Singer
Annette Sanders and a fine quintet that features the
Stan Getz-influenced tenor of
Harry Allen perform 14 songs that have lyrics by Shannon Shor. Although none of the songs caught on as standards, some have particularly memorable lyrics, particularly "One-Nighter" (which has a double meaning), "The Only Thing," the touching ballad "I Don't Need a Friend," and the ironic bossa nova "Look Who's Here." Several of the tunes have jazz as at least part of their subject matter, with "At the Stardust," "Have a Swingin' Birthday!," and "Have a Swingin' Weekend!" (the latter two having
Sanders overdub a few voices) being quite extreme in their name-dropping. Although not all of the lyrics are classics, the ones that deal with love work rather well and the melodies (ten by Frank Palette) are consistently excellent.
Annette Sanders has a warm and expressive voice; it is surprising that she is not better known.
Harry Allen's tenor often echoes her voice, making this an underrated set of new but traditional swing. ~ Scott Yanow