Honi Gordon Sings + Introducing Sue Childs (2 LP on 1 CD)

· Collector's Edition
· 2 Original LPs on 1 CD
· Original Cover Art, Liner Notes
· Complete Personnel Details
· Stereo Recordings
· Newly Remastered in 24-Bit

Honi Gordon Sings
The album Honi Gordon Sings introduced a new singer with decided jazz leanings. Her vocalization was clean and her diction precise, with a voice bending towards the sensuous. Backed by an impeccable rhythm section with guitarist Wally Richardson, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Ed Shaughnessy, Honi demonstrated in her debut album that she had a good and comfortable range at either up or slow tempo. Alto sax / flutist Ken McIntyre, and pianist Jaki Byard —not players one would expect on a vocal album— were the major soloists on this thoroughly enjoyable and swinging blend of pop standards and jazz tunes, and Miss Gordon could hardly have wished for more stimulating musical confreres.

Introducing Sue Childs
Sue Childs was a young singer originally from Flint, Michigan, who sang with all of the outstanding musicians both in her hometown and the Detroit area during her formative years. Introducing Sue Childs was her only album, and it came about in 1964 when Sue was booked on the same show as the Tony Sotos quartet at Mr. C’s Supper Club in Flint. The excitement of the two acts working together made the producer’s choice an easy one. Miss Childs had her own distinctive style and approach to jazz, and contributing to the hard swinging atmosphere of these recordings is the accompanying group of tenorist Tony Sotos. Since its release in 1964, her album has become a collector’s item, and what it makes particularly desirable even today, is the stimulating participation of star tenor saxophonist JR. Monterose on two of the tracks.

Tracklist

Album details

Press reviews

"Honi Gordon, whose time in the jazz spotlight was all too brief, came from a musical family. In 1956, together with her father and two brothers, she performed on a Lionel Hampton session (Fresh Sound FSRCD 446) and the following year they were on a Dizzy Gillespie-Stuff Smith date (Verve 513875-2CD). In 1959 she was one of the backing singers together with Babs Gonzales and Ned Gravely for Eddie Jefferson’s Body & Soul – Eddie’s homage to Coleman Hawkins (Inner City 1016). That same year she appeared on Charles Mingus’ Dynasty album where she was featured on Strollin’ aka Nostalgia In Times Square (Columbia 065145).

Miss Gordon’s rich, husky-voiced contralto is reminiscent of early Sarah Vaughan and on this reissue she is clearly inspired by the intimate surroundings provided by Jaki Byard and company. Eschewing the standard song-book repertoire one might expect on a debut album she performs fairly obscure material, some of which was composed by her father. The exceptions are I’ll Wind which compares favourably to versions by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Ernestine Anderson, Lena Horne etc., and Why Try To Change Me Now which benefits from a sensitive half-chorus from Jaki Byard.

There is a mystery concerning My Kokomo which has the hallmarks of an Annie Ross piece of vocalese. Honi’s unerring grasp of the tricky melodic and rhythmic line seems to reflect the characteristics of an improvised jazz solo but I have been unable to track down the source. Perhaps one of our well-informed readers can identify the origin of this track?

Sue Childs’ musical resumé is even more modest than Honi Gordon’s as this was her only recording. The timbre of her voice reminds me a little of Frances Faye but she is a far more accomplished singer as she demonstrates on this fine set of well-known songs.

Jerry La Furn contributed the swinging charts and in Honeysuckle Rose and Out Of Nowhere he has included hints of their respective contrafacts – Parker’s Scrapple From The Apple and Mulligan’s Roundhouse."

Gordon Jack (October 2, 2019)
https://jazzjournal.co.uk
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"Fresh Sound a lancé une série, déjà riche, «The best voices time forgot» où l'on trouve quelques noms restés en mémoire (Mae Barnes, Barbara Long, Jane Harvey,...) et beaucoup d'oubliées. D'où vient ce cruel tri du temps? Chez les jazzfans du XX_^e siècle, le prénom suffisait à l'évocation: Bessie, Ella, Billie, Sarah, Dinah, Nina. Elles ont en commun une dimension expressive hors norme mais aussi une vraie personnalité qui les rendaient identifiables dès la première mesure. La règle vaut pour tous les genres: Edith Piaf est un exemple. Une œuvre pouvait même évoquer une interprète unique comme l'air «Casta Diva» de Norma (Bellini) qui impose le nom de Maria Callas... chez les gens ayant une culture musicale minimale. Bref, cette dimension, les chanteuses de ces rééditions ne l'ont pas. Ce qui ne veut pas dire que leurs disques ne valent rien.

Honi Gordon bénéficie du travail de son père, George Gordon, qui lui a écrit des passages qui simulent l'improvisation («Strollin'», «My Kokomo»). Mais dès les premières notes chantées par Honi Gordon sur «Strollin'» de Mingus, on est en présence d'une imitatrice de Sarah Vaughan. L'intérêt vient alors du remarquable solo de Jaki Byard qui s'appuie sur les superbes lignes de basse de George Duvivier et sur le travail efficace d'Ed Shaughnessy et de Wally Richardson (qui enregistrera chez Prestige pour Willis Jackson, Illinois Jacquet). Wally Richardson prend un bon solo dans «My Kokomo» et «Love Affair». Ken McIntyre qui n'intervient pas dans tous les titres prend un solo d'alto dans «Walkin' Out the Door» de Mary Lou Williams qui balance bien, sinon il joue de la flûte (solos dans «I’ll Wind» et «Love Affair»). Jaki Byard est en valeur dans «Why Try to Change Me Now?» et dans des introductions comme pour «Why».

Sue Childs originaire de Flint, nous présente une vedette locale Sherman Mitchell (1930-2013), tromboniste qui a joué pour Dizzy Gillespie et J.C. Heard. Certaines chanteuses euro-américaines, comme Mildred Bailey, Lee Wiley, June Christy, Julie London, etc. n'ont évité l'oubli que grâce à une originalité expressive (les rangs étant encombrés, aujourd'hui encore). Sue Childs ne manque pas de personnalité. On ne trouve aucune trace de Sarah, tout au plus un peu d'Ella («Out of Nowhere»). Elle bénéficie d'arrangements originaux signés Gerry LaFurn qui a travaillé pour Stan Kenton, Woody Herman et Buddy Rich. «Honeysuckle Rose» débute par «Scrapple From the Apple» et offre de bons solos de Tony Sotos (ts, connu dans le rock’n’roll), Mitchell (virtuose) et, à la trompette, non signalé nulle part, Gerry LaFurn (que l'on retrouve sur cet instrument dans «All or Nothing at All», «You'd Be So Nice», «You Make Me Feel So Young», «Lonesome Road»). Sotos intervient au baryton dans «You'll Never Know», «You Make Me Feel So Young» et en alternance avec J.R. Montrose dans «You'd Be So Nice». Montrose intervient aussi, sans solo, dans «All or Nothing at All». «Lollipops n' Roses» est un duo voix-guitare. Une découverte pour beaucoup."

—Michel Laplace © Jazz Hot 2019