Pat Thomas

[Stefan Wood]

I checked the All Music Guide, they weren't any help.

Basically, last night I was putting some lps onto cds for some stocking stuffers for friends and family. I have three lps by Pat Thomas, which were originally from my parent's collection from a long time ago. So I was listening to her singing as I was making a compilation for my folks, and thinking all the while, man, she has a really good voice! Not on the tier of Ella or Sarah or Dinah, of course, but not bad at all, and I am not partial to jazz vocals -- it's just my personal quirk. Her voice reminds me of Dinah Washington, in fact, with that sweet, bluesy feel, but without the sharpness that Dinah has. Melodic like Sarah Vaughan, but not the range. Anyways, the three lps I have are Jazz Patterns, the one from the Strand label, which is a nice, late night jazz vocal lp. I have no idea who the sidemen are, but it mentions in the liner notes that she worked with Art Blakey and Gigi Gryce, and others. The other two lps are from the MGM label, with Creed Taylor as producer. Early 60's -- one called Moody's Mood, which is more of the same but not as interesting as the Strand lp, and I think it has to do with the arrangements, and not her singing. And aside from the title piece, the songs are that odd mix of jazz standards and stuff that popped up in the 60's. But the best of the bunch is Desafinado, the bossa nova lp she did -- chronologically between Jazz Patterns and Moody's Mood. This is a great bossa nova record, with snappy, punchy arrangements and wonderful singing. I was surprised that this was never reissued in some form, even during the Ultra Lounge craze of the 90's. All the standards are here, but they are not the somber, yearning tunes that Gilberto made famous -- which in a way is refreshing. But these aren't silly upbeat tunes either -- they are dramatic in their own fashion, almost John Barry-ish. I loved listening to this as a kid, and I love it still. I'm wondering if anyone else has heard of this person, and if there are any other lps out there by her. I have run across the Desafinado lp a few times, but never the others.

Edited December 24, 2003 by Stefan Wood

[brownie]

I've heard about her but never heard her. She sounds interesting from what I see on your post. The Tom Lord discography lists the three albums you mention plus a number of unissued sessions for MGM/Verve. Musicians like Joe Wilder, Taft Jordan, Johnny Hodges, Hank Jones are listed as taking part in some of these sessions. Consider yourself lucky to have those records!

Edited December 24, 2003 by brownie