VA - Great Vocalists of Jazz & Entertainment [2004] Vol. 11-15 of 20

 

In this collection by the German "History" label, you get nearly 40 hours of digitally remastered original 78s and 45s. The sound quality is truly amazing - the remastering process removes hiss, clicks & pops; optimizes the equalization, and synthesizes stereo. The forty discs in this set are grouped into twenty 2-disc volumes which are dedicated to a vocalist or pair or vocalists.

Volume 11. Dinah Washington — You Can Depend On Me
Volume 12. Mildred Bailey — It Had To Be You
Volume 13. Judy Garland — I’m Nobody’s Baby
Volume 14. Sarah Vaughan — If You Could See Me Now
Volume 15. Dinah Shore — Who’s Sorry Now

Mildred Bailey - The Complete Columbia Recordings (10 CD, 2000/FLAC)

 Indisputably the most complete Mildred Bailey anthology ever released in one package, Mosaic's ten-CD box set contains most if not all of the recordings she made between October 1929 and March 1942. During that span of years (extending from the Wall Street Crash to the first few months of U.S. involvement in the Second World War) she worked with a dizzyingly diverse range of outstanding musicians, cutting her very first sides with guitarist Eddie Lang, then performing with a series of jazz-infused dance bands including Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra and those led by Frankie Trumbauer, the Dorsey Brothers, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Mildred's third husband Red Norvo. Even if she did handle bigoted Tin Pan Alley tunes like "Weekend of a Private Secretary," "Snowball," and "There's a Boy in Harlem," Mildred Bailey was quite at home collaborating with some of the best Afro-American musicians of her generation. These included a group led by bassist John Kirby, trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Buck Clayton, pianists Teddy Wilson and Mary Lou Williams, and saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Herschel Evans, Ben Webster, and Chu Berry. That list barely scratches the surface of the instrumental talent heard on this in-depth survey covering the most important years of Mildred Bailey's recording career. The 214 tracks include more than 30 alternates; those who only want a sequentially presented overview of the master takes should try the Red Norvo and Mildred Bailey portions of the Classics Chronological Series. A versatile vocalist who could croon mellifluously or swing with intestinal fortitude, Mildred Bailey is remembered as one of the great influential jazz and pop vocalists of the 1930s. Released as a limited edition in the year 2000, Mosaic's massive box set was an unprecedented tribute to her artistry. 

Mildred Bailey -Sunday, Monday or Always (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 

An early jazz singer with a sweet voice, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.