Frances Faye (1912-1991) was an underrated singer, gay icon and pioneer whose air of wild, emotional excitement continually generated inspiration. Not only did this excitement suffuse her records, it also filled her night club performances and her private life.
The palpably good repertoire in her two albums included in this set is evidence of her command in two different idiomatic settings. The Latin beat on Frances Faye in Frenzy, comes courtesy of arranger/conductor Russell Garcia, featuring his distinctive five-trombone orchestral sound, with Frank Rosolino as soloist and the wild trumpet of Cappy Lewis, along with Jack Costanzo or Mike Pacheco on bongos. Swinging All the Way, is a freely jazzy album that features her accompanied by three orchestras arranged and conducted by the unique Marty Paich, with good solos by Bud Shank, Stu Williamson, and Al Hendrickson. Her edgy, almost-raspy voice was the ideal instrument for a rewarding singer who put as much feeling into her work as humanly possible.
She was utterly unconventional. In the mid-1940s, a decade of prejudice, she began tossing off references to homosexuality in songs, hardly hiding her lesbianism, and by the late 50s was even more up front about her sexual orientations; her open bisexuality seriously hurt her career and legacy, according to her friends.
Tracklist
Total time: 71:10 min.
01. I Cried for You (Arnheim-Lyman-Freed) 4:09
02. Perfidia (Domínguez-Leeds) 1:50
03. Miserlou (Roubanis-Wise-Leeds-Russell) 2:13
04. Temptation (Freed-Brown) 2:31
05. Bésame mucho (Velázquez-Skylar) 2:39
06. South of the Border (Carr-Kennedy) 3:18
07. Quizás, quizás, quizás (Farres-Davis) 1:52
08. Toreador (M. & N. Kaye) 2:41
09. Heat Wave (Berlin) 2:47
10. Shortnin Bread (Garcia) 3:03
11. Frenesí (Domínguez-Charles-Russell) 2:37
12. Out of this World (Arlen-Mercer) 3:06
13. Do Nothin till You Hear from Me (Ellington-Russell) 3:10
14. Its All Right with Me (Porter) 3:40
15. Love For Sale (Porter) 3:14
16. So In Love (Porter) 3:12
17. Should I? (Brown-Freed) 2:25
18. Them Who Has Gets (DePaul-Raye) 2:37
19. There Will Never Be Another You (Warren-Gordon) 2:18
20. Miss Otis Regrets (Shes Unable to Lunch Today) (Porter) 2:26
21. Everything Happens to Me (Adair-Dennis) 3:50
22. More Than You Know (Youmans-Eliscu-Rose) 3:51
23. Thats All (Brandt-Haymes) 3:52
24. Dont Worry Bout Me (Bloom-Koehler) 3:02
Album details
Sources:
Tracks #1-12, from the album "Frances Faye In Frenzy" (Verve V6-2147)
Tracks #13-24, from the album "Swinging All the Way with Frances Faye" (Verve V6-8434)
Personnel on "Frenzy":
Tracks #3,6,4,9: Cappy Lewis, trumpet; Frank Rosolino, Tommy Pederson, Lloyd Ulyate, Tommy Shepard, trombones; Kenny Shroyer, bass trombone; Chuck Gentry, baritone sax; Paul Smith, piano; Tony Rizzi, guitar; Tony Reyes, bass; Milt Holland, drums; Mike Pacheco, bongos; Frank Guerrero, congas.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, December 12, 1960
Tracks #10,8,1,12: Cappy Lewis, trumpet; Dick Nash, Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts, James Henderson, trombones; Gail Martin, bass trombone; Plas Johnson, tenor sax; Paul Smith, piano; Tony Rizzi, guitar; Tony Reyes, bass; Irv Cottler, drums; Milt Holland, percussion; Jack Costanzo, bongos; Ralph Hansell, percussion.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, Dec. 14 & 15, 1960
Tracks #11,5,2,7: Dick Nash, Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts, Lloyd Ulyate, Tommy Shepard, trombones; Kenny Shroyer, bass trombone; Plas Johnson, tenor sax; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Howard Roberts, guitar; Tony Reyes, bass; Irv Cottler, drums; Milt Holland, conga; Jack Costanzo, bongos; Ralph Hansell, vibes; Frank Guerrero, percussion; 6 violins.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, on Dec. 16, 1960
Personnel on "Swinging All the Way":
Tracks #13-16: Al Porcino, Stu Williamson, Conte Candoli, Ray Triscari, trumpets; Harry Betts, Pete Carpenter, Vern Friley, trombones; Red Callender, tuba; Kenny Shroyer, bass trombone; Bud Shank, alto sax; Bob Enevoldsen, Gene Cipriano, tenor saxes; Bill Hood, baritone sax; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Al Hendrickson, guitar; Joe Mondragon, bass; Earl Palmer, drums; Milt Holland, conga.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, November 20, 1961
Tracks #17-20: Al Porcino, Conte Candoli, trumpets; Vince DeRosa, French horn; Bob Enevoldsen, valve-trombone; Red Callender, tuba; Bud Shank, alto sax; Gene Cipriano, tenor sax; Bill Hood, baritone sax; Jimmy Rowles; piano; Al Hendrickson, guitar; Joe Mondragon, bass; Earl Palmer, drums; Milt Holland, conga.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, November 21, 1961
Track #21-24: Don Fagerquist, trumpet; Vince DeRosa, John Cave, Dick Perissi, Bill Hinshaw, French Horns; Bud Shank, alto sax; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Al Hendrickson, guitar; Joe Mondragon, bass; Earl Palmer, drums; Stella Castellucci, harp; 11 violins; 4 cellos, 4 violas.
Radio Recorders, Hollywood, November 24, 1961
Original recordings supervised by Norman Granz
Verve original cover designs by Phil Stern & Moselle Thompson
This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol
Stereo · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas S.L.
