Lucy Reed

[Dmitry]

Listening to her OJC Limited Edition Series cd, backed by two all-star bands, lead by George Russell and Gil Evan’s. She was pitch-perfect.  She could’ve made it big. Anything known of her after this 1957 recording? Did she just fall out of the scene, like so many others, or did she continue to sing locally? I think she was Chicago-based. 

[Big Beat Steve]

My hunch was right: Fresh Sound (yes, them! 😄) DID include her too in their list of reissues of oft-overlooked 50s femme vocalists.

So this might get you a little further ... (though they, too, seem to be unwaware of her activities after the 50s)

https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/13553-lucy-reed-albums

[jazzbo]

I've long enjoyed her two Fantasy recordings, bought the first originally for the Bill Evans participation. She was quite a singer!

Another that I think is similar in the scope of her recordings and her craft was Barbara Lea (though Lea I think had a longer career).

Edited December 7 by jazzbo

[AllenLowe]

she's very good; I have long had a debate in my head about what makes a jazz singer, but certain ones fall into the cracks. She's one of them. One of the criteria is phrasing the other is emotional; she does do the phrasing thing, but sparely, as though to drop in a "jazzy" variation, but it's extremely subtle. Emotionally she is very direct, lacks the artistic detachment of singers like Holiday; which isn't a deal killer but which always sends me back to rethink the whole question. She is a little emotive for my tastes and I sometimes wish she would back off. But this is not an exact science.

[JSngry]

Is she dead?

Well yes she is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Reed

But there's a later album it seems, there might be more details there?

https://www.discogs.com/release/15201375-Lucy-Reed-Basic-Reeding?srsltid=AfmBOoqtUB8ozLdGu-y1GRcwWligTSnXlrk-D73V960PkIUJudjCv32x

Liner notes by Studs Terkel!

[jazzbo]

That's a good album.

[AllenLowe]

39 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Is she dead?

Well yes she is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Reed

But there's a later album it seems, there might be more details there?

https://www.discogs.com/release/15201375-Lucy-Reed-Basic-Reeding?srsltid=AfmBOoqtUB8ozLdGu-y1GRcwWligTSnXlrk-D73V960PkIUJudjCv32x

Liner notes by Studs Terkel!

she sounds good on that later album, her voice is lighter. The only thing is that the mix sounds terrible on the Youtube versions, and there is way too much reverb, which might have been to compensate for an aging voice.

Edited December 7 by AllenLowe

[Dmitry]

47 minutes ago, AllenLowe said:

she's very good; I have long had a debate in my head about what makes a jazz singer, but certain ones fall into the cracks. She's one of them. One of the criteria is phrasing the other is emotional; she does do the phrasing thing, but sparely, as though to drop in a "jazzy" variation, but it's extremely subtle. Emotionally she is very direct, lacks the artistic detachment of singers like Holiday; which isn't a deal killer but which always sends me back to rethink the whole question. She is a little emotive for my tastes and I sometimes wish she would back off. But this is not an exact science.

My unbalanced take on the OJC cd is that some songs just weren’t right for her, like the St.Louis Woman or the hapless Trout song. Sounds like She was at her best in a more personal, despondent setting. I think she was excellent in a torch song genre, perhaps Broadway. Alternatively, That she was with the major swing to bop orchestras, Woody Herman’s and Charlie Ventura’s (any recordings extant?) indicates that she was more multi-faceted than I am giving her credit for.