributes to Thelonious Monk and Sarah Vaughan. Carmen McRae, who refused to quit smoking, was forced to retire in 1991 due to emphysema. She recorded for many labels including Bethlehem, Decca (1954-1958), Kapp, Columbia, Mainstream, Focus, Atlantic (1967-1970), Black Lion, Groove Merchant, Catalyst, Blue Note, Buddah, Concord, and Novus. See more [+]

Satin Doll |||||

Cigarette holder, which wigs me, Over her shoulder, she digs...

Midnight, The Stars And You |||||

Midnight, with the stars and you; Midnight, and a rendezvous...

Upside Dowh |||||

I said, upside down you're turning me, you're giving love in...

The Folks Who Live On The Hill |||||

Someday, we'll build a home on a hilltop high, you and I, Sh...

The Very Thought Of You |||||

The very thought of you and I forget to do The little ordina...

I Wish I Were In Love Again |||||

The sleepless nights, the daily fights, The quick toboggan w...

Stardust |||||

And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the m...

That Old Black Magic |||||

That old black magic has me in its spell, That old black mag...

Heat Wave |||||

Whenever I'm with him Something inside, starts to burning An...

It Never Entered My Mind |||||

Once I laughed when I heard you saying That I'd be playing s...

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