Superb 12-song long-player, derived from
Sylvia Syms' October 1952 10" debut LP on Atlantic, and her 1954
Songs by Sylvia Syms. Delightful from the opener, a scintillating rendition of "Paradise," highlighted by
Syms' dizzying interaction with
Al Cohn's tenor sax,
Danny Bank's baritone sax, and
Don Elliott's trumpet. The songs tend to alternate between slow ballads (mostly backed by the
Barbara Carroll Trio) and more up-tempo pieces, what they used to call "rhythm numbers," the former smoldering seductively and the latter showing
Syms' more playful side. The sound on the Japanese reissue CD from the 1990s is great.