PIANO DIVAS - MILESTONES OF JAZZ LEGENDS (10 CDS)

Early on in the history of blues and jazz, women, especially as singers and pianists,
made an important contribution to the development of these African-American music
styles, the formative roots of the popular music of the 20th century.
Lil Hardin (1988-1971) was a highly talented, classically trained pianist, who joined the
turbulent music scene of the early jazz center Chicago in the 20s. There she played with
the best groups, such as King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, where she met a young
trumpeter named Louis Armstrong from New Orleans. With her experience, sense of
taste and style, she motivated her soon-to-be husband, Armstrong, to emerge from the
shadow of his mentor, King Oliver, and make a career as a soloist. The rest is history.
Armstrong's recordings of his Hot 5 and Hot 7s of the 1920s, with Hardin as pianist and
a repertoire to which she contributed world-famous compositions, are among the
milestones in jazz history. She remained a very active musician even after the divorce.
The outstanding female musician of the swing and bebop era was Mary Lou Williams.
From the 1940s, the stylistic range of the many wonderful female piano players gathered here was getting ever wider. Boogie Queen Hadda Brooks, Dorothy Donegan, Beryl Booker, Hazel Scott and Nina Simone all combine soul with class, playing in a more modern style were Barbara Carroll, Lorraine Geller, Bertha Hope and Toshiko Akiyoshi from Japan, as well as the German Jutta Hipp. All of them were excellent individualists, whose music definitely deserves to be heard again.

CD 1
■ Lil Hardin Armstrong
and Her Orchestra:
Chicago - The Living Legends
1. Royal Garden Blues
(Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams) 5.43
2. Red Arrow Blues (Frank Jackson) 4.27
3. Muskrat Ramble (Kid Ory) 6.41
4. Boogie Me (Lil Armstrong) 2.49
5. Clip Joint (Lil Armstrong) 4.43
6. Basin Street Blues
(Spencer Williams) 4.49
7. Eastown Boogie (Lil Armstrong) 6.19
8. Bugle Blues (Count Basie) 3.52
Lil Hardin Armstrong (p, voc on 5) Bill Martin (tp:
1 to 3, 5 to 8), Eddie Smith
(tp: 1 to 3, 5 to 8), Roi Nabors (tp: 1-3, 5-8) Al
Wynn (tb: 1 to 3, 5 to 8), Preston
Jackson (tb: 1 to 3, 5 to 8) Darnell Howard (cl: 1
to 3, 5 to 8), Franz Jackson
(cl: 1 to 3, 5 to 8) Pops Foster (b: 1 to 3, 5 to 8)
Booker Washington (drs)
Recorded in Chicago, September 7, 1961
n Lil Hardin Armstrong
and Louis Armstrong
9. Struttin' With Some Barbecue
(Lil Hardin) 3.06
10. Potato Head Blues (Lil Hardin) 2.58
11. Wild Man Blues
(Lil Hardin, Jelly Roll Morton) 3.11
Louis Armstrong Hot Five: Louis Armstrong (tp,
voc) Kid Ory (tb) Johnny Dodds (cl)
Lil Hardin (p, voc) Johnny St. Cyr (bj).
Recorded in Chicago on December 12, 1927,
May 10, 1927 and April 22, 1927
■ Hadda Brooks
- The Queen of The Boogie
12. Juke Box Boogie (Hadda Brooks) 2.51
13. Bully Wully Boogie (Hadda Brooks) 2.54
14. Sunset Limited (Hadda Brooks) 2.44
15. Boogie In The Sandbox (Hadda Brooks) 3.03
16. Down Beat Boogie (Hadda Brooks) 3.00
17. Humoresque Boogie (Hadda Brooks) 2.50
18. Grieg´s Concerto Boogie
In A Minor (Grieg, Brooks) 2.54
19. Hungarian Rhapsody No Two
In Boogie (Liszt, Brooks) 2.54
20. Basin Street Blues (Spencer Williams) 2.47
Hadda Brooks (p, voc) Basie Day (b) Al “Cake”
Wichard (drs) unknown others
Recorded 1945-1947
TOTAL TIME 75.11

