Will Friedwald: The Great Jazz and Pop Vocals Albums

The book is Will Friedwald: The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums (2017, Pantheon Books). It consists of an introduction ("The Origins and Development of the Pop Music Album from To Mother to The Voice"), followed by 51 sections reviewing a total of 57 albums. [PS: Later: 52/57]

My grades in brackets. When I first compiled this list (Oct. 10, 2018) I had heard 19/57 records (33.3%). After a pass through Napster, I brought this total up to 51/57 records (89.4%).

  • Louis Armstrong: Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (1957, Verve) [B+(**)]
  • Fred Astaire: The Astaire Story (1953, Verve) [B+(***)]
  • Chet Baker: Let's Get Lost: The Best of Chet Baker Sings (1954-56, Pacific Jazz) [B-]
  • Tony Bennett/Bill Evans: The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1976, Fantasy) [B+]
  • Tony Bennett/Bill Evans: Together Again (1977, Fantasy) [B+(*)]
  • Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962, Rhino) [A]
  • June Christy: Something Cool (1955, Capitol) [A-]
  • Rosemary Clooney: Blue Rose (1956, Columbia/Legacy) [B+(**)]
  • Nat King Cole: After Midnight (1957, Capitol) [A-]
  • Nat King Cole: St. Louis Blues (1958) [B+(*)]
  • Bing Crosby: Bing With a Beat (1957, Bluebird) [A-]
  • Bing Crosby/Louis Armstrong: Bing & Satchmo (1960, Capitol) [B+(**)]
  • Doris Day: Day by Day (1956, Columbia) [B]
  • Doris Day: Day by Night (1957, Columbia) [B]
  • Doris Day and Robert Goulet: Annie Get Your Gun (1962) [B+(*)]
  • Blossom Dearie: My Gentleman Friend (1959, Verve) [A-]
  • Matt Dennis: Matt Dennis Plays and Sings Matt Dennis (1954, Trend) [B+(**)]
  • Bobby Troup: Bobby Troup Sings Johnny Mercer (1955, Bethlehem) -
  • Billy Eckstine: Billy's Best (1958, Verve) [B+(*)]
  • Ella Fitzgerald: Lullabies of Birdland (1955) [A-]
  • Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong: Ella & Louis (1956, Verve) [A]
  • Ella Fitzgerald: Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin (1960, Verve) [B+]
  • Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall (1961, Capitol) [A-]
  • Johnny Hartman: John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963, Impulse) [B+]
  • Dick Haymes: Rain or Shine (1956, Capitol) [B+(**)]
  • Billie Holiday: Lady in Satin (1958, Columbia) [C]
  • Lena Horne: Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria (1957) -
  • Barb Jungr: Every Grain of Sand: Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan (2002) [B+(***)]
  • Dave Lambert/Jon Hendrickson/Annie Ross: Sing a Song of Basie (1957, Impulse) [B]
  • Annie Ross: Sings a Song with Mulligan (1957, Pacific Jazz) [B+]
  • Eydie Gormé/Steve Lawrence: Eydie and Steve Sing the Golden Hits (1960, ABC-Paramount) [B+(**)]
  • Peggy Lee: Black Coffee (1953-56, Verve) [A-]
  • Peggy Lee: The Man I Love (1957, Capitol) [B]
  • Marilyn Maye: Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye (1965, RCA Victor) [B+(*)]
  • Carmen McRae: As Time Goes By: Live at the Dug (1973, JVC) [B+(***)]
  • Anita O'Day: Anita O'Day Sings the Winners (1958, Verve) [B+(***)]
  • Della Reese: Della Della Cha Cha Cha (1961, RCA Victor): [A-]
  • Jimmy Scott: The Source (1969, Atlantic) [B]
  • Jimmy Scott: Lost and Found (1992, Rhino) -
  • Bobby Short: Bobby Short (1956) [B+(*)]
  • Nina Simone: Nina Simone and Piano! (1969, RCA Victor) [B]
  • Frank Sinatra: In the Wee Small Hours (1955, Capitol) [A-]
  • Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956, Capitol) [A+]
  • Jo Stafford: Jo Stafford Sings American Folk Songs (1948-61, Capitol) -
  • Jo Stafford: Jo Stafford Sings Songs of Scotland (1953-56, Columbia) [B]
  • Jo Stafford: I'll Be Seeing You (G.I. Jo) (1959, Columbia) [B+(*)]
  • Kay Starr: I Cry by Night (1962, Capitol) [A-]
  • Maxine Sullivan: Memories of You: A Tribute to Andy Razaf (1956, DCC) [B+(***)]
  • Jack Teagarden: Think Well of Me (1962, Verve) [B]
  • Tiny Tim: God Bless Tiny Tim (1968, Reprise) [B-]
  • Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Dek-Tette: Lulu's Back in Town (1956, Bethlehem) [B+(***)]
  • Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan (1954, Emarcy) [B+]
  • Sarah Vaughan: "Live" in Japan (1973, Mainstream) [B+(**)]
  • Dinah Washington: Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller (1957, Fresh Sound) [B+(**)]
  • Margaret Whiting: Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960) [B]
  • Lee Wiley: Night in Manhattan (1950, Sony) [B]
  • Cassandra Wilson: Belly of the Sun (2002, Blue Note) [B+(*)]