Dinah Washington - Dinah Jams

The casual setting of this one-day live session produced an uncompromisingly fiery album, here happily augmented by three bonus tracks. Washington rips, roars, and caresses her material, sometimes all at once, while leaving plenty of room for the likes of Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, and Max Roach to shine. The highlight is a "You Go to My Head" that's the very definition of the phrase "a summer with a thousand Julys." --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

The Best Of "The Queen"

I made a list of the greatest jazz singers while rating another jazz vocal LP and mentioned Billie,Ella,Sarah Vaughn,and Betty Carter because they represented the quintessential singers of the swing,be-bop,and modern era's better than any one else (being in order Billie for swing,Sassy for Be-Bop,and Betty Carter for modern jazz while Ella just floats out there as sui genres and timeless).But I was mortified after that I did not include Dinah Washington who could be said to incorporate in her sound all the era's up to the era.But it was her blues infection and sense of swing that got her the nickname" The Queen".The "Swinging Miss D" had many great LP's but most of them are early on during her Emarcy period.This was not only her youthful talent but the care that the label put into Lp's like "Sings Bessie Smith" or "The Swinging Miss D" had exceptional bands and instead of pairing their singers with tenor saxophone players they had mid sized bands fronted by trumpet players.I think it is no coincidence that the best Washington,Sarah Vaughn,and Helen Merill LP's were with the great Clifford brown leading the pack (go to allmusic guide dot com and check the credits for this LP-it's amazing) but if Brownie wasn't there then they'd pull in Art Farmer,Maynard Ferguson,Clark Terry (the latter two are on this LP!!!) or some other trumpet ace.This is her best IMHO but check out rest of Emarcy catalogue for her best work.She truly was royalty at her peak.
Cheers
Chazz December 22, 2008

Now this is what I call a JAM SESSION!!!

When you open up the CD and you see the picture of all of those legends playing together in this incredible 1954 session, as a jazz fan it's hard not to be overwhelmed. For let's see... you've not only got the fabulous Miss D, but add into the mix Brownie, Clark Terry & Maynard Ferguson as your trumpet trio, Herb Geller on alto sax with the very underated Harold Land on tenor, Richie Powell & Junior Mance on piano, George Morrow and Keeter Betts on bass, and of course Brownie's right hand man, Max Roach on drums. Now you tell me, as a fan of jazz, what more do you need to be motivated to make this purchase? This is one of the most memorable jam sessions ever in the history of jazz music.

I've listened to this CD over and over and over again. It's one of my favorite jazz vocal recordings and one of the first jazz albums I ever purchased. What makes Dinah unique is the feeling and emotion she brings to each piece as if this is the last song she will ever sing and you need to remember every word that comes out of her soulful, bluesy, fervent voice. Just listen to her rendition of "Crazy He Calls Me" and tell me she isn't 100% absorbed in every syllable. However, the whole album is like that and the cats behind her are just as impassioned. Every solo is a standout, every jam spectacular and special.

If there was a Hall-of-Fame for jazz recordings, this one easily is a first ballot inductee! July 28, 2007

Uneven jammin' with Dinah

Yes, Dinah is a great mystery to jazz fans: such a talent who spent so little time singing jazz. Also: at times she sounds like a natural born jazz singer - listen to "I've got you under my skin" or deceivebly simple (and loud) rendition of "Come rain or come shine" - and at times she just crosses over to the sweet side, even when the musicians give the best in the dirrection of hot or (hot)modern jazz...

This CD is, to put it simply, uneven; at times it is brilliant, with some great instrumental performances (Clark Terry is my favorite artist here), at times it is not swinging enough and the musicians (particularly Dinah and the saxes ramble away from the center of the performance....)---

When she is good she is great, when not, well, she is not a jazz singer. All in all, there are still more than enough high points to deserve four stars, particularly because the low points are not all that low (particularly when compared to some of the contemporary "divas" who try to pass as, among other things, jazz singers...) December 20, 2006

The Female Sinatra: ADORE ADORE ADORE ADORE

Did I mention I ADORE this album? The female Sinatra, that's Dinah. I can't understand why she doesn't get the airplay of her other jazz diva sisters. Where Ella is mellow and Billie is blue, Dinah is crystalline and insistent without sacrificing soul. If Ella is a sax, Dinah is a trumpet.

Speaking of which, Clifford Brown's rendition of Summertime is the absolute best ever trumpet solo. Ever. EVER.

Then there is the rocking fantastickness of everyone else. This whole album rolls and tumbles and scurries and and jives flows and lights you up inside. Listen to this and you will never want to commit suicide. August 30, 2006

not dinah

I bought this CD because I love Dinah Washington. Most of the CD is wonderful. But two of the cuts don't have Dinah singing at all. They are fine tunes, I suppose, but they are not what I thought I was purchasing. I wanted Dinah Washington, not some other musicians jamming. I feel I was mislead, and ripped off. October 23, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...