Ranee Lee - You Must Believe in Swing (1996)

Although born and raised in Brooklyn, Ranee Lee has lived in Montreal for most of her adult life, and she is best-known for her fine recordings for the Canadian Justin Time label. Lee performed as a singer while in high school, toured the U.S. with a local group, and, after she moved to Canada, she starred in the play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. The influences of Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington can be felt at times in her singing, but Ranee Lee also has her own sound. A measure of her talent is that Milt Hinton and Oliver Jones performed on her first recording (Deep Song) and Red Mitchell was a major factor on her second (Jazz on Broadway). © Scott Yanow