The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums

Starred review from July 10, 2017
With verve and an infectious love of music, jazz critic Friedwald (A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers) tells the stories of 57 jazz and pop albums that have become benchmarks by which subsequent recordings have been measured. Some of the 57 are first albums, such as Meet Marvelous Marilyn Mayes (1963), which showcases an artist whose relentless drive and swing appealed to both the pop and jazz crowd. Other albums discussed here illustrate the ways in which an established singer moves into a new phase of her career, as with Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee (1956), a jazzy concept album that got her away from the pop singles she’d been putting out. Jazz and pop aficionados will be surprised to find God Bless Tiny Tim (1968), by the singer and ukulele player Tiny Tim, among the albums presented, but Friedwald convincingly makes a case for it based on the album’s brilliant production and songwriting and its singer’s vocal range. Fans and critics are likely to argue about Friedwald’s choices, but his passionate description of each album in this indispensable guide will drive readers to listen to the albums once again, or for the first time.

Starred review from October 15, 2017
This absolutely indispensable compendium of essential jazz and pop vocal albums is a testament to the ongoing vibrancy of jazz music and the Great American Songbook, but at the same time it offers a kind of requiem for the album format, which has been all but replaced by the downloading of individual songs. But the album gave jazz and pop singers the opportunity to take existing songs, often standards, and craft a selection of them into something entirely newnew interpretations, new arrangements, new sequencing. Friedwald, who has long been one of our finest jazz writers, brings his rare ability to write about singing in a way that effectively bridges impressionistic interpretation with musical analysis to the task of reading an album the way a literary critic reads a poem. The result is never less than perceptive and often stop-in-your tracks brilliant, whether he is offering new insights about such clearly great albums as Sinatra's Songs for Swingin' Lovers! or introducing a singer or an album that may be long forgotten (June Christy's Something Cool). There are some wildly eccentric choices here, too, yet somehow Friedwald musters sagacious enough arguments to almost convince us, for example, that God Bless Tiny Tim really belongs on this list. This volume concludes an informal trilogy from Friedwald that covers great singers (A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, 2010), songs (Stardust Melodies, 2002), and now albums. A magnificent achievement.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from June 15, 2017

Music journalist (Wall Street Journal, Village Voice) Friedwald (A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers) details the recording history, the importance, and the behind-the-scenes stories of 51 of the most significant vocal jazz albums of the past 70 years. Much of the material is based on interviews, analysis of the recordings, and the author's encyclopedic knowledge and love of vocal jazz. Many of the choices, such as albums featuring Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Eckstine, would surprise very few jazz fans. Others, however, might raise some eyebrows, such as an album by Tiny Tim. Friedwald makes a strong case for the importance of each album, so that Tiny Tim is represented but Joe Williams is not actually makes for quite an intriguing book. The writing is fluid and assumes a music fan's understanding of jazz and jazz-oriented pop music. It also assumes some knowledge of the genre as well as the artists. VERDICT An outstanding book for any serious jazz fan and a must-read for lovers of vocal jazz.--James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017

Having written eight books on music (e.g., A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers) and the liner notes for nearly 500 CDs, for which he received eight Grammy nominations, Friedwald now picks his 57 top jazz and pop albums by artists ranging from Marilyn Mae to Frank Sinatra.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2017

Music journalist (Wall Street Journal, Village Voice) Friedwald (A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers) details the recording history, the importance, and the behind-the-scenes stories of 51 of the most significant vocal jazz albums of the past 70 years. Much of the material is based on interviews, analysis of the recordings, and the author's encyclopedic knowledge and love of vocal jazz. Many of the choices, such as albums featuring Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Eckstine, would surprise very few jazz fans. Others, however, might raise some eyebrows, such as an album by Tiny Tim. Friedwald makes a strong case for the importance of each album, so that Tiny Tim is represented but Joe Williams is not actually makes for quite an intriguing book. The writing is fluid and assumes a music fan's understanding of jazz and jazz-oriented pop music. It also assumes some knowledge of the genre as well as the artists. VERDICT An outstanding book for any serious jazz fan and a must-read for lovers of vocal jazz.--James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.