Yesterday I was listening to one of my favorite singers: Pinky Winters. The album was Lonely One, with a stunning rhythm section—Gerald Wiggins (p), Howard Roberts (g), Jim Wolf (b) and Chico Hamilton (d). Recorded in Los Angeles in 1958 for Argo, the album is as cool and hip as anything produced that year. I've posted about it before but I have more to say.
Lonely One features jazz songs that Pinky sent over the moon with nifty phrasing and gorgeous intonation. Her voice was and remains a swinging jazz instrument—breathy, clear, soaring and finger-snappingly in-the-know. It's why so many great West Coast musicians such as Zoot Sims, Lou Levy, Stan Levey and Pete Christlieb recorded with her over the years, starting in 1954. Best of all, on Lonely One, Pinky was refreshingly loose, and her risk-taking paid off. You can hear her go for it and land right-side up every time. [Photo on cover of album above is a model, not Pinky Winters]
The songs on the album are Jeepers Creepers, I've Got Plenty of Love, Gone With the Wind, Pennies From Heaven, My Heart's a Child, October's Dream, Lonely One, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Cheek to Cheek, It Never Entered My Mind, You Smell So Good and Easy Living.
All of the tracks are knockouts. The quartet is unreal, as you might imagine. And Pinky loved crawling inside these songs and messing around with the dials. No matter what she sings here, Pinky keeps it interesting. She also personified the Hollywood sound, with a sunny optimism and romantic playfulness that was natural and honest. While there was a thin veneer of Sarah Vaughan in her vocal style, Pinky was Pinky. One of a kind.
Born in Michigan City, Ind., Pinky learned to play piano and gigged locally after high school, heading West with a girlfriend a few years later. After an extended stop in Denver, she continued to Los Angeles, married and lived in Manhattan Beach. Pinky retired in 1959 to raise her daughter following a divorce. She returned to singing in 1980, when she began to record a stunning series of albums that fulfilled the promise first heard back in the '50s.
Her early albums are Pinky (1954), Pinky & Zoot (1954) and Lonely One (1958). Then came the 22-year recording break. The next phase featured The Shadow of Your Smile: Pinky Winters Sings Johnny Mandel (1983), Let's Be Buddies (1985), As Long As There's Music (1994), This Happy Madness (1994), Rain Sometimes (2001), World on a String (2006) and Winters in Summer (2010).
All of these albums are gems. Each one is better than the one that preceded it, with Pinky's voice growing warmer with each recording session. As Lonely One shows, Pinky did a lot of listening and had an artist's understanding of swing and jazz.
JazzWax note: For more on Pinky, visit her site here.
JazzWax tracks: Pinky Winters' Lonely One is out of print and hard to find. You'll find a copy or two on vinyl at eBay. The CD is scarce.
JazzWax clip: Here's the entire album (click on the link, which will take you to YouTube. All of the tracks are down the right-hand side)...
