This exceptional various artists compilation brings together an exquisite selection of timeless records meticulously remastered for the discerning audiophile. Spanning massive orchestral works, vibrant percussive jazz numbers, elegant mid-century easy listening pieces, and legendary vocal standards, the collection highlights the dynamic range and intricate studio engineering found across these historic recordings. Listeners will find absolute benchmarks of high-fidelity production, including highly regarded readings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner, the sheer rhythmic clarity of Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble, and the lush instrumental depth of Ernest Ansermet directing L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Vocal jazz is intimately represented by Julie London's sultry vocal deliveries, while Lawrence Welk offers breezy orchestral arrangements that define a golden era of pop standards. Every single piece inside this expansive multi-album package has been carefully maintained to ensure the highest degree of sonic resolution, clean separation, and dramatic soundstage depth. From complex classical movements to syncopated modern rhythms, this release serves as an essential sonic reference point for high-end audio enthusiasts universally.

AVID Jazz presents the latest release in our Five Classic Album series with a second re-mastered 2CD release from Julie London, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details. "Lonely Girl"; "Calendar Girl"; "Julie"; "London By Night" and "Send For Me".

Well into her mid-thirties, Julie London was also well past her commercial prime when she cut this live album for release in 1964. Actually, she had mounted something of a comeback the previous year with the LPs The End of the World and The Wonderful World of Julie London, both of which made the charts for her after a gap of six years from her 1955-1957 commercial heyday, but Julie London, released earlier in 1964, had not charted. London's film work was also at a low ebb; she had not appeared onscreen since 1961's The George Raft Story. But this was all the more reason to emphasize the personal appearance aspect of her career by recording a live album.

Julie London was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her contralto voice, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a song she introduced on her debut album Julie Is Her Name, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to her musical notoriety, London was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1974 for her portrayal of Nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency!

There are singers who let it fly from deep within and pour out red-faced bellows complete with bulging eyes and pulsating neck cords. They rip it up with big bands and belt it out until the sun comes up, then follow with swashbuckling encores that bring down the house with slaps-on-the-back and flamenco table top dances.
Then there’s Julie. No gala musical fanfare or big-sound glitter. No jokes, no jugglers, no soft-shoe. Just a blues guitar, a well-placed bass, a drummer’s light brush… and Julie. The combo provides a mere musical skeleton, a framework that serves only to complement the singer; it doesn’t try to compete. The combination is distinctively blues… and distinctively Julie. Julie is a mysterious, sultry woman with a moist-eyed singing style and real feeling for loneliness…

One in a long series of Julie London records, this set features the sultry but subtle singer on a dozen standards, each of which she dedicates to a different male singer. No dates or personnel information are given other than the LP stating that Andre Previn arranged for the backing orchestra. Although not essential, this is a worthwhile set, with London adding sensuality to such songs as "Learnin' the Blues," "When I Fall in Love," "The More I See You," and "Angel Eyes."

Exotic and Latin albums were big deals in the 1950s and early '60s, and singers as diverse as Dean Martin, Lena Horne, and Peggy Lee were recording with castanets and bongo drums. Peggy Lee was so successful at the style that she cut two albums of light pseudo-Latin jazz in 1960. Like Peggy Lee, Julie London combined a restrained vocal approach with jazz phrasing and a cool attitude with icy sex appeal. But while London had Lee's stripped-down musical approach, she just didn't share her unrelenting rhythmic vocal drive or her innate feeling for exotic rhythms. It doesn't help that London is paired with arranger Ernie Freeman, who was usually better at crafting Nashville and soft rock style charts than Latin jazz arrangements. This isn't a bad album - London sounds casual and confident throughout - but it is a rather bland one, and isn't blandness what these types of exotica albums are supposed to be fighting against…

In 1959, sultry vocalist Julie London was really coming into her own as a singer. Her worldwide hit "Cry Me a River" was four years behind her, and while she would never attain that level of fame as a recording artist for the rest of her career, her ability to interpret a song was at its strongest in the late '50s and early '60s. Liberty Records' Julie…At Home finds the vocalist comfortably in front of a small jazz combo highlighted by vibraphonist Emil Richards and guitarist Al Viola. The sessions seem relaxed and casual, often with the lyrics slyly slipping from London's lips, at once sophisticated and sensual. The remarkable thing about Julie…At Home is that it was in fact recorded in her own living room, which proved to be the ideal surroundings for these warm and romantic standards.

In 1960, pop vocalist Julie London was really cranking out albums for the successful label Liberty Records. The success of her 1955 hit "Cry Me a River" put Liberty into overdrive and London responded by making some of the strongest records of her career. Her ability to interpret a song was at its strongest in the late '50s and early '60s, as is evidenced on the shimmering Around Midnight. While some of her best recordings were front of small jazz combos, Around Midnight proves that London was just as effective in front of larger orchestras and bands. The drowsy "Black Coffee" and lazy "Lush Life" typify the late-night feel of the album, leading right into "The Wee Small Hours of the Morning."

Julie London wasn't really a jazz singer, but she possessed a definite jazz feeling and many of her finest albums (such as Julie Is Her Name and Julie…At Home) feature small-group jazz backings. About the Blues was aimed at the 1950s pop market, but it may just be her best orchestral session. Since downbeat torch songs were London's specialty, the album features an excellent selection of nocturnal but classy blues songs that play to her subtle strengths instead of against them. Likewise, Russ Garcia's clever arrangements bleed jazz touches and short solos over the solitary strings and big-band charts. Like June Christy, London usually included a couple of new songs in with a selection of standards, and her husband, Bobby Troup, wrote two excellent numbers for the album. One of them, the emotionally devastating "Meaning of the Blues," is the album's highlight, and was turned into a jazz standard after Miles Davis recorded it the same year for Miles Ahead.