Big BandThe Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcriptions (#184)
Mosaic Records Limited Edition Box Set
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"The Capitol Transcriptions of Peggy Lee and June Christy are hardly peripheral, but instead some of the essential works by two of the most imposing vocalists in the entire jazz-pop continuum." |
To their legions of their fans our first vocal collection will be extraordinarily welcome. To listeners who know them only for their hit-parade top-charters, it will be an eye-opening surprise.
These 1945 to 1946 recordings for Capitol present these two inimitable singers in carefree and musically compelling settings. Originally recorded for radio station airplay only, these sides were never intended for commercial release. They provided June and Peggy the opportunity to sing the songs they wanted to sing- timeless jazz classics. They are standouts for the repertoire selected, and extraordinarily collectible because they are so rare.
You'll hear Peggy Lee backed by the Frank DeVol orchestra on some tunes, but accompanied on most by an intimate quartet led by her husband, guitarist Dave Barbour. Influenced by both Billie Holiday and Ethel Waters, Peggy made sure you always knew who was singing, with her careful respect for the lyrics and her very distinctive, bluesy, liquid approach to pitch.
June Christy, accompanied by such Kentonites as Ray Wetzel, Kai Winding, Boots Mussulli, Bob Cooper and Shelly Manne, displays a natural, rough-and-tumble coolness. The effect she had on listeners can only be gauged by the numerous tributes to her talent you can read today on web sites devoted to her-many of them recollections of high school and college dates close to fifty years ago when June, in performance, planted lifelong memories.
Twenty-seven selections by June Christy and a whopping seventy-two by Peggy Lee make this a collection to wrap yourself up in and enjoy.
Read More About Peggy Lee:
Transcription Records - Vital Documents of Peggy Lee & June Christy »
Track Listing, Personnel & Recording Dates »
“Let me simply state that this set is about as delightful as hybrid jazz/pop can get. Each singer came into the studios to record work meant only for radio play, never for sale in stores… The happy consequences were threefold: The songs were of a much higher quality than the Hit Parade-targeted dreck the singers' labels put out; the recordings exuded a spontaneity that an afternoon of retakes never allowed; and the singers were preserved forever at a formative moment in their careers.“ - Daniel Okrent, Fortune
- Booklet
- Audio Quality
- Photography
- Sample Session Notes
This booklet includes a comprehensive essay by critic Will Friedwald, author of “Jazz Singing,” “Stardust Memories” and “Sinatra! The Song Is You.” Transcription sessions rarely appear in discographies but we have thoroughly researched all the material included in the set and come up with a complete discography that includes all the recording dates and heretofore unknown personnel.
In the age of microsizing, every Mosaic Records Box Set booklet is still 11 x 11 inches to allow our customers to appreciate all the extras we put into printing them (and for easier reading).
Once we were able to track down the original recording dates for this material, we were able to locate the original 16” lacquers which were in pristine condition and offered up these masters, recorded at Radio Recorders in LA, in beautiful sound.
Photo Copyright © Protected
Peggy Lee
The archives of Michael Ochs and Ray Avery have amassed a treasure trove of ‘40s Los Angeles recording sessions, including a lot of Capitol dates. We were fortunate enough to find many photos from the actual sessions.
May 28, 1946
The third May date consists of four more standards, all superbly sung, and all of which she never re-recorded in any other context. She follows The Way You Look Tonight with another sample from the Jerome Kern-ocopia, Can't Help Loving That Man. Her performance is doubly surprising, since there are comparitively few versions of this Showboat showtune in a jazz context, let alone by two female vocalists for the same concern in the same season. Cole doubles on piano and organ simultaneously on this one - for his solo, he appears to be playing melodic variations with his right hand on the piano and sustaining chords with his left hand on the organ.
The mood is lighter and bouncier on Mean To Me, in spite of the sustained presence of the organ. Cole switches back to piano by the outchorus, on which Lee is especially loose and swinging, even in her pauses - as in "it - must - be," going up on each note, in the final eight. The mood continues on I'm Confessin', which is introduced by Barbour on ringingly-pure acoustic guitar - it's as much a testment to the recording engineer's art as it is to Barbour's. The guitarist, Cole and Lee divide the final chorus three ways, 16, eight and eight, Lee echoing Louis Armstrong's classic version throughout. After a brief piano passage, Lee herself opens this slow, stately Summertime with the first line ad lib, then she goes into the melody from the beginning in a mega-slow tempo. Barbour backs her on the last section ("one of these mornings") with bluesy fills, while Cole alludes to Gershwin's famous countermelody throughout.
