Carol Sloane is one of the last smoky-voiced jazz singers who came up shoulder to shoulder with jazz greats of the 1950s and '60s. Carol emerged at the tail end of the 1950s with sophistication and depth baked into her husky intonation. Pre-rock era jazz singers had a certain something extra that is impossible to duplicate now. They lived through World War II as kids, hung out with top-shelf musicians in the 1950s and understood how to make songs their own and shade them with moods ranging from melancholy to sensuality. [Photo above of Carol Sloane by James Gavin, courtesy of Carol Sloane]
Out now is Carol's latest album, Live at Birdland (Club 44). Recorded at the New York jazz club in September 2019, she was joined by Mike Renzi on piano, Jay Leonhart on bass and Scott Hamilton on saxophone. Carol was booked to return to Birdland in March 2020, but the onset of Covid-19 shuttered public venues, making another appearance impossible.
The new album's tracks are Havin' Myself a Time, Blue Turning Gray Over You, I Don't Want to Walk Without You, As Long As I Live, Glad to Be Unhappy/I Got a Right to Sing the Blues, If I Should Lose You, You Were Meant for Me, The Very Thought of You, You're Driving Me Crazy, Two for the Road, Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams and I Always Leave the Door a Little Open. The album is a master class in jazz singing and instrumental accompaniment. [Photo above of Carol Sloane in the early 1960s]
Renzi, who died in September 2021, was among jazz's finest piano accompanists and is glorious here behind Carol and on solos. Come to think of it, Renzi and Carol first recorded together on Carol's 1963 album, Carol & Ben. Jay's bass does double-duty—running strong lines and keeping time, since this trio worked without a drummer. And Hamilton's powerful tenor saxophone adds the swing element and reminds us of Carol's history singing with saxophonists such as Ben Webster, Frank Wess and Clifford Jordan not to mention a parade of other jazz greats, including Clark Terry, Joe Puma, Chuck Wayne, Jim Hall, Bob Brookmeyer, Barry Galbraith, Sir Roland Hanna, Tommy Flanagan and Joe LaBarbera.
Carol's new album is beautiful, intimate and cozy—a reminder of how exceptional she has been as an interpreter of songs with her beckoning honey-coated voice and savvy phrasing. Just hearing Carol's voice on the album takes me back to 2009, when we spent a day together in the studio and over drinks after. But that's a story for another time. Love you Sloaney. [Publicity photo of Carol Sloane in the 1990s by Eric Stephen Jacobs]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Carol Sloane's Live at Birdland (Club 44) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's The Very Thought of You...
And here's Two for the Road...