Previously unreleased Sheila Jordan. 1960 (!!)

[Mark Stryker]

Good God -- previously unreleased Sheila Jordan recorded two full years before her Blue Note debut. What a find. Here's the press release that just came over the transom. I just listened to one of the streaming tracks for press, and it's fucking amazing.

 

Capri Records releases a never-before-heard 1960 recording by legendary vocalist and NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan   Comes Love: Lost Session 1960, due out September 17, 2021, captures the singular vocalist on her earliest known session, two years prior to her Blue Note debut   "Cheeky, importunate and canny, [Sheila] Jordan’s voice is one of the great standard-bearing instruments of midcentury jazz… she still has that mix of sagacity and ingenuous charm that endeared her to discerning listeners in the 1960s."  – Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times   “Sheila Jordan is a one-of-a-kind artist who possesses the power to captivate audiences, inviting all to join her on a magical mystery tour of jazz history.” – Roseanna Vitro, JazzTimes   At the age of 92 and still going strong, singer-songwriter Sheila Jordan has been one of the most revered and utterly unique voices in jazz for decades. Beginning with her debut album, 1963’s Portrait of Sheila on Blue Note Records, she pioneered a bebop-inflected approach to singing accompanied only by solo bass (in that case, a duet with Steve Swallow on one of her signature tunes, Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere”). Following the release of that album, however, Jordan retreated from the scene to concentrate on raising her daughter, working as a typist for the next two decades and not recording as a leader again for more than a dozen years.   The never-before-released Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 thus adds a crucial new chapter to Jordan’s remarkable story. Recorded on June 10, 1960 at New York’s Olmsted Sound Studios for the little-known Chatam Records, the recently discovered studio date presents the singer in nascent but instantly recognizable form on a set of standards. Due for release by Colorado-based Capri Records on September 17, 2021, the album is otherwise shrouded in mystery: Jordan has no recollection of the date or the names of her accompanists, a nonetheless deftly attuned trio.   The music that comprises Comes Love was unearthed by record dealers Jeremy Sloan and Hadley Kenslow of Albuquerque’s SloLow Records, who purchased it among a large collection of acetates several years ago. Knowing of Capri Records owner Tom Burns’ acquaintance with Jordan, they forwarded the surprise discovery to the Capri founder.    The 1960 recording predates Portrait of Sheila by more than two years, making it the earliest representation we have of the singer at the dawn of her storied career. At the time Jordan was working regularly at the Page Three Club in Greenwich Village, often with pianists John Knapp or Herbie Nichols, bassists Steve Swallow or Gene Perlman, and drummer Ziggy Willman. It’s possible that some of these musicians can be heard on Comes Love, though there’s no way of knowing for certain at this point.   “Whoever is playing on it is really good,” attests Burns. “The group seems to have an empathic relationship with her; I don't think it was just some pick-up band. But while it’s troublesome that I can't distinguish the musicians, I really thought this was a recording that should be out there because there's so much good music on it.”   Even without the identifying label on the acetate (and the haunting headshot of the singer that accompanied it, also included in the album packaging), the voice inside is unmistakably that of Sheila Jordan. Her mature style is not yet fully formed, but the jaunty scat that opens Duke Ellington’s classic “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” the playful, sassy flexibility of her time feel on the Gershwins’ “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” or the wry world-weariness that imbues Rodgers and Hart’s “Glad To Be Unhappy” reflect qualities that would remain and deepen over the next sixty years.   “My first reaction was, ‘Wow, does she sound young!’” recalls Burns of his initial impression of the music – a reaction that he reports was shared by Jordan upon hearing the session. “Even though it's only a couple of years before Portrait of Sheila, she’d obviously developed more as a singer by then. But the way she dealt with a session of standards [at that stage in her career] impressed me. Most of the tunes aren’t your typical songs – there are a couple of well-known tunes, but most of them are kind of obscure even for that time.”   The album opens with James Shelton’s wistful “I’m the Girl,” which Sarah Vaughan had recorded four years earlier on Sassy, though Jordan’s rendition emphasizes a naïve melodrama shared by “When the World Was Young,” perhaps the clearest indication that this is such an early effort. The winsome opening verse of “Sleeping Bee” takes on a sprightly tone also present on a brisk “I’ll Take Romance.” A stark “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” is followed by a brassy take on the title tune and a sultry version of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” that reflects the iconic singer’s influence.    “She’s bending notes and singing the way a horn would play,” Burns points out. “[Jordan is] really trying different things out on this session. It’s an interesting look into her evolution as a performer.”   Sheila Jordan One of the most distinctive and creative of all jazz singers, NEA Jazz Master and self-described “Jazz Child” Sheila Jordan is one of those rare vocalists whose voice can be regarded among the great instruments of the music. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania's coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers, the greatest being Charlie Parker. After moving to New York in the early 50s, she married Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Lennie Tristano. She didn’t begin recording until the early 60s, then faded from view for two decades as she stepped back from her career to raise her daughter. Since her return to recording in the late 1970s she has remained one of the most acclaimed and beloved vocalists in jazz, pioneering a duo approach with solo bass and enjoying longstanding collaborations with the likes of Cameron Brown, Harvie S and Steve Kuhn and recording with the likes of Carla Bley, Roswell Rudd, Mark Murphy, Arild Andersen and George Russell.   Sheila Jordan – Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 Capri Records – Capri 74164 – Recorded June 10, 1960 Release date September 17, 2021 caprirecords.com   #     #     #           ReplyReply allForward

