"Girl" singer with King Pleasure

stevebop · February-14th-2005, 09:03 AM

I recently pulled out King Pleasure's recording, originally issued on HI-FI Records in LA in 1960 (reissued in 1992 on QuickSilver). The date has Teddy Edwards and Harold Land, Matthew Gee, Gerald Wiggins, etc
On his re-make of "Moody's Mood" there is an unidentified female vocalist taking the part originally sung by Blossom Dearie. She sounds so familiar to me but I can't place the voice. Does anyone have the answer for me? Please!

Thanks,

Steve Schwartz
Jazz from Studio Four
Friday, 7p-midnight
WGBH, 89.7FM, Boston
www.wgbh.org/jazz

Pete C · February-14th-2005, 10:30 AM

There is a version without Dearie or Carter. I think I queried once because it sounded to me a bit like Sheila Jordan, but I'm pretty sure that was conclusively ruled out.

Jimmy Cantiello · February-14th-2005, 10:38 AM

This is the cd I own that has that song on it. It sounds like Betty Carter to me. If I remember correctly the liner notes say something about not being able to identify the singer on that track because of some kind of contractual thing. I'll have to pull the cd out and see just what it says....

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-14th-2005, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Cantiello

This is the cd I own that has that song on it. It sounds like Betty Carter to me.

The Fantasy site lists Betty Carter on that one. I have a couple of King Pleasure tapes -- I'll see if I can find them.

Jimmy Cantiello · February-14th-2005, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

The Fantasy site lists Betty Carter on that one. I have a couple of King Pleasure tapes -- I'll see if I can find them.

I guess betty Carter can be identified as the singer now that she's no longer with us..............

bluenoter · February-14th-2005, 11:00 AM

This isn't the answer, but it was all I could find:

"Moody's Mood for Love" [transcription of the lyrics]
As recorded by King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks)
Based on James Moody’s rendition of “I’m in the Mood for Love”
Lyrics by Eddie Jefferson, female vocal on different versions by Blossom
Dearie, Betty Carter, Annie Ross and possibly others

This is apparently (per AMG) the album on Quicksilver (i.e., the album that stevebop inquired about), which is also called Moody's Mood for Love:

1 Moody's Mood for Love--Fields, McHugh, Moody
2 Golden Days--King Pleasure
3 The New Symphony Sid--King Pleasure
4 Tomorrow Is Another Day--King Pleasure
5 Don't Worry About Me--Bloom, Koehler
6 No, Not Much--Allen, Stillman
7 Little Boy, Don't Get Scared--King Pleasure
8 All of Me--Marks, Simons
9 Parker's Mood--Parker

Teddy Edwards--Sax (Tenor)
Matthew Gee--Trombone
King Pleasure--Vocals
Harold Land--Sax (Tenor)
Wilfred Middlebrooks--Bass
Earl Palmer--Drums
Gerald Wiggins--Piano

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-14th-2005, 11:10 AM

Those are the identical tracks in different order on one of the tapes I have. Different cover, too -- on KRB(?), 1997.

ZERO liner notes/info! I'll give a listen, as soon as I can find something to play a tape on.

Pete C · February-14th-2005, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

Those are the identical tracks in different order on one of the tapes I have. Different cover, too -- on KRB(?), 1997.

ZERO liner notes/info! I'll give a listen, as soon as I can find something to play a tape on.

I had it years ago on LP on the Everest Records Archive of Folk & Jazz budget series, also no personnel info.

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-14th-2005, 11:55 AM

Just gave a listen. Very nice vocal indeed. I have no idea who that is. Higher-pitched voice than any of the usual suspects.

makpjazz57 · February-14th-2005, 07:47 PM

I decided to give Gerry Wiggins a call and as is the case with musicians of his caliber, having done hundreds of sessions, he doesn't remember who the girl singer was on this session! Nor does the session producer, David Axelrod! Wig's wife, Lynn, is going to give a call to drummer Earl Palmer and see if he can shed some light! Wig did all the arrangements on this LP.

Marla

stevebop · February-14th-2005, 08:46 PM

Marla, you're incredible!
Thank you for taking this on. Let me know what you find out.

All the best

Steve

makpjazz57 · February-14th-2005, 10:26 PM

My pleasure, Steve. Wish I had the answer for you!