CD 2
■ Mary Lou Williams Plays In London
1. Titoros (Wild Bill Davis) 3.02
2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
(George Gershwin) 3.01
3. 'Round About Midnight
(Thelonious Monk) 4.35
4. Perdido (Juan Tizol) 2.53
5. Koolbongo (Mary Lou Williams) 2.59
6. For You (Alexander Dubin, Joe Burke) 3.16
7. Don't Blame Me
(Dorothy Fields & Jimmy McHugh) 3.49
8. Lady Bird (Tadd Dameron) 3.06
Mary Lou Williams (p) Ken Napper (b) Allan
Ganley (drs) Tony Scott (bongos)
Recorded in London on January 23, 1953
■ Mary Lou Williams/ Barbara
Carroll - Ladies in Jazz
9. My Funny Valentine
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 3.04
10. Taking A Chance On Love
(John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke)
2.21
11. You Took Advantage Of Me
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 2.53
12. 'Tis Autumn (Henry Nemo) 3.26
13. The Lady's In Love With You
(Frank Loesser, Burton Lane) 2.26
14. Love Of My Life (Cole Porter) 2.35
15. Autumn In New York (Vernon Duke) 4.34
16. You're The Cream In My Coffee (Buddy G.
DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson) 2.51
17. Surrey With The Fringe On Top
(Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein) 2.28
18. Pagliacci (Ruggiero Leoncavallo) 2.44
19. Opus Z (Herb Nichols, Mary Lou Williams)
2.54
20. From This Moment On (Cole Porter) 3.40
21. In The Purple Grotto
(Mary Lou Williams) 3.04
22. 'S Wonderful (George & Ira Gershwin) 2.50
Barbara Carroll (p: 9-15) Joe Shulman (b:
9-15) Herb Wasserman (drs: 9-15)
Mary Lou Williams (p: 16-22) Carl Pruitt (b:
16-22) Bill Clark (drs: 16-22)
Recorded in NYC on March 7, 1951 (16-22)
and November 9, 1951 (9-15)
TOTAL TIME 68.37

CD 3
■ Barbara Carroll Trio - Barbara
1. The Trolley Song
(Hugh Martin, Ralph Blaine) 4.15
2. I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
(Frederick Loewe, Al Lerner) 4.52
3. Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries
(Ray Henderson, Lew Brown) 3.51
4. It Might As Well Be Spring
(Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
4.17
5. Will You Still Be Mine
(Tom Adair, Matt Dennis) 3.20
6. Love Is Just Around The Corner
(Lewis Gensler, Leo Robin) 4.53
7. Easy Living (Leo Robin, Ralph
Rainger) 5.53
8. Happy To Make Your Acquaintance
(Frank Loesser) 3.09
9. Blues For Blue-Eyes
(Barbara Carroll) 4.49
Barbara Carroll (p), Joe Shulman (b), Bill
Faite (dr)
Recorded in New York City, on
November 26, 1957
■ Bess Bonnier Trio - Theme For The
Tall One
10. All The Things You Are
(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein) 4.17
11. The Thrill Is Gone
(Ray Henderson, Lew Brown) 3.38
12. Tones For Bones (Nick Fiore) 3.44
13. Theme For The Tall One (Nick Fiore)
3.00
14. Dorian (Bess Bonnier) 3.39
15. Blue Room
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 3.52
16. A-Train (Billy Strayhorn) 2.33
17. Trolley Song
(Hugh Martin, Ralph Blaine) 4.21
Bess Bonnier (p), Nick Fiore (b), Bill
Steen (dr)
Recorded January 12, 1958
TOTAL TIME 68.46

