Lyn Stanley's London Calling: A Toast to Julie London

My latest Vinyl Anachronist music review is now live at Part-Time Audiophile. This one discusses the new Julie London "toast" from Lyn Stanley, who is making some of the finest vocal recordings today. You can read it here.

Kate Reid's The Heart Already Knows

Julie London is the woman!

That doesn't quite sound right--it's not the same thing as saying that some guy you know is the MAN! I'm just trying to express my pleasure that Julie London, one of my very favorite female jazz singers, has become sort of a model for other contemporary singers over the last couple of years. When you dig into Julie's wonderful (and wonderfully well-recorded) catalog, you'll slowly remove the layers of the proverbial onion and realize there's so much to discover in a style that, for the most part, seems simple and straightforward. Sure, she was sultry and sexy and evocative, but she also had a sort of innocence about her that isn't discussed that much. When I listen to today's jazz singers try to channel her spirit, they often miss that subtle paradox.

Once again I've noticed that my review pile is full of recordings of female jazz singers. There was a time not so long ago when I'd be complaining about that, but this year's crop of "female vocals for audiophiles" is ripening into quite a stellar harvest. Kate Reid, who hails from the Great Lakes region, stands out from this current crowd because she's adopting London's minimalist presentation, one that keeps everything quiet and direct. That's smart, because Reid's alluring alto has plenty of nuances that shouldn't be hidden by an over-produced release. Her style is close enough to London's that you'll admire her taste in music--her new album, The Heart Already Knows, is a mix of standards and pop tunes--but she's doing so much more than paying homage to a legend. (This isn't even a tribute since these songs are not known as London songs, but there are many similarities in the approach.)

I should stop with the endless comparisons, since that isn't quite fair to the very talented Reid. It is fair to say that she affects me in the same way as London, which is basically wow, I love listening to this person sing these words in such an interesting and heartfelt manner. Reid's complex set of vocal inflections are the mark of someone who knows a classically-trained voice can't always convey a wealth of life experiences--either good or bad. That's why the skilled musicians who share the stage with Reid are so reticent. They're standing out of the way, letting you soak up that big, warm voice. In most cases she's accompanied by little more than a piano or a guitar, albeit from all-stars such as Paul Meyers, Larry Koonse and yes, the great Fred Hersch. It's interesting that Reid is also known as a talented pianist, but she chooses focus everything on her splendid vocal interpretations.

The Heart Already Knows, if you haven't figured it out yet, is a singer's album, one where most of your attention is continually drawn toward the woman in the black dress at the front of the stage. I suspect that accounted for so much of Julie London's charm, that she mastered the art of commanding attention from the audience. Inside that charm is that innocence I mentioned, and that makes this singer even more intriguing. Listening to Kate Reid gives me the identical impression of a singular spotlight, one that captures the essence in each syllable. Highly recommended.

Julie London LP Remasters on Analogue Productions

Funny how I've gravitated to the older performers, the ones my parents also love, in the last few years. In 2014 I obsessed about Harry Belafonte, last year it was Dean Martin and now I'm trying to get all the Julie London I can. A lot of this has to do, of course, with the Analogue Productions reissues that have featured these three artists--in each case I was mightily impressed with the realistic sound quality and made albums such as Dream with Dean and Belafonte Live at Carnegie Hall a permanent part of my demo stash for trade shows.

Here's the thing, though. I've known about Dean and Harry for years. I've owned plenty of their recordings. But Julie London has always been sort of an unknown quantity to me. I mostly knew her from her appearances with Bobby Troup in the '70s TV show Emergency!. The only reason I knew who they were because my mom would get excited every time she saw them hanging out at the nurse's station. "They're famous! They're married in real life! She's a singer and he's a band leader!" Okay, Mom. Whatever.

But there have been inklings over the years that they were much more than Dixie McCall and Dr. Joe Early over at Rampart General. First, Troup was hilarious in his small role in the film M*A*S*H. ("Goddamned army jeeps!") Then there was that scene in the film V for Vendetta where V is playing "Cry Me a River" for Evie in his underground hideout. Nice song, I thought. Then I noticed that audiophiles were beginning to talk about some of Julie's records, and how great they sounded. So when Chad Kassem started remastering them for AP, I knew I had to check them out.

First up was Julie Is Her Name, Vol.2. I wanted to start with Vol. 1, but it didn't look like Chad had tackled that title. Perhaps it's because it was a mono recording, but that hasn't stopped Chad before since he's the master of mono reissues. All I know is that pristine copies of the 1955 debut are very pricey, and they are not reissues. So I purchased Vol. 2 at Chad's booth at the Newport Show, ran back to my exhibit room and was almost through the first side when the record started skipping. I couldn't see what was causing the skip, but it appeared to be some sort of hard obstruction in the groove. I went back to the booth to trade it out for another copy, and wouldn't you know it--they were out. So I had to go with Julie's Latin in a Satin Mood, which is still a hell of a consolation prize.

I was a little bummed since we were all loving Vol. 2 so much. But stuff happens in the world of vinyl. So as soon as I got home I re-ordered it online. I'm so glad I did, since this 1958 recording is a sonic benchmark for female voice recordings. Forget Krall. Forget Barber. Forget Warnes. Julie's voice on this album is so present, so tangible that it's eerie. Remember how I raved about Dean Martin's voice on the Dream with Dean reissue? This is just as good.

Like the Martin recording, V2 features very simple and spare arrangements--we just get Howard Roberts on guitar and Red Mitchell on bass. But Julie's voice is so front and center that you won't find yourself wishing for anything more. This is a fantastic-sounding album, period. When I play it for people, they say "that sounds great." Every single one.

Latin in a Satin Mood is no slouch, either. Julie's voice is just as breathy and sexy and clear and sweet and romantic on this 1963 release. The only reason why this LP isn't quite the same masterpiece--and it certainly has nothing to do with the remastering job--is because the arrangements are little more complex and there's a slightly noticeable barrier between Julie's naked voice and the much larger orchestra behind her. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. What that separation creates is more of that "window into history" sound that enjoy so much in order recordings. I want there to be a tinge. I want to be reminded that I was a year old when this recording was captured in the studio. I want to feel each and every one of those year passing by as I listen.

Will Analogue Productions release more of Julie's catalog? I hope so. I'll buy a mono version of Vol. 1 in a heartbeat. I don't see anything on the Analogue Productions Acoustic Sounds website, but I'll keep my eye peeled.