Personnel:

Beverly Kenney (vcl), Ralph Burns, Hal Mooney, Eddie Safranski (dir, arr), Charlie Shavers, Jimmy Nottingham, Bernie Glow (tp), Eddie Bert, Will Bradley, Lou McGarity (tb), Al Klink (ts), Dany Bank (bs), Ellis Larkins, Dick Hyman (p), Chuck Wayne, Mundell Lowe (g), Joe Benjamin, Bill Pemberton (b), Ed Shaughnessy, Don Lamond (d)

This definitive double-CD edition includes the complete DECCA albums:

- SINGS FOR PLAYBOYS + 4 Bonus Tracks (*)

- BORN TO BE BLUE + 1 Bonus Track (+)

- LIKE YESTERDAY

And many more from his SESAC recordings and TV broadcasts

Over fifty years after her death, singer Beverly Kenney (1932-1960) remains a cult figure for her fans around the world. Her career was tragically briefshe took her own life when she was 28. She possessed a sweet, child-like vocal quality and a nuanced, pleasant jazz-styled phrasing that won her favour with both pop and jazz audiences.

On these outstanding Decca sides, recorded few years before her death, she displays the smooth, smart and bittersweet touch that defined her personal style.

In addition to the fine small group performances with front-rank jazzmen and orchestral settings with Ralph Burns and Hal Mooney, this set also includes all the sides she recorded with the Eddie Safranski orchestra for the Sesac publishing and record label. All the critical hosannahs they earned her, however, never quite translated into widespread public acceptance, due, at least in part, to the burgeoning rock & roll movement, which she loathed, even composing a song called I Hate Rock and Roll, which she performed on the Steve Allen TV show on May 18, 1958making the perfect addition to this collection.

The closer of the set is a highly valuable document, taped from a Playboy Penthouse TV show, where she is interviewed by Hugh Hefner and sings with her distinctive sophisticated phrasing and cool jazz sensibility.

-Jordi Pujol

Tracklisting:

CD 1

01. 1. Your Love Is My Love (Norman Mapp) 3:07

02. The Magic Touch (Livingston-Evans) 2:23

03. Its Magic (Cahn-Styne) 2:27

04. AYoure Adorable (The Alphabet Song) (Kaye-Lippman-Wise) 2:30

05. Time Was / Its So Peaceful (Prado-Russell) 3:05 (*)

06. A Summer Romance (Taylor-Judson) 3:06

07. Try a Little Tenderness (Woods-Campbell-Connelly) 3:12

08. What Is There to Stay (Duke-Harburg) 3:54

09. A Lover Like You (Clements-Judson) 3:27

10. Its a Most Unusual Day (McHugh-Adamson) 1:46

11. Youre My Boy (Cahn-Styne) 2:57

12. Whats It Like in Paris (Clements-Judson) 3:17 (*)

13. Sing a Rainbow (Archer) 3:01 (*)

14. Brooklyn Love Song (Kaye-Lippman) 2:55 (*)

15. Do It Again (Gershwin-DeSilva) 2:35

16. A Womans Intuition (Young-Washington) 3:30

17. Life Can Be Beautiful (McHugh-Adamson) 2:57

18. Mama, Do I Gotta? (Mizzy-Curtis) 2:04

19. Again (Lionel Newman-Dorcas-Cochran) 2:18

20. Isnt It a Pity (George & Ira Gershwin) 2:32

21. Where Can I Go Without You (Victor Young-Peggy Lee) 2:26

22. Beyond The Next Hill (Haymes-Worth) 2:54

23. You Couldnt Be Cuter (Kern-Fields) 2:22 (+)

24. Born to Be Blue (Wells-Tormé) 3:32

25. I Walk a Little Faster (Coleman-Leigh) 2:51

26. Its a Blue World (Wright-Forrest) 2:19

27. Somewhere Along the Way (Sammy Gallop-Kurt Adams) 3:05

CD 2

01. For All We Know (Coots-Lewis) 3:09

02. It Only Happens When I Dance With You (Irving Berlin) 2:43

03. Vanity (Woods-Manus-Bierman) 2:58

04. Go Away, My Love! (Livingston-Evans) 2:33

05. Undecided (Shavers-Robin) 2:12

06. A Sunday Kind of Love (Bell-Leonard-Rhodes-Primo) 3:31

07. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place (Howard-Ellsworth-Morgan) 2:02