CD 4
■ Marian McPartland -At The London
House
1. Easy Blues (Mary Lou Williams) 3.50
Play Fiddle Play (Emery Deutsch,
Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence) 4.02
Like Someone In Love
(Jimmy Van Heusen) 3.23
4. Tune For Tex (Billy Taylor) 4.35
5. Signature Blues
(Marian McPartland) 0.42
6. Blues Intro (Marian McPartland) 0.58
7. Steeplechase (Charlie Parker) 4.38
8. Give Me The Simple Life
(Harry Ruby, Rub Bloom) 4.02
9. Sweet And Lovely
(Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules
Lemare) 3.04
10. So Many Things
(Marian McPartland) 4.22
Marian McPartland (p) Bill Britto (b) Joe
Cusatis (drs)
Recorded live at London House, Chicago
on September 24, 1958
■ Toshiko Akiyoshi - The Many Moods
Of Toshiko
11. The Man I Love
(George & Ira Gershwin) 5.27
12. Minor Mood (Brown) 4.16
13. After You've Gone
(Turner Layton, Henry Creamer) 3.35
14. We'll Be Together Again
(Carl Fisher, Frank Laine) 4.29
15. Studio J (Toshiko Akiyoshi) 3.15
16. Tosh's Fantasy - Down A Mountain /
Phrygian Waterfall / Running Stream
(Toshiko Akiyoshi) 9.04
17. Bag's Groove (Milt Jackson) 6.49
18. Imagination
(Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) 3.35
Toshiko Akiyoshi (p) John Cherico (b),
John Hanna (drs)
Recorded September 28, 1957
TOTAL TIME 74.12

CD 5
■ Hazel Scott - Relaxed Piano Moods
1. Like Someone In Love
(Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) 3.49
2. Peace Of Mind (Hazel Scott) 4.05
3. Lament (J. J. Johnson) 4.49
4. The Jeep Is Jumpin'
(Edward "Duke" Ellington, Johnny
Hodges) 4.00
5. Git Up From There (Hazel Scott) 4.28
6. A Foggy Day (George Gershwin) 6.06
Hazel Scott (p) Charles Mingus (b) Max
Roach (drs)
Recorded, New York City January 21,
1955
■ Hazel Scott - 'Round Midnight
7. 'Round Midnight
(Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams) 3.02
8. Just Imagine (Buddy G. DeSylva,
Lew Brown, Ray Henderson) 2.56
9. It's You or no One
(Jerome Styn, Sammy Cahn) 3.27
10. It's Easy to Remember
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 4.18
11. Lucky to Be Me (Leonard Bernstein,
Betty Comden, Adolph Green) 3.13
12. Maybe (George & Ira Gershwin) 2.50
13. I Wish I Didn't Love You So
(Frank Loesser) 3.02
14. (In the) Wee Small Hours (of the
Morning) (David Mann, Bob Hilliard) 3.05
15. Warm All Over (Frank Loesser) 3.27
16. Love Is the Thing
(Ned Washington, Victor Young) 2.55
17. Ev'ry Time (Hugh Martin, Ralph
Blaine) 3.11
18. For You, for Me, for Evermore
(George & Ira Gershwin) 3.04
Hazel Scott (p) Everett Barksdale (git)
Sandy Block (b)
Jimmy Crawford (drs)
Recorded in New York City in 1957
TOTAL TIME 65.56