 

[Rooster_Ties]

Interesting this is coming out on Capri.

Has Capri released any other historical recordings? None that I’m thinking of off the top of my head, but I don’t know every nook and cranny of their catalog.

[JSngry]

I could be interested...

[John L]

Fantastic!  Thanks for the head up!

[Joe]

More Herbie Nichols? That is very enticing. But I somehow doubt his involvement.

[felser]

Look forward to hearing it.  It's a maybe for me, depending on reviews and samples.

[sgcim]

4 hours ago, Mark Stryker said:

Good God -- previously unreleased Sheila Jordan recorded two full years before her Blue Note debut. What a find. Here's the press release that just came over the transom. I just listened to one of the streaming tracks for press, and it's fucking amazing.

 

Capri Records releases a never-before-heard 1960 recording by legendary vocalist and NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan   Comes Love: Lost Session 1960, due out September 17, 2021, captures the singular vocalist on her earliest known session, two years prior to her Blue Note debut   "Cheeky, importunate and canny, [Sheila] Jordan’s voice is one of the great standard-bearing instruments of midcentury jazz… she still has that mix of sagacity and ingenuous charm that endeared her to discerning listeners in the 1960s."  – Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times   “Sheila Jordan is a one-of-a-kind artist who possesses the power to captivate audiences, inviting all to join her on a magical mystery tour of jazz history.” – Roseanna Vitro, JazzTimes   At the age of 92 and still going strong, singer-songwriter Sheila Jordan has been one of the most revered and utterly unique voices in jazz for decades. Beginning with her debut album, 1963’s Portrait of Sheila on Blue Note Records, she pioneered a bebop-inflected approach to singing accompanied only by solo bass (in that case, a duet with Steve Swallow on one of her signature tunes, Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere”). Following the release of that album, however, Jordan retreated from the scene to concentrate on raising her daughter, working as a typist for the next two decades and not recording as a leader again for more than a dozen years.   The never-before-released Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 thus adds a crucial new chapter to Jordan’s remarkable story. Recorded on June 10, 1960 at New York’s Olmsted Sound Studios for the little-known Chatam Records, the recently discovered studio date presents the singer in nascent but instantly recognizable form on a set of standards. Due for release by Colorado-based Capri Records on September 17, 2021, the album is otherwise shrouded in mystery: Jordan has no recollection of the date or the names of her accompanists, a nonetheless deftly attuned trio.   The music that comprises Comes Love was unearthed by record dealers Jeremy Sloan and Hadley Kenslow of Albuquerque’s SloLow Records, who purchased it among a large collection of acetates several years ago. Knowing of Capri Records owner Tom Burns’ acquaintance with Jordan, they forwarded the surprise discovery to the Capri founder.    The 1960 recording predates Portrait of Sheila by more than two years, making it the earliest representation we have of the singer at the dawn of her storied career. At the time Jordan was working regularly at the Page Three Club in Greenwich Village, often with pianists John Knapp or Herbie Nichols, bassists Steve Swallow or Gene Perlman, and drummer Ziggy Willman. It’s possible that some of these musicians can be heard on Comes Love, though there’s no way of knowing for certain at this point.   “Whoever is playing on it is really good,” attests Burns. “The group seems to have an empathic relationship with her; I don't think it was just some pick-up band. But while it’s troublesome that I can't distinguish the musicians, I really thought this was a recording that should be out there because there's so much good music on it.”   Even without the identifying label on the acetate (and the haunting headshot of the singer that accompanied it, also included in the album packaging), the voice inside is unmistakably that of Sheila Jordan. Her mature style is not yet fully formed, but the jaunty scat that opens Duke Ellington’s classic “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” the playful, sassy flexibility of her time feel on the Gershwins’ “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” or the wry world-weariness that imbues Rodgers and Hart’s “Glad To Be Unhappy” reflect qualities that would remain and deepen over the next sixty years.   “My first reaction was, ‘Wow, does she sound young!’” recalls Burns of his initial impression of the music – a reaction that he reports was shared by Jordan upon hearing the session. “Even though it's only a couple of years before Portrait of Sheila, she’d obviously developed more as a singer by then. But the way she dealt with a session of standards [at that stage in her career] impressed me. Most of the tunes aren’t your typical songs – there are a couple of well-known tunes, but most of them are kind of obscure even for that time.”   The album opens with James Shelton’s wistful “I’m the Girl,” which Sarah Vaughan had recorded four years earlier on Sassy, though Jordan’s rendition emphasizes a naïve melodrama shared by “When the World Was Young,” perhaps the clearest indication that this is such an early effort. The winsome opening verse of “Sleeping Bee” takes on a sprightly tone also present on a brisk “I’ll Take Romance.” A stark “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” is followed by a brassy take on the title tune and a sultry version of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” that reflects the iconic singer’s influence.    “She’s bending notes and singing the way a horn would play,” Burns points out. “[Jordan is] really trying different things out on this session. It’s an interesting look into her evolution as a performer.”   Sheila Jordan One of the most distinctive and creative of all jazz singers, NEA Jazz Master and self-described “Jazz Child” Sheila Jordan is one of those rare vocalists whose voice can be regarded among the great instruments of the music. Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania's coal-mining country, Jordan began singing as a child and by the time she was in her early teens was working semi-professionally in Detroit clubs. Most of her influences have been instrumentalists rather than singers, the greatest being Charlie Parker. After moving to New York in the early 50s, she married Parker's pianist, Duke Jordan, and studied with Lennie Tristano. She didn’t begin recording until the early 60s, then faded from view for two decades as she stepped back from her career to raise her daughter. Since her return to recording in the late 1970s she has remained one of the most acclaimed and beloved vocalists in jazz, pioneering a duo approach with solo bass and enjoying longstanding collaborations with the likes of Cameron Brown, Harvie S and Steve Kuhn and recording with the likes of Carla Bley, Roswell Rudd, Mark Murphy, Arild Andersen and George Russell.   Sheila Jordan – Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 Capri Records – Capri 74164 – Recorded June 10, 1960 Release date September 17, 2021 caprirecords.com   #     #     #           ReplyReply allForward               You make it sound like "Portrait of Shieila was a duo album with just Swallow on bass, but the other cuts had the great Barry Galbraith and Denzil Best on guitar and drums respectively. The liner notes claim that Geo. Russell was responsible for the substitute changes on "If You Could See Me Now", but SJ said in an interview that Bill Evans wrote them out for her on a cocktail table napkin at some club, before the recording.

 

 

[Mark Stryker]

45 minutes ago, sgcim said:

 

To be clear, I didn't write the press release. That's the company ...

[reinylegit]

This sounds wonderful. Adding it to my desiderata list. Thanks for the heads-up!

Edited August 9, 2021 by reinylegit

[JSngry]

The liner notes claim that Geo. Russell was responsible for the substitute changes on "If You Could See Me Now", but SJ said in an interview that Bill Evans wrote them out for her on a cocktail table napkin at some club, before the recording.

So now the mystery of who wrote them on a napkin has been solved, right?

[sgcim]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

The liner notes claim that Geo. Russell was responsible for the substitute changes on "If You Could See Me Now", but SJ said in an interview that Bill Evans wrote them out for her on a cocktail table napkin at some club, before the recording.

