Just pure, crystal clear sweetness. There are no gimmicks of any kind with Carmen McRae. The phrasing, the clarity are just incomparable. Carmen, there never was, is not now, and never will be another YOU.
Yeah, born in 1922 in Harlem, New York, Carmen must have been 66 years old when sang this concert at the Newport Jazz Festival, in Rhode Island...... RIP.
I'm Malaysian. Don't claim to be a jazz expert, and really a casual listener at 2.00 a.m mostly when I can't sleep. Yes, Carmen and Ella are great. But that lady Peggy Lee is fabulous too. I don't think Ella and Carmen or even Sarah Vaughan, can sing "Fever" with the controlled, burning, seething passion as Peggy Lee. I love them all and Billie Holiday too. Cheers
Lovely, amazing, powerful, well, you know how it feels, just like the coffee im drinking, i feel thankful, humble, the universe feels so big but we have the lucky of being on this planet with all this music🤩🌝🌚
It's always amazing to me when I see/hear singers of this magnitude. There seems like there is absolutely no effort on their part. It feels so natural. No straining or thinking. These vocals just fall out of their mouths like Niagara Falls. Respect to you Ms. Carmen McRae. And you, too, Betty, Sarah, Ella, Nancy...I love all of you.
so true, in the 60's CARMEN recorded for Mainstream & Atlantic Records a stream of incredible albums timeless today in there quality, should have been blockbusters with numerous Grammy Awards but thankfully available Compact Disc to savor and enjoy for all time standing as the finest vocals albums ever...love everything she did!
This has to be close to her last stage performance. Ella, Sarah, Carmen and Peggy Lee all went roughly at the same time. Sarah remained to the end the strongest of the group, drawing upon breath reserves that she refused to let go of. Her passing was so sudden I never sensed any decline in her singing.
Carmen last LA engagement 1991 Catalina Bar & Grill original Cahuenga Blvd location same spot first seeing Carmen 1967 as Shelley's Mann Hole she was excited to have full house with many celebrities, remember her introducing Marilyn & Alan Bergeman dedicating "I Have The Feeling I've Been Here Before" to composers of song written specially for Carmen, also introduced Harry Belafonte but didn't introduce kd Lang seated right in front, different generation but clearly she enjoyed every moment of Carmen's amazing performance, don't make them like this anymore!
I recorded Carmen live several times, including a 1976 set that produced "At Ratso's Vols 1 and 2", as well as an iTunes Vol 3, called Just Carmen, culled from multiple sets where she accompanied herself at the piano. It's magical. Not bootlegs, with rights from Carmen's estate. I last heard her at Ravinia, an outdoor venue north of Chicago, in 1993. She was still singing her ass off. Carmen and Tony Bennett were the finest artists I ever worked with.
The last line of the last chorus "Some cats swing, others don't, don't you be the kind that won't." is where I go my boats name: Some Cats Swing. Try that in your RU-vid search bar.