CD 6
■ Beryl Booker - A Girl Met A Piano &
Bonus Tracks
1. Let's Fall In Love (Cole Porter) 3.30
2. Darn That Dream
(Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange) 3.18
3. Remember Me (Irving Berlin) 2.51
4. But Beautiful
(Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) 2.43
5. Stay As Sweet As You Are
(Mack Gordon, Harry Revel) 2.19
6. Love Is The Thing
(Ned Washington, Victor Young) 2.49
7. When A Woman Loves A Man (Bernie
Hanighen, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mercer)
3.03
8. You Better Go Now
(Bickley Reichner, Robert Graham) 2.43
Beryl Booker (p) Johnny Collins (git) Oscar
Pettiford (b)
Recorded March 13, 1952
9. Why Do I Love You
(Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) 2.58
10. Moonlight Saving Time
(Irving Kahal, Harry Richman) 2.37
11. A Handful Of Stars
(Jack Lawrence, Ted Shapiro) 2.44
12. Where were you? (Beryl Booker) 2.46
■ Shirley Scott Plays The Duke
13. Caravan
(Juan Tizol, Edward "Duke" Ellington) 6.32
14. Just Squeeze Me
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 3.33
15. C Jam Blues (Edward "Duke" Ellington)
3.54
16. Prelude To A Kiss
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 3.26
17. In A Sentimental Mood
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 6.06
18. In A Mellow Tone
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 4.04
19. I've Got It Bad
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 5.22
20. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' (Edward
"Duke" Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) 3.38
Shirley Scott (p, organ) George Duvivier (b)
Arthur Edgehill (drs)
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack,
NJ on April 24, 1959
TOTAL TIME 71.36

CD 7
■ Joyce Collins Trio - Girl Here Plays
Mean Piano
1. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
(Ellington, Henry Nemo, Irving Mills) 4.32
2. Just In Time
(Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green)
3.59
3. Walkin' (Richard Carpenter) 4.48
4. I Get Along Without You Very Well
(Hoagy Carmichael) 3.01
5. The End Of A Love Affair
(Edward Redding) 4.12
6. Day In, Day Out (Roy Turk, David Ahlert)
3.42
7. Something's Got To Give
(Johnny Mercer) 5.07
8. Ah, Moore (Al Cohn) 4.01
9. Blue Jay (Joyce Collins) 5.14
Joyce Collins (p) Roy Green (b) Frank
Butler (drs)
Recorded in Los Angele on June 1 and 2,
1960
■ Jutta Hipp - At The Hickory House
Volume 2
10. Gone With the Wind
(Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel) 4.51
11. After Hours (Avery Parrish) 4.40
12. The Squirrel (Tadd Dameron) 3.46
13. We'll Be Together Again
(Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine) 3.15
14. Horacio (Jutta Hipp) 3.21
15. I Married an Angel
(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) 4.25
16. Moonlight in Vermont
(John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) 3.25
17. Star Eyes (Gene de Paul, Don Raye)
4.02
18. If I Had You (Irving King, Ted Shapiro)
3.54
19. My Heart Stood Still
(Lorenz Hart, Richhard Rogers) 4.21
Jutta Hipp (p), Peter Ind (b), Ed Thigpen
(dr).
Recorded at the "Hickory House", NYC, on
April 5, 1956
TOTAL TIME 78.43

CD 8
■ Elmo Hope - Hope-Full Solo Piano
And
Duo Piano with Bertha Hope
1. Underneath
(Elmo Hope) 4.37
2. Yesterdays
(Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) 5.19
3. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
(Traditional) 5.02
4. Most Beautiful (Elmo Hope) 5.06
5. Blues Left and Right (Elmo Hope)
6.06
6. Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
(George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Gus
Kahn) 3.32
7. My Heart Stood Still
(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) 5.24
8. Moonbeams (Elmo Hope) 4.52
Elmo Hope (p) Bertha Hope (p: 2, 5 & 7)
Recorded in New York City on
November 9 & 14, 1961
■ Joanne Grauer Trio
9. Mood For Mode (Joanne Grauer) 4.20
10. Have You Met Miss Jones
(Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) 4.00
11. Invitation (Branislau Kaper) 2.42
12. Happy Is The Sheepherder
(Marv Belew) 5.07
13. I'll Remember April
(Don Raye, Gene De Paul, Patricia
Johnston) 3.18
14. Dancing Nitely (Bill Holman) 5.35
15. I'm Glad There Is You
(Tommy Dorsey, Paul Madeira) 4.58
16. The Song Is You
(Oscar Hammerstein, Jerome Kern) 4.28
Joanne Grauer (p) Buddy Clark (b) Mel
Lewis (drs)
Recorded in Hollywood, Ca in July 1957
TOTAL TIME 74.59

