Beverly Kenney - Five Classic Albums (Remastered) (2023)

AVID Jazz presents the latest release in our Five Classic Album series with a re-mastered 2CD release from Beverly Kenney, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details. "Sings For Johnny Smith"; "Come Swing With Me"; "Sings With Jimmy Jones & The Basie-Ites"; "Sings For Playboys" and "Like Yesterday".

AVID Jazz is proud to feature a wonderful jazz singer who's tragic early death robbed the jazz world of potentially one of it's brightest stars. Beverly Kenney was born in New Jersey in January 1932 and began her musical career touring with The Dorsey Brothers. Later she was to be found singing with the likes of Don Elliott, Kai Winding and George Shearing. Said to sound like Billie Holiday crossed with Anita O'Day, Beverly got her big break when she starred on a bill which included Miles Davis and Art Blakey. She was also gigging with none other than Lester Young at Birdland. Making her debut at the Basin Street Club she was favourably compared to Helen Merrill, Teddi King and Chris Conner by renowned jazz critic Nat Hentoff. Beverly Kenney was clearly forging a successful career in jazz and between 1956-1960 she recorded six albums for two different labels. Five of which we have included in this fine re-mastered set. I'm afraid we will have to leave you to track down her sixth and final album "Born To Be Blue". Known to be often withdrawn, moody and often fearful it was the utmost tragedy that on her third attempt Beverly Kenney took her own life in April 1960. There is still no apparent reason for her devastating action and the case remains a mystery to this day. For this release we have chosen five of Beverly Kenney's six jazz albums to highlight her prodigious talents. Just a look at some of the fine jazz musicians and arrangers on board for these recordings will tell you that Beverly Kenney was considered a serious singer in the jazz world. On these fine albums you will hear the work of musicians and arrangers like Johnny Smith, Ralph Burns, Urbie Green, Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton, Frank Wess, Joe Newman, Jo Jones, Freddie Green, Ellis Larkins, Jerome Richardson, Chuck Wayne and Ed Shaughnessy. As with all AVID releases, we hope you enjoy this classic set and check out our extensive catalogue for more great music across jazz, blues and many other musical genres.

Tracklist
1. The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:04)
2. Tis' Autumn (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:27)
3. Looking for a Boy (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:18)
4. I'll Know My Love (Greensleeves) (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:33)
5. Destination Moon (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:20)
6. Ball and Chain (Sweet Lorraine) (Sings for Johnny Smith) (03:02)
7. Almost Like Being in Love (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:07)
8. Stairway to the Stars (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:45)
9. There Will Never Be Another You (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:11)
10. This Little Town Is Paris (Sings for Johnny Smith) (03:08)
11. Moe's Blues (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:15)
12. Snuggled on Your Shoulder (Sings for Johnny Smith) (02:27)
13. Give Me the Simple Life (Come Swing with Me) (02:19)
14. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry (Come Swing with Me) (02:57)
15. The Trolley Song (Come Swing with Me) (01:52)
16. Violets for Your Furs (Come Swing with Me) (02:53)
17. This Can't Be Love (Come Swing with Me) (01:46)
18. Scarlet Ribbons (Come Swing with Me) (01:55)
19. If I Were a Bell (Come Swing with Me) (02:08)
20. Why Try to Change Me Now (Come Swing with Me) (03:33)
21. Swinging on a Star (Come Swing with Me) (03:01)
22. You Go to My Head (Come Swing with Me) (02:37)
23. It Ain't Necessarily so (Come Swing with Me) (01:31)
24. You Make Me Feel so Young (Come Swing with Me) (02:10)
25. Nobody Else but Me (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (03:16)
26. The More I See You (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (03:01)
27. Old Buttermilk Sky (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:43)
28. I Never Has Seen Snow (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (03:49)
29. A Fine Romance (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:51)
30. Who Cares What People Say (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:33)
31. Makin' Whoopee (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:04)
32. The Charm of You (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:31)
33. Isn't This a Lovely Day (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (03:05)
34. Mairzy Doats (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:47)
35. My Kind of Love (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:26)
36. Can't Get out of This Mood (Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites) (02:47)
37. Do It Again (Sings for Playboys) (02:36)
38. A Woman's Intuition (Sings for Playboys) (03:32)
39. You're My Boy (Sings for Playboys) (02:59)
40. Mama, Do I Gotta? (Sings for Playboys) (02:05)
41. What Is There to Say (Sings for Playboys) (03:55)
42. A Lover Like You (Sings for Playboys) (03:29)
43. A Summer Romance (Sings for Playboys) (03:08)
44. Life Can Be Beautiful (Sings for Playboys) (02:59)
45. It's Magic (Sings for Playboys) (02:29)
46. A - You're Adorable (The Alphabet Song) (Sings for Playboys) (02:31)
47. Try a Little Tenderness (Sings for Playboys) (03:12)
48. It's a Most Unusual Day (Sings for Playboys) (01:48)
49. Undecided (Like Yesterday) (02:14)
50. Sentimental Journey (Like Yesterday) (02:08)
51. I Had the Craziest Dream (Like Yesterday) (02:24)
52. And the Angels Sing (Like Yesterday) (01:46)
53. More Than You Know (Like Yesterday) (02:40)
54. The Dipsy Doodle (Like Yesterday) (01:47)
55. What a Diff'rence a Day Made (Like Yesterday) (02:19)
56. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place (Like Yesterday) (02:04)
57. A Sunday Kind of Love (Like Yesterday) (02:33)
58. Any Old Time (Like Yesterday) (01:37)
59. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (Like Yesterday) (02:21)
60. Tampico (Like Yesterday) (02:01)