Fine '83 collaboration between Rosemary Clooney and the Woody Herman big band, although Herman is nearing the end of his great career. Excellent arrangements, steadfast vocals, and the usual tidy, though careful, Concord production and engineering.

On paper, this unlikely pairing of American popular vocalist Rosemary Clooney (who nearly defined the 1950s as a stylist) and Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pérez Prado seemed to be a disaster in the making. The end result is quite the opposite. Recorded during two sessions in July and August of 1959, this is simply one of the loveliest albums in either artist's catalog. The music is lively and colorful but retains Clooney's smooth and mellow character, and Prado's trademark arrangements and experiments with percussion, texture, and harmony. Apparently, Clooney had some trouble with pronunciation initially, but was coached by her husband, Puerto Rican actor Jose Ferrer (who wrote the original album's liner notes) and became a quick study…

As one of the most loved jazz vocalists, modern jazz heroines, and prolific vocalists, Rosemary Clooney gives a very beautiful and feminine side to Brazilian jazz on Brazil, a sensitive musical feeling of 16 ripe standards. This wonderful collection is dedicated to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra, and Nelson Riddle through her amazing ambience of sensitive phrasing, lovely nuance, and splendid rhythmic shadings. Rosemary Clooney is joined by the lovely Diana Krall on "Boy from Ipanema" in a stunning vocal duet accompanied by Oscar Castro-Neves on guitar. John Pizzarelli sings "Wave," with the light, airy brilliance of a light kept burning throughout the night, and duets with Clooney on "Desafinado," "One Note Samba," "Let Go," "Dindi," and the reprise of the title track, "Brazil." Together they bring a redefined sensitivity and captivation to these Brazilian standards through their excellent harmony and melodic concepts…

After hooking up with the Concord label in 1977, Rosemary Clooney had a renaissance. On this enjoyable set, she interprets ten of Irving Berlin's songs (including a couple of obscurities) with fine backup from a swinging septet that includes tenorman Scott Hamilton, cornetist Warren Vache, both Chris Flory and Ed Bickert on guitars and pianist John Oddo. Highlights include "Be Careful, It's My Heart," "Cheek to Cheek," "The Best Thing for You Would Be Me" and "What'll I Do."

Although Rosemary Clooney had a major part in the famous film White Christmas back in 1954, this was her first full Christmas album and it was a big seller when it was released late in 1996. From the jazz standpoint, there is not much here, as Clooney is accompanied by a huge orchestra conducted and mostly arranged by Peter Matz. Although there are a few brief solos from altoist Gary Foster, tenor saxophonist Dan Higgins, trombonist Chauncey Welsch and trumpeter Warren Luening, the music is essentially nostalgic middle-of-the-road pop with Clooney joined on several numbers by the Earl Brown Singers (who also take brief a cappella versions of some veteran Christmas tunes); one tune apiece features appearances by Michael Feinstein and Rosemary's brother Nick Clooney. But jazz content aside, Rosemary Clooney is in good voice, and the heartfelt emotions that she expresses on these Yuletide favorites communicate quite well.

When Rosemary Clooney recorded for Concord in the '80s and '90s, her voice was noticeably thinner than it had been in the '50s. This isn't to say that she sounded bad - despite her limitations and the fact that she didn't have the range or chops of her youth, Clooney could still win you over with her sensitive interpretations of lyrics. And Concord deserves credit for generally providing her with talented arrangers and musicians, as well as tasteful material (as opposed to the type of novelty items she was often given at Columbia in the '50s). On At Long Last, the singer is united with the Count Basie ghost orchestra, which is directed by trombonist Grover Mitchell. Although Clooney was a jazzy pop singer rather than a true jazz singer, the Basie band is definitely a jazz band, and it definitely swings hard on familiar standards like "Old Devil Moon," "Willow Weep for Me" and "Just in Time." Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" is especially revealing…

Collectables Records' two-fer CD Ring Around Rosie/Hollywood's Best, credited to Rosemary Clooney "& Friends," combines the singer's first and last album projects for Columbia Records. Hollywood's Best, which paired her with Harry James' trumpet, was first released as an eight-song, 10" LP in 1952 (it was later expanded to a 12-track, 12" LP). Ring Around Rosie, from 1957, matched her up with the jazzy vocal group the Hi-Lo's. These two albums also were Clooney's only ones to reach the Billboard pop charts during the 1950s: Hollywood's Best peaked at number three in 1953, and Ring Around Rosie went to number 14 four years later. As a 24-track, 70-minute CD, the collection is a mixed bag…

This is an odd release by Rosemary Clooney, who's accompanied by keyboardist Buddy Cole and an unidentified rhythm section. Although the singer is in great form, Cole's extremely corny arrangements and his very dated sound on both organ and piano (which are frequently overdubbed, often in unison) threaten to make the entire session more of a nostalgia trip than something that will appeal to jazz collectors. Still, Clooney's pure swinging vocals on standards such as "'Deed I Do," "Blue Moon," "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," and "This Can't be Love" are very rewarding, in spite of Cole's uninspiring backgrounds.

Thanks for Nothing was Rosemary Clooney's only album recorded for Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records. (Love, released by Reprise in 1963, actually had been recorded for RCA Victor in 1961.) It was also her last full-length LP project until she began recording for Concord Records in 1977. In his discography included in Clooney's autobiography, Girl Singer, Michael Feinstein notes that Clooney "isn't very fond of this album because the stresses of her personal life are audible on many of the tracks." But those very stresses, which included marital discord and a dependence on prescription drugs, may have contributed favorably to the final product on an album devoted to songs of love gone wrong, much in the mold of Sinatra's Only the Lonely…

This Rosemary Clooney recording differs from all of her previous Concord albums in that she is joined by the L.A. Jazz Choir (a 12-voice group) on half of the dozen selections. The choral backing is a bit of an acquired taste for jazz listeners but Clooney's backup sextet does consist of tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, trumpeter Jack Sheldon (who helps out Clooney with his vocal on "People Will Say We're in Love"), trombonist Chauncey Welsch, pianist John Oddo (who is responsible for both the choral and instrumental arrangements), bassist John Clayton and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Clooney interprets the music of Richard Rodgers and lyrics which are split almost evenly between Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein. Most of the tunes are fairly well-known (including "It Might as Well Be Spring," "I Could Write a Book," "You Took Advantage of Me" and "My Romance") but Rosemary Clooney makes them sound fresh and alive.

The Girl Singer, Rosemary Clooney's volume in the Bluebird's Best series, spotlights her talents as a swinging post-big band vocalist between 1958 and 1961, when she was basically hitless but still recording some great material (including many arrangements by Nelson Riddle and excellent duet albums recorded with Bing Crosby and Pérez Prado). Although 16 tracks for a digital-era compilation is basically short shrift, there are highlights galore - starting with "Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie," a nice piece of fluff that introduced an album of the same name. Also great is an update (with Crosby) of "How About You?" to include references to Gypsy, Marlon Brando, and the Pittsburgh Pirates (Crosby was a co-owner). The two tracks with Prado find the exuberant Clooney matching the outboard orchestra…

Two of Clooney's late-'50s/early-'60s RCA Victor albums on one CD. Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie! is an upbeat session from 1960 on which Clooney, superbly fronting a band conducted by Bob Thompson, tackles standards like "Give Me the Simple Life," "Bye Bye Blackbird," and "Makin' Whoopee." Fancy Meeting You Here is a 1958 duet album with Bing Crosby on which the duo runs through a set of place-themed songs ("Calcutta," "Hindustan," "It Happened in Monterey") with a band splendidly conducted by Billy May. Two of Rosie's best on one disc - a real bargain.