Personnel:
Rose Hardaway, Ada Lee (vcl), Sammy Lowe, Dick Hyman (arr, cond), Jerome Richardson (fl, as, bs), Joe Puma (g), Milt Hinton (b), Bobby Rosengarden (d)
Reference: FSR V120 CD
Bar code: 8427328641203
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The Best Voices Time Forgot
Collectible Albums by Top Female Vocalists
· Collector's Edition
· 2 Original LPs on 1 CD
· Original Cover Art, Liner Notes
· Complete Personnel Details
· Stereo/Mono Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit
It's Time for Rose Hardaway
Born in Arkansas in 1931 and raised in Chicago, Rose Hardaway became a well-known shake dancer in ‘elite black entertainment’, traveling to New York, Paris and London. By the mid ‘50s she had grown tired of dancing, and made the transition to singing. Her exciting voice became an overnight sensation after she appeared on various network TV shows. Singing with deep feeling and sincerity, with a distinctive vocal quality and emphasis on personality, Miss Hardaway left us a memorable performance in her only album —IT’S TIME FOR ROSE HARDAWAY. She brought her rich, earthy voice to a group of standards and lesser known oldies, revealing herself as a fine, swinging performer, while in ballads, she delivers each lyric with sensitivity and a warm tone that blends beautifully with the orchestra arranged and conducted by her coach, Sammy Lowe.
Ada Lee Comes On!
Ada Lee was born in Springfield, Ohio where she grew in a musical family. Her real “discovery” came in 1960 when George Wein, organizer of —among others— the Newport jazz festival, heard her in Buffalo. He not only booked her for the Buffalo Jazz Festival that year, but he also became her personal manager. A year later she made her debut on record with the album ADA LEE COMES ON!, under the musical direction of the versatile and talented composer-arranger Dick Hyman. The material Ada chose was as moving as her voice and interpretation. Of the sessions, she said, “we sure had a lot of fun. It was like those old time after-hours jam sessions. The musicians enjoyed my letting my hair down.” That much is clear from the spontaneous feeling of this impressive set of recordings that launched Ada Lee’s career off to a beautiful start.
"I have given up trying to figure out how Fresh Sound Records finds these obscure vocalists that are simply amazing. This last batch might be the best of all; no one is scraping the bottom of the barrel here. On the contrary!
Chicago-born Rose Hardaway put out one album, and it is a swinging beauty as she fronts a 1959-60 orchestra arranged and conducted by Sammy Lowe. She’s got a hint of Dinah Washington’s sass and Eartha Kitt purr on as she sways on the saxy and sexy “Please Send Me Someone To Love” and slinks on “Just For A Thrill”. With flutes she swings easy on the suave “It Had To Be You” and agonizes out a howl on “How Long, How Long Blues”. Some bonus tracks include a roaring take of Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues” as well as some doo woppers like “That’s What We’re Here For”. Who let her off her leash?
Ada Lee honed her skills with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton before putting out this classy album arranged by pianist Dick Hyman. The 1961 sessions include all stars Milt Hinton-George Duvivier/b, Joe Puma/g and Jerome Richardson/wwinds along with a string section and chorus. Her voice is bright and clear, sweet toned with strings on a soulful “Romance In the Dark” and swooning with Hyman’s harpsichord during “I’ll Never Smile Again”. The material can be poppishly geared to the white middle class as on the clever “Something Is Missing” or deep and bluesy on Jimmy Witherspoon’s “Rain Is Such a Lonesome Sound”. Like Hardaway, she delves into the Hard Bop songbook and gives a gospel feel to the classic “Moanin’”. Definitely worth a number of listens."
George W. Harris (February 10, 2020)
http://www.jazzweekly.com/
