Although Ernestine Anderson had toured with moderate success in the bands of Russell Jacquet, Johnny Otis, and Lionel Hampton, and had been heard very briefly on a Gigi Gryce LP, she was more or less an unknown in the States until, in the spring of 1956, the Swedish trumpeter Rolf Ericson asked her to join a combo he was taking over to tour Scandinavia. With them were Cecil Payne, Duke Jordan, John Simmons, and Art Taylor.
Ernestines debut was a musical landmark. She was an overnight sensation, and soon she recorded a 7 EP accompanied by Duke Jordans trio. When the tour was over she decided to stay three more months, making several recordings, in which arranger and conductor Harry Arnold used a great variety of backgrounds that deftly enhance Ernestines fascinating voice. Ernestine presents Love for Sale, Ill Wind, My Man, and other evergreens in a torchy repertoire never before treated so knowingly. Full and expressive, her voice is an instrument that creates truly inspirational music.
Tracklist
Total time: 51:04 min.
01. Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (Hanley) 3:22
02. Mad About The Boy (Coward) 3:22
03. Did I Remember? (Donaldson-Adamson) 3:11
04. Day Dream (Ellington-Strayhorn-Latouche) 3:13
05. Our Love Is Here To Stay (Gershwin-Gershwin) 3:13
06. Experiment (Porter) 3:23
07. That Old Feeling (Fain-Brown) 2:24
08. The Song Is Ended (Berlin) 2:45
09. Supper Time (Berlin) 2:45
10. Love For Sale (Porter) 2:10
11. Autumn In New York (Duke) 3:24
12. You Go To My Head (Coots-Gillespie) 3:24
13. My Man (Yvain-Pollock) 2:38
14. Looking For A Boy (Gershwin-Gershwin) 2:38
15. Ill Wind (Arlen-Koehler) 3:06
16. Little Girl Blue (Rodgers-Hart) 3:15
17. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (Moll-Koehler-Barris) 2:58
Album details
Sources:
Tracks #1,5,9,12 & 14, from the Swedish EP "Ernestine Anderson" (Metronome MEP 190)
Remaining tracks from the album "It's Time For Ernestine" (Metronome MLP15015)
Released in the US as "Hot Cargo" (Mercury MG20354)
Tracks #4,6,7 & 8, also from the Swedish EP "Voice in Satin" (Metronome MEP 228)
Ernestine Anderson sings in all tracks backed by
Tracks #1,5,9 & 14: Duke Jordan (p), John Simmons (b), Art Taylor (d).
Recorded in Stockholm, June 1, 1956
Track #12: Rolf Ericson (tp), Cecil Payne (bs), Duke Jordan (b), John Simmons (b), Art Taylor (d).
Recorded in Sundsvall, June 21, 1956
Track #16: Ulf Wesslen (p).
Recorded in Stockholm, November 16, 1956
Tracks #2,7 & 17: Thore Swanerud (p), Georg Riedel (b), Egil Johansen (d).
Recorded in Stockholm, November 16, 1956
Harry Arnold and His Orchestra
Tracks #3 & 13: Sixteen Eriksson, Weine Renliden, Bengt-Arne Wallin, Benny Bailey (tp), Arne Domnerus (cl, as), Ake Persson, Georg Vernon, Andreas Skjold, Goran Ohlsson (tb), Arne Domnerus Rolf Lindell (as), Carl-Henrik Norin, Bjarne Nerem (ts), Lennart Jansson (cl, bs), Rolf Larsson (p), Bengt Hogberg (g), Georg Riedel (b), Egil Johansen (d).
Recorded in Stockholm, October 25, 1956
Tracks #4,8,10 & 15: Bengt-Arne Wallin (tp), Arne Domnerus (cl, as), Rolf Blomquist (ts), Thore Swanerud (p), Georg Riedel (b), Ed Johansen (d).
Recorded in Stockholm, November 19, 1956
Tracks #6 & 19: Rolf Blomquist (ts), Thore Swanerud (p), Georg Riedel (b), Egil Johansen (d). Plus 9-piece string section.
Recorded in Stockholm, November 19, 1956
Album sessions produced by Börje Ekberg
Engineers: Gösta Wiholm & Bengt Runsten
Cover photo by Bengt H. Malmqvist
Produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas S.L.Press reviews
"In these 1956 sessions, Andersons early singing has lost none of its naturalness, musicality or appeal. Her accompaniments by Harry Arnolds big band and Duke Jordans trio sound equally fresh. I wrote earlier that this was one of the best vocal albums of the 1950s. I am revising that assessment. It is one of the best vocal recordings of the last half of the twentieth century. Swedens Metronome label originally released this perennially new collection as 'Its Time For Ernestine.' Mercury issued the LP in the US two years later and called it 'Hot Cargo,' despite the disapproval of its producer, Börje Ekberg, and Anderson. Whatever the title, it is still time for Ernestine."
Doug Ramsey (December 12, 2008)
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