LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS ON JAZZ
by Marshall Bowden

CAPITOL COOL:
Peggy Lee, George Shearing, and Dakota Staton

In May 1958, Peggy Lee entered the Capitol Records studio to record, among other things, the biggest hit of her career, “Fever.” The song, written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell (under the alias John Davenport), was an R&B hit for Little Willie John. Lee rearranged it and wrote new lyrics as well, adding the verses about Romeo & Juliet and Capt. Smith & Pochohantas. Lee was back at Capitol following a period at Decca Records, from 1952-1956, which saw the release of her classic album Black Coffee, considered by many to rank among her best recordings. Her 1957 return to Capitol was The Man I Love, which featured an orchestra arranged by Nelson Riddle and conducted by Frank Sinatra. That was followed by another Riddle-arranged outing, Jump for Joy. When Lee entered the studio in that spring of ’58, it was with arranger/producer Jack Marshall at the helm. The album that resulted (but which did not include “Fever”) was released as Things Are Swingin.’

Marshall became a major producer for Capitol in the later 1950s, and worked with Lee and fellow Capitol vocalist Judy Garland. Marshall was also an excellent guitarist, and a close friend of studio guitarist Howard Roberts. Roberts was a guitar whiz whose playing was on a par with Herb Ellis, but who devoted his career to studio work. Most of his Capitol output was produced by Marshall, and it was Roberts who provided the finger-snapping background for Lee’s recording of “Fever,” guaranteeing his immortality in a way that his recorded guitar work never could. Roberts also appears on Things Are Swingin’, along with Barney Kessel, Pete Candoli, Bob Enevoldsen, and Shelly Manne, but Marshall’s arrangements don’t do much to take advantage of the array of instrumental talent brought to bear on this recording. And while Lee sings well, her voice shows some signs of wear not evident on earlier recordings. The sessions were held during a lull in Lee’s live performing schedule, and perhaps the lack of daily live vocal work kept her voice from being at its best.

Things Are Swingin’ is still a nice, breezy album with some standout moments. Lee reworks some classic material, such as “I’m Beginning to See the Light”, a song associated with Duke Ellington, and Sammy Cahn’s “Life is for Livin’”, giving them her trademark rhythmic enthusiasm. The title track, co-written by Lee and Jack Marshall was the opening number of her live shows for many years. While the album’s running time is short, it’s a happy listen, and both sides of the single not included on the original album (“Fever”/”You Don’t Know”) are here as well.

A better Peggy Lee recording is Beauty and the Beat! (weirdly reused as the title of the debut album by the rock band the Go-Gos in the 1980s) with George Shearing leading a quintet that consists of Ray Alexander on vibes, Toots Thielmans on guitar, Carl Pruitt on bass, and Ray Mosca on drums. Armando Peraza provides congas on a couple of numbers. This album was originally released with overdubbed applause and was issued as recorded at the 1959 Miami Disc Jockey’s Convention. Lee and Shearing did play at the convention, but this recording was made in the studio. In 2003 Capitol/Blue Note reissued the album with the fake applause and announcements removed, resulting in a finely nuanced album that is one of the high points of Lee’s recording career.

Lee and Shearing only recorded together this one time, but they put a lot of effort into it, spending some 72 straight hours prior to their appearance at the DJ convention choosing songs, keys, working out arrangements. The performance itself is one that Lee said she barely remembered due to the breakneck pace of preparations. This recording was done in several days before the performance (at least that is the best guess of anyone involved—there are some difficulties with incorrectly labeled masters), presumably as some kind of rehearsal process, and the music speaks for itself. The forthright “Do I Love You,” the torchy blues-inflected “I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City” and “You Came a Long Way From St. Louis,” the quintet features “Isn’t It Romantic” and “Mambo in Miami” and the hard-driving swing number “Get Out of Town” succeed admirably because they allow Lee and Shearing to do together what each excels in separately. Rarely is there such a well-made match of singer and instrumentalist, though Shearing was also a sympathetic accompanist to singer Dakota Staton on In the Night, recorded in 1958.

Staton is young and in top form here, having just done her Capitol debut The Late Late Show the previous year. Shearing’s quintet is a different one than on the Peggy Lee set, featuring bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Percy Brice, along with vibraphonist Emil Richards and Thielmans on guitar. More of the album is instrumental—nearly half, but the tracks with Staton are fine indeed. Her voice is reminiscent, at times, of Dinah Washington, with a hint of the bluesy, brawling wail of Bessie Smith. She certainly excels at blues-tinged numbers, including “Blues In My Heart,” “In the Night,” and “Confessin’ the Blues.” On the instrumental numbers Shearing and company tackle some great tunes that aren’t as well known as they should be, including two Ray Bryant compositions, “Pawn Ticket” and “Later.” They also do a toe-tapping, swinging version of the Staton hit “The Late Late Show” as an instrumental. And then there’s Shearing’s own composition, the supremely laid-back “Easy.”

The success of In the Night surely paved the way for Shearing to record with other Capitol vocalists, including Peggy Lee, Nancy Wilson, and Nat ‘King’ Cole. The quiet sophistication of Shearing’s quintet sound proved the perfect backing for many vocalists throughout his career. Both Beauty and the Beat! and In the Night are great jazz recordings that should satisfy anyone who enjoys top notch vocalists accompanied by small groups.