So now the mystery of who wrote them on a napkin has been solved, right?

Yeah, but we can't prosecute, because the suspect died 40 years ago.

[Ken Dryden]

Which publicist is working this CD? Usually Braithewaite & Katz handle Capri Records releases, but I haven't seen an email about it.

[JSngry]

46 minutes ago, sgcim said:

Yeah, but we can't prosecute, because the suspect died 40 years ago.

Hell, if writing somebody else's name and number on a cocktail napkins were a crime ..the most basic of paper trails, that is!!!!

[bertrand]

6 hours ago, Joe said:

More Herbie Nichols? That is very enticing. But I somehow doubt his involvement.

There are a lot of gaps in the story, and not much time to fill them since it is coming out next month.

I am working under the assumption that Capri would prefer to identify the personnel before the release date.

I assume they have made some attempts at doing so, but what attempts we don't know. How long ago did they find this?

- Sheila does not remember the session or the personnel. Has she listened to it and still recognized no one?

- Some names were thrown in the mix, including Herbie Nichols and Steve Swallow. Has Swallow been given an audition copy? David Frishberg is not mentioned, but he preceded Herbie. Another guy I would give an audition copy to.

- Have any Herbie Nichols experts been asked to weigh in? From his reply on Facebook, it seems Mark Miller was not asked. If it were me, I would run it by Duck Baker and a few others.

- The media got a preview track. Can any journalist say for sure it is not Nichols?

I will ask around. There are some more avenues to pursue.

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by bertrand

[JSngry]

Chatam Records? 

[bertrand]

Another mystery. Philip Glass had a label with a similar name, but much later.

Did they ever release anything? Who owned it? Could it be a demo and Sheila just slapped a bogus name on it?

Who still alive played/recorded with Herbie Nichols. We have Sheila, Steve Swallow and Archie Shepp. Larry Ridley did a gig with him. Who else?

 

[Rooster_Ties]

9 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Interesting this is coming out on Capri.

Has Capri released any other historical recordings? None that I’m thinking of off the top of my head, but I don’t know every nook and cranny of their catalog.

FWIW, skimming through the entire Capri catalog of about 150 titles — of which I seem own about 9 or 10 — I’m not noticing any that precede the formation of the label in the mid 80’s.

[JSngry]

https://www.discogs.com/label/1053022-Chatam

VERY limited output if this is accurate. One LP from 1958.

that Nancy Steele record has Barry Gailbtrath on guitar, which proves nothing, or even half of it.

[bertrand]

Lord does not even list that one.

[clifford_thornton]

Really interested in hearing this. 

Sloan and Kenslow bought Tom's collection and store stock (Jazz Record Revival) earlier in the year, so I'd assume that's when it was unearthed. I can understand wanting to move quickly while Jordan is still alive, but it would be nice to know who else is on the date. 

[mjzee]

The Jordan is already available on Capri's website: https://caprirecords.com/html_index.cfm?page=item_page&itemoid=110733&itemname= Sheila Jordan Comes Love - Lost Session 1960

As an aside, I have what I imagine is one of the first releases on Capri.  Robert Yelin was a guitarist who shopped at the jazz record store where I worked.  He was a very friendly guy.  An album of his was released on Capri in 1983, and he gave me a copy which I still own.  It was called Night Rain.

[Rooster_Ties]

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/991567

And samples of every track can be heard here…

https://magicsoundrecords.com/music/1577621189/comes-love-lost-session-1960-sheila-jordan

[felser]

13 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/991567

And samples of every track can be heard here…

https://magicsoundrecords.com/music/1577621189/comes-love-lost-session-1960-sheila-jordan

We should have a contest to guess what the DG description algorhythm will come up with as a description of the album.  I'm putting my money on "groovy little gem".

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/991567

And samples of every track can be heard here…

https://magicsoundrecords.com/music/1577621189/comes-love-lost-session-1960-sheila-jordan

The only thing I find appealing is the cover art.

[Rooster_Ties]

Just now, Dan Gould said:

The only thing I find appealing is the cover art.

I’m not into traditional vocal jazz much at all (virtually none in my collection).

But I am curious to see another seemingly new label (the label’s not new I know, but this sort of venture seems to be new for them) — delving into releasing an historic recording from decades ago.