Early in the Morning + Deep Roots (2 LPs on 1 CD)

Note:
This CD has been replaced by its recent reissue as part of the Phoenix label. Reference #131526


Two complete long unavailable LPs by cult jazz singer Lorez Alexandria, backed by great stars like Ramsey Lewis, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Al Grey, Freddie Green, Joe Newman, and Howard McGhee.

Early in the Morning appears here on CD for the first time ever, while Deep Roots has only previously appeared on CD on a long out of print Japanese edition.

As a bonus are further songs by Lorez, including two versions of Baltimore Oriole, the song she would be most closely associated with.


Tracklisting:

01. Early In The Morning (2:58)
02. Dont Explain (3:13)
03. So Long (3:28)
04. Good Morning Heartache (3:19)
05. Trouble Is A Man (2:44)
06. I Aint Got Nothing But The Blues (2:23)
07. Baby Dont You Cry (2:15)
08. Rocks In My Bed (2:43)
09. Im Just A Lucky So And So (3:02)
10. Almost Lost My Mind (3:03)
11. Nature Boy (2:50)
12. I Was A Fool (3:23)
13. No Moon At All (2:11)
14. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (3:03)
15. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (2:36)
16. Detour Ahead (3:40)
17. It Could Happen To You (2:45)
18. Travlin Light (3:27)
19. Almost Like Being In Love (2:22)
20. I Want To Talk About You (2:54)
21. Traveling Down A Lonely Road (3:45) (*) Bonus Track
22. Love Look Away (3:49) (*) Bonus Track
23. The End Of A Love Affair (2:50) (*) Bonus Track
24. Baltimore Oriole [1963] (3:12) (*) Bonus Track
25. Baltimore Oriole [1957] (2:56) (*) Bonus Track

Total time: 75:01 min.


Original sources:
Tracks #1-10 from "Early In the Morning" (Argo LP 663).
Tracks #11-20 from "Deep Roots" (Argo LP 694).
Tracks #21-24 taken from "For Swingers Only" (Argo LP 720).
Track #25 taken from "This is Lorez" (King LP 542).


Personnel on "Early in the Morning":

Tracks #1-5: Lorez Alexandria (vcl), Ramsey Lewis (p), John Gray (g), Eldee Young (b), Issac 'Redd' Holt (d).
Tracks #6-10: Same personnel as above plus Joe Newman (tp), Al Grey (tb), Frank Wess (ts & fl), Frank Foster (ts), and Freddie Green (g). All tenor solos by Frank Foster.

Recorded in Chicago, January-February, 1960.

Note: the dates for this session were previously listed as March 15-17, 1960 (these are the dates that appeared on the original LP). However, the members of the Count Basie band who participate on this session were in New York at the time.


Personnel on "Deep Roots":

Lorez Alexandria (vcl), Howard McGhee (tp), John Young (p), George Eskridge (g), Israel Crosby (b) and Vernell Fournier (d).

Recorded in Chicago, February 13-14, 1962.


Personnel on tracks #21-24:
Lorez Alexandria (vcl), Ronald Wilson (ts, fl), John Young (p), George Eskridge (g), Jimmy Garrison (b), Philip Thomas (d).
Recorded in Chicago, January 3, 1963.

Personnel on track #25:
Lorez Alexandria (vcl), Ronald Wilson (fl), King Fleming (p, arr), Wilbur Wynne (g), Russell Williams (b), Vernell Fournier (d), Audrey Jones (bgo).
Recorded in Chicago, March 5, 1957.


Argo sessions originally produced by Billy Davis.
King sessions by Esmond Edwards.


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Notes:

-Early in the morning

"An excellent early album by one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. The session's a very hip affair recorded with the Ramsey Lewis Trio backing her up on one side, and a group led by Frank Foster on another both playing in a tight soul jazz mode that works perfectly for Lorez's great voice, and which takes her way past the straighter style of the King recordings. The groove's very deep, like hearing Lorez in a smoky club on the south side of Chicago!"

Dusty Groove america