Betty Carter - Four Classic Albums (2014)

Betty Carter was a bebop, scat, and swing vocal artist of the first order. She had a very cool, controlled singing style which was frequently daring and unconventional. Blessed with a large and unusual vocal range, she was constantly experimenting with phrasing, inflection, range and tempo to make each song her own. Betty began her singing career in Detroit at age 15, winning a local talent contest. Four years later in 1948 she joined Lionel Hampton’s band, where she was able to develop her style working with Charles Mingus and Wes Montgomery, among many other bebop artists.

This 2 CD set has four albums from early in her career. CD1 has the introductory album recorded in 1955 “Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant” with jazz pianist Ray Bryant. The two performers alternate vocal and instrumental numbers on this album. Betty shows her skills on an upbeat version of Jerome Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight” and some great scat singing on “Thou Swell” by Rodgers and Hart. The second album on CD1 is “Out There”, originally produced in 1958 as her first solo album. A nice collection of classics and forgotten ballads, this album is worth the price of the set alone. Betty again show her scatting technique in “You’re Driving Me Crazy” and “Blue Bird of Happiness”. Most of the scat songs are short, and she sings so quickly that you find yourself listening to them again to hear “Did she really sing that? ”

Disc 2 also has two albums from the early years. “The Modern Sound of Betty Carter” was arranged and conducted by Richard Wess, and originally released in 1960. The album is led off by a hard-charging version of “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” and also includes a beautiful rendition of ‘Stormy Weather”, as well as two songs written for Betty: “Jazz (Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul)” and “Don’t Weep For The Lady”. The other album on this disc is “Ray Charles and Betty Carter” released in 1961. This album is a set of duets featuring Betty and Ray performing a mix of ballads and light jazz standards. The Jack Halloran Singers with a full orchestra perform on several numbers, and Ray plays piano and sings on each song. Highlights on this album include a lush version of

“Cocktails For Two” and a lively “It Takes Two to Tango”, which showcase both Ray’s rich baritone vocals and Betty’s range and artistry.