The Bebop Singers

THE BEBOP SINGERS (1950)

1. Red Top - King Pleasure/Betty Carter
2. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid - King Pleasure
3. Don't Get Scared - King Pleasure/Eddie Jefferson/Jon Hendricks
4. Parker's Mood - King Pleasure
5. I'm Gone - KIng Pleasure/Eddie Jefferson/Three Riffs
6. I'm In The Mood For Love - King Pleasure/Blossom Dearie
7. She's Gone Again - Dizzy Gillespie
8. Workshop (A K A Blues For A Debutante) - Eddie Jefferson
9. I've Got The Blues - Eddie Jefferson
10. Disappointed - Eddie Jefferson
11. Twisted - Annie Ross
12. Farmer's Market - Annie Ross
13. Jackie - Annie Ross
14. Tomorrow Is Another Day - King Pleasure
15. Moanin' - Jon Hendricks
16. Along Came Betty - Jon Hendricks
17. Old Shoes - Eddie Jefferson/Irv Taylor
18. Strictly Instrumental - Eddie Jefferson/Irv Taylor
19. Start Walkin', Stop Talkin' - Eddie Jefferson/Irv Taylor
20. Pennies From Heaven - Joe Carroll
21. Two Wrongs Won't Make It Right - Joe Carroll
22. I Was In The Mood - Joe Carroll
23. Got A Penny Benny - Joe Carroll

This fascinating set compiles moments that are often terribly moving and that shed light on how vocalists contended with bop's musical values. King Pleasure weighs in with, among others, "Parker's Mood"--his crowning moment, and one of jazz singing's. Pleasure's portrait of a discontented Charlie Parker is poetic both in word and sound. Early tracks by Betty Carter (heard with Pleasure on "Red Top"), Annie Ross (the hilarious "Twisted"), and Blossom Dearie help round out the disc, which draws mainly from '50s recordings, and frequently from Pleasure's shared album with Ross. Despite the passing of nearly half a century in the lives of some of these cuts, their inventions continue to resonate.