Personnel:
Lilian Terry (vcl), Oscar Valdambrini, Sergio Fanni (tp), Dino Piana (v-tb), Gianni Basso (ts), Gianni Sanjust (cl), Romano Mussolini, Enrico Intra, George Gruntz (p), Roberto Nicolosi (celeste), Alberto Pizzigoni, Franco Cerri (g), Carlo Loffredo, Franco Pozzi, Giorgio Azzolini, George Joyner, Pallino Salonia (b), Roberto Podio, Gianni Cazzola, Buster Smith, Pupo De Luca (d), Quartetto Radar (vcl)
Reference: FSRCD1164
Bar code: 8427328611640
Lilian Terry (1930–2023) was born in Cairo and raised in Rome. A pioneering jazz singer on Italian television in the 1950s, she recorded actively between 1957 and 1963 with top Italian musicians —Romano Mussolini, Oscar Valdambrini, Gianni Basso, Enrico Intra, Dino Piana, Sergio Fanni— and international artists like George Gruntz, George Joyner, and Buster Smith. She sang jazz standards in English and Italian, always with elegance and emotional depth.
“Lilian Terry sounds the most American of the handful of European singers who have made it in jazz, yet she has the most international background of them all,” said producer George Avakian. Her voice was pretty and expressive, marked by beat, feeling, good intonation, and a flexible, intimate quality that made her unlike anyone else. A tireless jazz promoter, she gradually shifted her focus to organizing events and educational projects aimed at promoting jazz awareness. For all these qualities—and her enduring contributions as a jazz artist—she is rightfully considered Italy’s First Lady of Jazz.
—Jordi Pujol
"Look, since I write for a jazz website, I pride myself on being fairly encyclopedic concerning my knowledge of jazz. So, when Fresh Sound Records releases a handful of female singers that I’ve never even heard of before, it’s quite a humbling experience. This latest release of obscure ladies makes me question not only my general knowledge of jazz vocals, but the whole arc of jazz singing in modern era, as each of these singers have their own unique voice. Sure, there are hints of the Mount Rushmore of Ladies of Song, but the fact that they’ve been overlooked is quite the scandal.
Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Cairo-born and Rome-raised LilianTerry. She flew under my radar as well, but this collection of sessions from the 50s-60s has her surrounded by Italy’s finest jazzers, and she sounds quite unique and impressive. Think if June Christy were Italian, and you get the gist. Her enunciation is perfect, as his her sense of timing, hitting the blue notes well on “I’ve Got It Bad and That AIn’t Good” in a Quintet setting. The trumpet of Oscar Valbanbrini and tenor sax of Gianni Basso give a rich tail wind for Terry on a scintillating “Fever” and sassy “My Heart Belongs To Daddy”, where as the American George Gruntz piano trio gives a darker hue for her to wear elegantly on “Lover Man” and “’Round Midnight”. You get a feel of how she could bop with the best on a festive gig from 1963, as she digs deep on a celebratory “St. Thomas” and lyrically scats to an ultra hip “Tune Up”. Brava ragazza!"
—George W. Harris (September 8, 2025)
https://www.jazzweekly.com/
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"In the late 1950s and ‘60s, Lillian Terry (1930-2023) was considered Italy’s top jazz singer. She sang in English (and occasionally Italian) without an accent, swung, and had a real feeling for the music. While she remained very active behind the scenes as an organizer of concerts and educational projects, a television and radio host, and an interviewer of jazz greats, after 1963 she only recorded three full albums. Those included one apiece with the Tommy Flanagan Trio and Dizzy Gillespie, and she also guested on an album with her son pianist Francesco Crosera who is still quite active.
The Song Is You has most of Lillian Terry’s earliest recordings, dating from 1957-63 and only bypassing four songs. With the exception of four standards sung mostly in Italian (including “One For My Baby”), the vocalist could easily pass for an American West Coast cool jazz singer of the era. Other than bassist George Joyner and drummer Buster Smith who are on one session, all of the supportive musicians are Europeans. These include pianists Enrico Intra, George Gruntz and Romano Mussolini (Benito’s son!), trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini, valve trombonist Dino Piana, and tenor-saxophonist Gianni Basso, each of whom are excellent. Among the highlights are “I’ve Got It Bad,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Too Close For Comfort,” a multi-tempoed version of “The Song Is You,” “’Round Midnight,” and “Tune Up.”
Although it is a pity that Lillian Terry did not record much more in her career, The Song Is You gives today’s listeners a definitive look at how fine a singer she was during her early period."
—Scott Yanow (July, 2025)
Los Angeles Jazz Scene
