Etta Jones Doin' What She Does Best CD

Singer Etta Jones made a comeback while with Muse in the 1970s and '80s, recording more than a dozen albums and teaming up with tenor saxophonist Houston Person (who also produced her sessions). This superior sampler has 14 of her very best recordings from that era. Person's tenor both complements and contrasts with Jones' voice, and the frameworks/arrangements -- along with the singer's distinctive phrasing -- uplift these standards. Her renditions of songs like "Crazy He Calls Me," "I Saw Stars," "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away the Key)," "My Romance," "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)," and "The Man That Got Away" are quite definitive. In fact, these are among the very best (and most enjoyable) recordings of Jones' long career. ~ Scott Yanow

Recorded between 1976 & 1987.

Compilation producers: Joel Dorn, Lance Goler.

Personnel: Etta Jones (vocals); Houston Person (tenor saxophone); George Devens (vibraphone); Stan Hope, Cedar Walton, Walter Davis (piano); Sonny Phillips (keyboards); Jimmy Ponder, Melvin Sparks (guitar); Sam Jones, Buster Williams, Peter Weiss, Milt Hinton (bass); Idris Muhammad, Cecil Brooks III, Grady Tate, Vernell Fournier, Jimmy Cobb, Frankie Jones (drums); Lawrence Killian (percussion, congas); Ralph Dorsey (percussion).

Producer: Houston Person.