Jerri Adams & Marlene Cord - It's Cool Inside + Marlene Cord (Remastered 2024) (2 LP on 1 CD) (2025)

It's Cool Inside
When Jerri Adams (1930-2014), a native of Cincinnati, was a high school student in Norwood, MA, she decided she wanted to become a singer, despite the fact that “practically everyone discouraged me,” as she later recounted. Ultimately, her persistence and determination paid off. At twenty-five years old, she recorded her first album, “It’s Cool Inside,” for Columbia Records, which established her as one of the most exciting new vocalists to emerge in years. Her singing was relaxed and enjoyable, showcasing a vocal quality that fell somewhere between Carmen McRae and Peggy Lee, yet remained distinctly her own, with a style that swung plenty, even on the slowest numbers. With her careful song selection and a keen sense of drama, she brought a passionate quality to both her repertoire and performances. The inclusion of top-notch jazz musicians in her band further enhanced the album, making it a delightful listen for jazz enthusiasts.

Marlene Cord
The lovely and talented vocalist Marlene Cord was born in Springboro, a small community near Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1938. She began studying piano at nine and, by 14, was performing at a local radio station as a pianist and occasional singer. Before graduating high school, she was a regular performer at an Erie television station. At 18, she traveled across the country and Canada with dance bands and performed in small nightclubs, accompanying herself on piano. Later, she married, settled in Kenosha, Wisconsin, had a daughter, and became a house wife. Still yearning for a recording career, she convinced her husband to finance a session at Universal Studios in Chicago, where he hired four top musicians to support her as she recorded soft versions of several standards. Randy Wood of the Dot Record label heard the tape, liked it, and released an album titled “Marlene Cord.” What may seem like worldliness is, in fact, her sensitive approach to the songs she sings.