Etta Jones had the spark that made each of her vocals special, though she was never acknowledged properly during a long career. Following her hit "Don't Go to Strangers," she continued to record first-rate songs. Many of her albums were unjustly out of print for decades, though
Hollar! was finally reissued by Fantasy as part of their
Original Jazz Classics series in 2001.
Jones is backed by three separate groups on this release. Guitarist
Wally Richardson provides the driving rhythm to back her swinging take of "And the Angels Sing," while vibraphonist
Lem Winchester and pianist
Richard Wyands support
Jones in her emotional rendition of "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)."
Jones would eventually return to the brisk bop gem "Reverse the Charges" decades after this recording, but this early version is preferable, with a nice interlude by pianist Jimmy Neely. There's a bit of friendly conversation in the studio as
Jones gets underway with another swinger, "Our Love Is Here to Stay," adding a boisterous tenor sax solo by
Oliver Nelson. This is easily one of
Etta Jones' best recordings. ~ Ken Dryden