LPs I listened to tonight - women in jazz & Black American music

Here's some stuff I'm giving a listen as I digitize it.

Vi Redd - Birdcall

Great set from Vi, with some singing and a lot of nice alto playing. Great intonation - hard on that instrument - and phrasing. Plus nice vibe work from Roy Ayers! The late Portlander Leroy Vinnegar on bass for some of the tunes, Carmell Jones on trumpet, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Russ Freeman on piano. Standout tracks: I Remember Bird, Now's The Time, Cool Blues/Perhaps.

Herb Geller Plays

Herb's wife, Lorraine Geller, was born in Portland, and plays piano on both sessions that make up this album. Cool to see she toured with Anna Mae Winburn and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first integrated all-women's big band. I just got a collection of that band's as well. Leroy Vinnegar is actually on one of the two sessions here, too. Herb also has great intonation on alto. I don't know Lorraine's playing that well yet, but she sounds great here. Really good timefeel and phrasing. Reminds me a lot of Russ Freeman, Hampton Hawes, and Andre Previn - it's possible it was the same piano/studio/engineer that those cats used, too, since this is a mid-50s LA session.

Standout tracks: Silver Rain, Alone Together, Breaking Through The Sound Barrier, Kahagon, A Room With a View