Sheila Jordan Portrait Of Sheila CD

Personnel: Sheila Jordan (vocals); Barry Galbraith (guitar); Steve Swallow (bass); Denzil Best (drums).
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on September 19 and October 12, 1962. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.
PORTAIT OF SHEILA is one of the finest jazz vocal debut albums ever released. By 1962, however, this kind of straight jazz singing had started to become, if not exactly passé, more of an esoteric specialty, overtaken by bossa nova, the folk craze, the civil rights movement, free jazz, et al. (Which may be one reason why the sterling Sheila Jordan always had to keep her day job as a secretary.) That aside, this is a spontaneous-sounding, enthusiastic session of an already accomplished young singer. Jordan's girlish voice suits the kid-speak of Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Dat Dere" perfectly, but it is also a supple and virtuosic instrument on just about any kind of song ("Falling In Love With Love," "Laugh, Clown, Laugh"). The equally deft accompaniment of guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Denzil Best (an original bebopper) keeps the music fresh, alive, and nearly dancelike.
Sheila Jordan's debut recording was one of the very few vocal records made for Blue Note during Alfred Lion's reign. Accompanied by the subtle guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Steve Swallow, and drummer Denzil Best, Jordan sounds quite distinctive, cool-toned, and adventurous during her classic date. Her interpretations of Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Hum Drum Blues" and 11 standards (including "Falling in Love With Love," "Dat Dere," "Baltimore Oriole," and "I'm a Fool to Want You") are both swinging and haunting. Possibly because of her originality, Sheila Jordan would not record again for over a dozen years, making this highly recommended set quite historic. ~ Scott Yanow