08. I Had the Craziest Dream (Warren-Gordon) 3:21

09. What a Difference a Day Made (Grever-Adams) 2:18

10. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (Harold Arlen-E.Y. Harburg) 2:20

11. Tampico (Roberts-Fisher) 2:01

12. Sentimental Journey (Brown-Homer-Green) 2:07

13. Any Old Time (Artie Shaw) 2:35

14. And the Angels Sing (Elman-Mercer) 1:45

15. More Than You Know (Youmans-Rose-Eliscu) 2:39

16. The Dipsy Doodle (Larry Clinton) 1:46

Bonus Tracks (The Sesac sessions):

17. Lonely and Blue (Johnson) 2:38

18. Yours Sincerely (Sivers) 2:35

19. Long, Lean and Lanky (Rudy Toombs) 2:54

20. Too Bad (Washington-McRae) 2:45

21. Too Late to Be Sorry (Washington-McRae) 2:03

22. Its a Mean Old World (Doug Bagby) 2:10

23. Tall, Dark and Handsome (Langworthy) 2:15

24. Lets Try Again (Unknown) 1:59

25. The Stars, the Night, the Moon (Unknown) 2:32

26. That Pyramid Jazz (Zuber-Fields-Panella) 2:16

27. I Hate Rock and Roll (Beverly Kenney) 1:50

28. What Is There to Say (Duke-Harburg) 2:42

Playboys Penthouse TV Show:

29. Interview 0:42

30. Everything Happens to Me 2:25

31. Interview continues 1:06

32. Mountain Greenery 1:38

33. Makin Whoopee duet with Hugh Hefner 1:51

34. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning 1:41

Sources:

CD 1, tracks #1-2, from the 45 rpm 7" single Decca 9-30614

CD 1, tracks #3,4,6-11, 15-18, from the 12" LP "Sings For Playboys" (Decca DL 8743)

CD 1, tracks #19-22, 24-27 and CD 2, tracks #1-4 from the 12" LP

"...Born to be Blue..." (Decca DL 8850)

CD 2, tracks #5-16, from the 12" LP "Like Yesterday" (Decca DL 8948)

CD 2, tracks #17-26, from different Sesac Recording sessions and albums

CD 2, track #27, from the Steve Allen Show at NBC-TV

CD 2, track #28, Live recording

CD 2, tracks #29-34, from Playboy's Penthouse Show at WBKB-TV

Note:

CD 1 tracks 5, 12-14, and 23 were not included in the original LP configurations.

CD 2 track 28 (What Is There to Say) is a live orchestrated version from the same tune recorded for Decca and included on CD 1, track 8.

Personnel on #1-2:

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by Ralph Burns and His Orchestra

Recorded in New York City, February 19, 1958

Personnel on "Sings for Playboys":

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by Ellis Larkins (p, celeste), Joe Benjamin (b).

Recorded in New York City, December 2, 1957

Personnel on "Born to be Blue":

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by Orchestras directed by Hal Mooney (CD1 #19-22, CD2 #1-4) and Charlie Albertine (CD1 #23-27). Ellis Larkins plays piano and celeste on all selections, Charlie Shavers (tp CD2 #1-3).

Recorded in New York City, October 9 (CD1 #1-4) and 14 (CD1 #5-9), and October 22 (CD2 #1-4), 1958

Personnel on the The Sesac sessions (#17-26):

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by Eddie Safranski and His Orchestra. Collective personnel including: Dale McMickle, Jimmy Nottingham, Bernie Glow (tp), Will Bradley, Bob Alexander, Lou McGarity (tb), Artie Baker (cl), Hymie Shertzer (as), Al Klink (ts), Dany Bank (bs), Dick Hyman (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Eddie Safranski (b, arr), Don Lamond (d).

Recorded in Rockaway, N.J., 1958

Personnel on #27:

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by orchestra conducted by Skitch Henderson.

Steve Allen TV-Show, May 18, 1958

Personnel on #28:

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by unknown orchestra.

Location and recording date unknown.

Personnel on #29-34:

Beverly Kenney (vcl), accompanied by unknown rhythm section (p, celeste, b, d).

Playboys Penthouse TV Show. Hosted by Hugh Hefner. Chicago, 1960

Original Decca recordings produced by Milt Gabler

Compiled for CD release by Jordi Pujol

Stereo / Mono · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered