Lorez Alexandria

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Lorez Alexandria (actually Dolorez Alexandria Nelson , nee Turner ; born August 14, 1929 in Chicago , Illinois , † May 22, 2001 in Los Angeles ) was an American gospel and jazz singer .

Live and act

Lorez Alexandria began her career in the 1940s when she performed as a singer in churches in her youth; then she was a member of an a cappella choir for eleven years . She later turned to jazz , worked in the clubs of Chicago and recorded four albums for King Records from 1957 to 1959 , a. a. accompanied by members of the Count Basie Orchestra and Howard McGhee . In 1958 she performed with Ramsey Lewis ; In the early 1960s, albums for Cadet and Argo were made , a. a. with Jimmy Garrison . Then she moved to Los Angeles in 1962 to continue her career there.

She became best known in the 1960s for her album Lorez Alexandria the Great , on which she was accompanied on some pieces by Wynton Kelly Trio and that in 1964 on Impulse! Records appeared. In 1965, Bob Thiele brought more titles from the sessions onto the market; the singer's style, which was influenced by blues , gospel and swing , did not fit into the realignment of Impulse! as an avant-garde label. Still, both of their albums were for Impulse! the springboard for national fame, which however declined noticeably in the late 1960s.

Only a few recordings were made for Paul Gayten's small Pzazz label between 1965 and 1976 ; afterwards Lorez Alexandria released a few more albums for the label Trend, Muse and Discovery Records , like her songbook series with songs by Johnny Mercer ( Harlem Butterfly ); she worked u. a. with Gordon Brisker , Ray Drummond , Sammy Figuera , Stan Hope , Gildo Mahones , Houston Person , Andy Simpkins, and the Mike Wofford Quartet; but it seldom occurred. In the mid-1990s she retired; shortly afterwards she suffered a stroke.

In Ashley Kahn's opinion, Alexandria had an airy and impeccable sense of swing and an extensive dynamic range, fully matured and suitable for straddling Broadway and blues, jazz standards and more recent pop material. According to Alex Henderson on Allmusic , she sang in a style similar to Carmen McRae , Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington , but not nearly as successful as them.

Discographic notes

  • This is Lorez Alexandria with the King Fleming Quartet (King, 1957)
  • Deep Roots (Argo, 1962)
  • For Swingers Only (Argo, 1963)
  • Lorez Alexandria the Great (Impulse, 1964)
  • More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse, 1965)
  • Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer - Harlem Butterfly (Discovery, 1984)
  • I'll Never Stop Loving You (Muse, 1992)
  • Star Eyes (Muse, 1993)
  • Talk About Cozy (Hindsight, 1995)

swell

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The reorientation of the label by the management of ABC-Paramount also fell victim to blues singer Beverly Jenkins, the wife of Gordin Jenkins and Freda Payne , both of whom only have one album on Impulse! could bring out. Except for Johnny Hartman's The Voice That Is! (1965) and the re-release of Jon Hendricks , Lambert and Ross' album Sing a Song of Basie (1965) then no further vocal albums appeared on the label; all vocal music, including those influenced by jazz, was to appear on ABC-Paramount's pop labels from now on. See Kahn, p. 97.
  2. ↑ Quoted from Kahn, p. 97.
personal data
SURNAME Alexandria, Lorez
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nelson, Dolorez Alexandria (real name); Turner, Dolorez Alexandria (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 14, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 2001
Place of death los Angeles