Click here to write a review
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A rare treasure |
| This set which is lavishly produced is the best compilation of early Peggy Lee one can imagine. I was surprised to discover how contemporary she sounds. This is a real winner! Thank you, Mosaic , for releasing this wonderful music. | |
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Peggy Lee is so dazzling! |
| The June Christy sides are fine but they suffer in comparison to Peggy Lee. Lee's voice is dazzling! And her backing band is fabulous. I listen to these cuts over and over. Great stuff! | |
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I like this set |
| Not all of this material is extremely memnorable. Never the less, I am very happy with all of the material contained within. The worst of this stuff is excellent. | |
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Songbirds |
| This is great Peggy Lee and uneven June Christy. Some of the Christy is wonderful while some is a young singer sorting things out - interesting in both cases. When Christy is on she's first rate. The Peggy Lee small group back-up with her husband Dave Barbour is especially good. She's relaxed, sexy, and her phrasing and timing are exquisite - the husband/wife rapport is a big plus. Barbour can really play, good solos & comping. Peggy's conceptions of how to approach the songs are assured and precise. Overall, this is the young, fully mature Peggy Lee singing with the greats and a good but not consistent June Christy. All in all, this is a fab set. | |
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Wishbone |
| Oh, Peggy Oh June - I think I'm in love again, but how can I choose?? | |
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amazing Peggy |
| Although I've listened to her much of my life, I had no idea how good she was in the forties. Her diction, phrasing, elegance are superb! June Christy is no slouch, and anyone who loves Something Cool will want this early chapter of her work. | |
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Hear two singers develop! |
| The concept of having June Christy and Peggy Lee on the same album is excellent. I found it amazing how much they sound alike in the early recordings. However, as time passes, each develops her own style. Of course, Peggy went the furthest. Pretty straightforward readings of standards and pop tunes of the era, but most enjoyable. Usual excellent booklet. | |
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swingin on a star or two |
| so long peggy you left us much too soon but isnt that always the case say hello to june and if you would please smile down upon mosaic for bringing your best to us (BL, Tucker, GA) | |
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An Amazing collection |
| Michael Cuscuna's comments in your catalog is right on the mark... 'each sings as if she had nothing to prove'. A long time Peggy Lee fan, I found this as well as your other recordings by accident on Tower Records website (only to discover later that your prices are lower!) and ordered it immediately. I've listened to every track, and am mesmerized by the haunting beauty of Miss Lee's voice, and a new appreciation for June Christy. Truly an amazing collection and I will treasure it forever. The liner book is great also, with wonderful "behind the scenes" information, as well as a wonderful quote from Miss Lee regarding these recordings. Thank you for offering it. | |
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Amazing stuff |
| I can honestly say this has rapidly become one of my favorite Mosaics. I addition to the superb performances by Lee and Christy, what surprised me most was the sidemen and the quality of the material. A terrific all-around set, and a must for fans of vocal Jazz. | |
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Who says you can't fall in love again? |
| As a young teenager growing up in the 40's, I listened to the Capitol recordings of Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, the Four Freshmen and these ladies over and over again...memorizing every word and nuance. I must have worn out the record grooves. I know I wore out my parents' patience by the repeated playings. Now you have given me this great unknown treaure. These recordings transcend the commercial offerings that, at the time, seemed to be so great. Now I realize how often those arrangements failed to showcase the true talent of these two marvelous singers. Along with Anita O'Day, they formed the greatest trio of white female vocalitsts. And I don't say that with any racial implication. It's just that the enduring talents of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald often make us forget that there were these white chicks who held their own with anyone. | |
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These ladies are real swooners! |
| Listening to Peggy Lee and June Christy sing these songs is a thrill. They don't sound like they were recorded in the 1940s, but sound contemporary, upbeat and lively. This is a terrific set, one of my favorite of the many Mosaic sets I own. | |
The Peggy Lee & June Christy Capitol Transcriptions (#184)
Limited Edition: 7500 copies
5 CDs - $80.00
