Beverly Kenney - Five Classic Albums (Sings for Johnny Smith / Come Swing with Me / Sings with Jimmy Jones & the Basie-Ites / Sings for Playboys / Like Yesterday) (Digitally Remastered 2023) (2023)

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 Known to be often withdrawn, moody and often fearful it was the utmost tragedy that on her third attempt Beverly Kenney took her own life in April 1960.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.