Wig doesn't think Earl will remember, but he's happy to ask. I keep thinking 1960 was yesterday and it frightens me to think 1960 was 45 years ago!!!

Drummer Jackie Mills helped Wig purchase his first computer. I was out visiting Wig not too long after the purchase and promised to give him some basic computer lessons. I showed Wig "google.com" by placing Wig's name in the search bar. One of the links was to a CD by the late alto saxophonist, Chris Woods. When we researched further, turns out that Wig was on the Woods recording session, "From Here To Eternity," released on the Black and Blue label with Major Holley and Ed Thigpen. Wig had completely forgotten about that session until that afternoon; didn't have the recording, either. I was able to obtain copies of the CD for him from a record store in England. I'm bringing this up because it still fascinates me that these guys do so many sessions as sidemen that the can lose track of them all. Thank heavens for those jazz fans out there who compile musicians' discographies.

Which leads me to ask...does anyone out there have Tom Lord's discography program?

I did ask Wig if he thought the vocalist might have been Betty Carter and he wasn't sure.

Marla

Capt.W./TX. · February-15th-2005, 09:59 PM

Annie Ross??

stevebop · February-15th-2005, 11:03 PM

Nope, it's not Annie Ross. Not Blossom Dearie and not Betty Carter. It's driving me nuts!

Steve

Squaredancecalling Steve · February-16th-2005, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevebop

not Annie Ross. Not Blossom Dearie and not Betty Carter.

I agree, none of those. Closest I've found was Lorez Alexandria, but her voice is pitched deeper that the one on the record. It's a polished voice, but I'm not sure I know her.

lehinchi666 · February-16th-2005, 12:14 PM

Steve, FWIW, I'd always wondered about who that singer was (Since she didn't really sound quite like any of the singers around.) So when this question last came up on this board, back in 2001, I decided to do a little scouting around to see what I could come up with. (The specific question on the board was whether or not the singer in question was Sheila Jordan.)

When I asked one of my more singer-knowledgable LA friends, she couldn't come up with the answer either, so she went to some of her musician friends who were working in LA around that time and they were pretty sure that the singer on the record was Juanita Cruz (now deceased), who sometimes worked with King Pleasure. I've never come across Ms. Cruz on any other record

(The reason I think that this is a somewhat likely answer, was that the ONLY other reference to an answer to this question I'd come across in print, was in an interview with another LA musician (Roy Porter?) in Cadence, 10 or so years years ago in which he recalled the name of the singer on the King Pleasure record as "...Ronnie de Crue..." that name is close enough (homophonically speaking) to Juanita Cruz to lead me to beleive that they are referring to the same person.)

Leon Harris

Ron Thorne · February-16th-2005, 05:35 PM

One other possibility, though I don't know how any of this can be verified, is Francine Griffin. I know that she sang on gigs with King Pleasure, but couldn't determine for certain whether or not she was ever in a recording studio with him. I somehow doubt it, from what I've gleaned online. Fun doing some research, though.

Here's a very interesting Songbirds interview from 2000.

with King Pleasure

stevebop · February-16th-2005, 09:34 PM

Well, maybe we still do not know who that singer is but you've all sure put out a lot of information. The interview with Francine Griffin is fascinating. Thanks for passing that along. I hope we can keep this thread going long enough to uncover the identity of the singer with K. Pleasure. Thanks for the interest

Steve

Jimmy Cantiello · February-21st-2005, 05:30 AM

I finally pulled out the cd that I mentioned above and the liner notes identified the singer as Blossom Dearie. Anyway, it doesn't matter because rereading Steve's initial post, the album I'm referring to is not the album he's asking about......

Reads too quickley and misses the details,

Jimmy

makpjazz57 · February-21st-2005, 08:03 AM

I'm hitting some brick walls, too. Lynn and Gerry Wiggins have been researching out on the west coast. They were going to contact Wilfred Middlebrooks, however, Lynn Wiggins tells me he had a stroke and is not in the best of health. So, their next contact is drummer Earl Palmer. Verrrrrry interesting...

Marla

steve(thelil) · February-21st-2005, 08:58 AM

Let me throw this wide open by suggesting Hodda Brooks. She was around the scene at the time and was beautiful.

I have no other reason to suggest it was her.