Betty Carter, Carmen McRae - The Carmen McRae-Betty Carter Duets (Live at the Great American Music Hall)

Two Divas, Enjoying Each Other's Company

This a late-career (1987) joinder of Betty Carter and Carmen McRae, recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. It's a pairing that could have been a major disappointment. One expects it to be great, until one realizes that the two great jazz divas weren't exactly alike. Carmen McRae was one of the greatest lyrical interpreters, who sang "gr's" and "r's" with the greatest of gusto. Betty Carter was one of the greatest musical improvisors, sounding the closest to instrumentalists (along with Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan) of any jazz singers, singing "ah's" with the greatest of brightness and "oo's" with the greatest of elongation. How would they fit together?

All in all, very well. There are some rough spots when they harmonize or when they sing in unison. Yet, the c.d. works overall because both are in such good spirits. Particularly on "What's New" (where the two acknowledge each other's greatness), "Am I Blue?" (where the two decide, humorously, that they really aren't), "Sophisticated Lady" (Where they realize that dinner with a rich, handsome man isn't the be-all to end-all - only they've known that for a very long time) and "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" (where the "doo-wah's" get ridiculous), the two divas really seem to enjoy each other's company. And, it seems to me that the pairing is especially inspiring to Ms. McRae; she seems to adjust to Ms. Carter even more than vice versa.

It was a wise move to record this album live. Betty Carter always seemed to turn it up a notch with a live audience before her, and this disc is no exception. Ms. McRae's long-time accompanist, Eric Gunnison, and bass, Jim Hughart, and Ms.Carter's long-time drummer, Winard Harper, likewise sound similarly inspired.

My thanks to my friend, Mary Whipple, for bringing my attention to this very noteworthy c.d. RC

June 24, 2008

Two of the great ladies of jazz, relaxed and having fun together.

This unusual CD features the great Betty Carter performing live with the great Carmen McRae, both having fun as they share the spotlight. Betty's voice is higher and sweeter than Carmen's lower, stronger, and more assertive voice, but together they sound like extensions of each other, almost alteregos, as they interact, engage in delightful patter, and joke and obviously mug with the audience. This is a CD for which one yearns for a video, since these two megastars of jazz are so in sync that it's sometimes difficult to tell which one is singing in these unusually long tracks.

In all tracks it is the singers themselves who are the focus. Accompaniment is kept to a minimum--at most, just the piano, bass, and/or drum--and frequently McRae and Carter sound as if they are singing a capella. "Stolen Moments (You Belong to Her)" features wonderful harmony and impeccable timing, as both singers hit their notes exactly on cue. "But Beautiful," slower and more ballad-like, shows both singers alternating the solo line, ending with surprising high notes and perfect harmony. In one of the longest songs, "Am I Blue?" McRae begins with a solo, then turns the mike to Carter halfway through, before they join and swing together for the remainder of this nearly seven-minute track.

One of the best songs on the CD is "Sometimes I'm Happy," which begins with Carter singing to a bass accompaniment (by Jim Hughart), switching to scat and wild improvisation by McRae, and ending with Carter singing scat. In fact, their ability to sing scat together and alternately is one of the best aspects of this CD. In "Isn't It Romantic?" these two stars obviously enjoy harmonizing, which they continue with "Sophisticated Lady," which alternates solos and then combines. The high point of the CD is "It Don't Mean a Thing," however. From the beginning, in which they sing together accompanied by a drum (Wynard Harper), then piano (Eric Gunnison), the two have fun alternating scat turns, before the drum solos, and all go wild.

As McRae and Carter exchange patter and interject comments within their songs, they are obviously playing to their audience, which responds audibly on the recording, one of the great advantages of live performances. Bright, fun, and relaxed, this CD shows two of the great ladies of jazz interacting and sharing the spotlight as the audience roars its approval. Don't miss this one. N Mary Whipple
October 3, 2005

A hellish match made in heaven!

I love Billie. I love Sarah. I love Ella. I love Dinah. But if I were on a desert island, I would have to have the music of Carmen and Betty! They both had the wonderful combination of heart AND technique. They make you live the story within the song as they demonstrate monster creativity in reconstructing/recreating a song. The only song that seems under par is Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments". The pitch strikes me as flat and i suspect that was mostly Betty's problem because she often intentionally or otherwise seemed to have a ptich problem or a different sense of pitch that was right for her. She could really sound flat to my ears from time to time but...
Both women had an exceptional balance of interpretation of musicianship... awesomely so. Listen to Duke Ellingtons' "Sophisticated Lady". Such humor and joy on this set. Listen to the way Carmen sings: "Diamonds Shining...". It is dark and glistening! Listen to Betty's interprtation of "Where or When". Originally this song was performed in a light operatic style. Betty does a Brilliant reconstruction of an this old chestnut.as she takes it to another place of timelessness. She makes it live again. Almost like you are hearing it for the first time.
This is not a "perfect" album. It is magical! It touches in deep places that make you glad you were a live to witness such beauty.
Early on in the set they joke about how nobody imagined that these two could ever get along long enough to do anything together. Carmen asserts that they did it because they were smart as foxes. And they were for awhile. Within two years of doing this recording they were infact in an ugly fued. None the less they left a legacy of beauty and creativity.
Yeah, get this one! April 21, 2004

Two of the Greats!!

Carmen McRae & Betty Carter deliver a great live set of jazz and fun, both ladies giving each other room to shine and both singing together as a duet should be done! not trying to out do each other! i would have loved for them to have recorded more duet lp's, but i'm so glad they gave us this wonderful cd!!! February 7, 2004

I must be missing something

I picked this up at the local used CD store for $1 figuring I'd found a bargain. After a couple listens, I traded it right back to them. I don't know why this CD gets such high ratings, both here and in the jazz guides. The sound is muddied, the singing far from serious, and the banter hard to discern.

It reminds me somewhat of another very overrated CD....Tony Bennett MTV Unplugged.

I don't begrudge either Carmen or Betty their place in jazz history....but this CD is really a poor example of that of which they are capable. March 3, 2002

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