Search - Annie Ross, Gerry Mulligan :: Sings a Song With Gerry Mulligan

A Great blend of vocals and instrument!

Michael D. Hopkins | Fresno, California USA | 08/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Annie Ross of LHR fame has a warm and engaging voice, combine that voice with a great sax player and you have the makings of something special! Sing a Song of Mulligan is a great CD from start to finish. I never found the need to skip songs or to change to something different as I have been known to do.Ms. Ross does not attempt to imitate any of the better known stars of her day (she was better known as a member of the group LHR than she was as a solo artist), she sounds very comfortable with the songs and with the arrangements which have been selected for this disc.The sound quality of the limited addition import is outstanding. I normally listen to LP's instead of CD's preferring what I percieve as the open and smooth sound of LP's. This import has many of the characteristics of a well pressed LP, being very warm yet with the detail that you would want.I would recommend this disc as a great introduction to the work of Ms. Ross, also check her out with the group Lambert Hendrick and Ross, on "The Hottest New Group in Jazz," and "Swing a Song of Basie.""

A singular album

mako | SF Bay Area, CA USA | 01/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've found that this is one of the albums I listen to on a regular basis. It may be because it's alphabetically near the top of my playlist, but there's definitely more to it than that. Put simply, this is quite unlike any other vocal album I've encountered, thanks to the backing of Gerry Mulligan's famous piano-less combo. No piano, no strings. Just one human voice among several instrumental ones plus rhythm, which makes for surprisingly interesting harmony. Annie Ross is remarkable as well. She sings with characteristic frankness and personality.



The tempos for most of the songs are comfortably laid-back, which allow Ross and Mulligan to interplay quite elegantly. They are joined by the trumpet of Chet Baker or Art Farmer, the bass of Bill Crow or Henry Grimes, and the drumming of Dave Bailey. The recording quality could be better -- Ross at times sounds slightly echo-y -- but it doesn't detract from enjoying the music. This is one of my favorite albums to relax to."