When you get up in the morning, you must have a song - Ray Charles

Friday, January 8, 2010

Betty Carter - Now It's My Turn

Every once in awhile, you run across a record that you heard long ago. A record that knocked you out.

I'm pretty sure I heard this one at my pot dealer's house, sometime in the mid 80's. He was way cooler than me.

I remember thinking I should really look for this record...and then poof...gone.

Until a few weeks ago...when you least expect it, you decide to dig through a crate of records at some antique mall, or you look at someone's on-line close out list...and there it is.

You get it for next to nothing and it is every bit as great as you remember.

This here's one of those.

Betty Carter
Now It's My Turn

1. Music Maestro Please/Swing, Brother, Swing
2. I Was Telling Him About You
3. Wagon Wheels
4. New Blues
5. Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love
6. Making Dreams Come true
7. Open The Door
8. Just Friends/Star Eyes
9. No More Words

Walter Booker - bass
John Hicks - piano
the drummer remains unknown
1976

Roulette SR- 5005

And a blog only bonus...

a 1956 session that remained unreleased until 1980

10. Tell Him I said Hello
11. Social Call
12. Runaway
13. Frenesi
14. Let's Fall In Love

arranger and producer Gigi Gryce
Osie Johnson - drums
Milt Hinton - bass
Hank Jones - piano
Bernie Glow. Nick Travis, Conte Candoli, Joe Ferrante - trumpet
Urbie Green, Jimmy Cleveland - trombone
Sam Markowitz, Al Cohn, Seldon Powell, Danny Bank - saxophone

4/25/56


The whole shebang can be found here

16 comments:

worldbflat said...

Gotta love her. I have the vinyl in pristine condition and always wondered if it would be available in digital form. I got to see her several times up in Seattle--a consumate showperson, and very accessible. She was damned fearless. Columbia combined The session you have with the Ray Bryant album--they must have been 10' inchers. Great to see this here.

Hookfinger said...

World - This is taken from my vinyl copy. Since it was recorded in '76, I doubt they were 10"ers.

worldbflat said...

Sorry, I was referring to the Gigi Gryce session that Columbia paired with the Ray Bryant short session on an album titled "Social Call". You're absolutely right, the "Turn" was released on Roulette in '76

Hookfinger said...

You're right, that other session is taken from Social call, but according to the liner notes, had been unreleased until that time.

I have a nice set of hers from Rome 79 that someone on another blog was nice enough to share. Email me if interested.

SlimStew said...

As I remember, Clifford Barbaro was the drummer on "Now It's My Turn."

Buckshot Lefonque said...

The drummer on Now it's my Turn is Idris Muhammad

Hookfinger said...

So anybody really know who the drummer was? LOL.

SlimStew said...

"So anybody really know who the drummer was? LOL."

LOL--no, not I--I think I mixed this up with another record. I'm gonna download and listen, though--that's a real good way to tell.

cheeba said...

TOTALLY UNDERRATED Queen of vocalese. I only really got into her early last year. This is likely my fave LP I've heard of hers and I also tried to find who the uncredited drummer was last summer. I was thinking it might be Chip Lyles since he often worked with BC in the 70s but I didn't feel like it was a match.

The biggest clue would be her performing the first track Music Maestro/Swing Brother Swing along with I Can't Help It on SNL in March of 76.

Check her performances here:
http://sharebee.com/671874e2

That's Walter Booker on bass and I'm pretty sure Hicks on keys. It's definitely NOT Idris backing her on drums in the clip - always thought it might be Billy Hart since it looks a bit like him and he was playing with Booker around that time.

Tried to find a good pic of Clifford Barbaro thanks to SlimStew's comment but had trouble. However, with the ones I have seen, it looks like a more likely match. Unfortunately I'm not so familiar w/ CJ's drumming so can't say for sure. Can anyone confirm?

I'd venture a guess that the drummer in the clip would be the same one on the album, since this was televised on March 13th, just a few days after she began recording the LP (noted as March 9th).

cheeba said...

Oh yeah, forgot to say thanks since I hadn't heard that Gryce session before, so without further ado:

Thanks Hook!

SlimStew said...

Clifford Barbaro is a southpaw.

cheeba said...

Thanks for the insight SlimStew. So that may not be Barbaro in the clip then? Not a drummer so not sure how to tell if they are southpaws.

Also noticed the recording dates span from March to July according to AMG so maybe there were multiple drummers depending on sessions...

Tiki Atomica said...

As superb as BC's recordings are - And I cherish them all...BUT... You really had to experience Ms. Carter's artistry LIVE to really appreciate the depth of her genius. She was one of the most visceral performers I have ever had the good fortune to see & hear.

Andrew Irving said...

Hi...

I've got this on LP and have been searching for it on CD for years as it's got some of my favourite Betty Carter performances of all time. So thanks for putting it in digital form so I can hear it again, as I no longer have a record player. By the way would love to hear the session from Rome you mention, it it's at all possible.
email is irving2000@gmail.com
...thanks once again amigo
Andrew

swamielmo said...

Wow, what great music. I love Betty, i got to experience her live twice. She is sorely missed. Carmen McRae said there is only one jazz singer and it's Betty.

Lino Agrò said...

Hello everybody. I saw the Lady live here in Italy in the late 80's and was completely blown. Looking for some recordings of her, I bought, among others, a copy of "Now it's my turn" on CD, which it's apparently an Italy-only release on Roulette/Ricordi (Italian license: Carosello records & tapes)from 1988 (Cat. Number: Roulette RCD-59066. It sounds brilliant and features liner notes by jazz journalist Luca Cerchiari.It also states the line-up of the recordings (New York, 9/3, 10/3, 21/6, 1976):John Hicks on piano, Walter Brooker on double bass, Al Harewood on drums. No trace of this CD on the web, though.