CD 9
■ Dorothy Donegan - At The Embers CD 9
1. That Old Black Magic
(Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) 3.45
2. Over The Rainbow
(E. Y. Harburg, Herold Arlen) 2.30
3. Sweet Georgia Brown (Ben Bernie,
Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard) 2.52
4. My Funny Valentine
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 2.41
5. This Can't Be Love
(Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 2.22
6. D.D.T. (Dorothy Donegan) 2.20
7. Just In Time (Comden, Green, Styne) 3.03
8. September Song
(Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson) 2.29
9. Donegan Walk (Dorothy Donegan) 1.42
10. Humoresque (Dorothy Donegan) 3.11
11. Autumn Leaves
(Johnny Mercer, Joseph Cosma) 2.13
12. Lullaby Of Birdland
(George Forster, George Shearing) 3.03
■ Dorothy Donegan - Live!
13. After You've Gone
(Henry Craemer, Turner Layton) 3.18
14. Body And Soul
(Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton) 6.03
15. Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey
(Albert von Tilzer, Junie McCree) 3.11
16. It's All Right With Me (Cole Porter) 3.53
17. Little White Lies (Walter Donaldson) 3.05
18. How High The Moon
(Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton) 5.17
19. Caravan
(Juan Tizol, Edward "Duke" Ellington) 3.28
20. It Had To Be You (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones) 3.50
21. Louise (Whiting, Robin) 3.26
22. Lullaby Of The Leaves
(Joe Young, Bernice Petkere) 4.46
23. Someday Sweetheart (John C. Spikes) 4.44
24. Fine And Dandy (Chas Johnson) 2.18
Dorothy Donegan (p), unknown, poss. Arvell Shaw (b),
unknown, poss. Panama Francis (dr)
Recorded live at The Embers nightclub, NY, 1957
TOTAL TIME 79.35

CD 10
■ Nina Simone Sings Ellington! CD 10
1. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
(Edward Ellington, Bob Russell) 2.50
2. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
(Edward Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) 4.07
3. Hey Buddy Bolden
(Edward Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) 2.27
4. Merry Mending
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 2.36
5. Something to Live For (Edward "Duke"
Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) 2.56
6. You Better Know It
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 2.25
7. I Like the Sunrise
(Edward "Duke" Ellington) 3.01
8. Solitude (Edward "Duke" Ellington,
Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills) 3.46
9. The Gal From Joe's
(Edward "Duke" Ellington, Irving Mills) 2.13
10. Satin Doll (instrumental)
(Edward "Duke" Ellington, Johnny Mercer,
Billy Strayhorn) 3.38
11. It Don't Mean A Thing
(If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(Edward "Duke" Ellington, Irving Mills) 2.31
Nina Simone (p, voc) The Malcolm Dodds Singers, rest
unknown
Recorded in New York City in 1961
■ Red Mitchell feat. Lorraine Geller
- Presenting Red Mitchell
12. Scrapple From The Apple
(Charlie Parker) 5.33
13. Rainy Night (Red Mitchell) 5.22
14. I Thought Of You (Red Mitchell) 5.24
15. Out Of The Blue (Miles Davis) 6.19
16. Paul's Pal (Sonny Rollins) 7.01
17. Sandu (Clifford Brown) 5.35
18. Cheek To Cheek (Irving Berlin) 8.10
James Clay (ts, fl), Lorraine Geller (p), Red Mitchell (b),
Billy Higgins (dr).
Recorded the night of March 26, 1957 at
Contemporary's Studio in Los
Angeles
TOTAL TIME 76.22