CD Tracks
| Track 1: After You've Gone 3:01 Track 2: Mood Indigo 5:48 Track 3: These Foolish Things 5:49 Track 4: Love Walked In 3:18 Track 5: Poor Butterfly 4:15 Track 6: I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You 3:58 Track 7: How Deep Is The Ocean 4:08 Track 8: Indian Summer 3:23 Track 9: Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye 4:51 Track 10: My Foolish Heart 4:53 Track 11: 'Tis Autumn 5:13 Track 12: The Man I Love 4:06 Track 13: Indiana/Donna Lee 3:51
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If they took a poll to select "The Most Overlooked Singer of Our Generation'; I'd vote for Sue Raney.
Oh, sure, she's recorded more than a dozen albums over the years, she's been nominated for a couple of Grammys, and she's been featured with the likes of Nelson Riddle, Michel Legrand and Hank Mancini. But the really solid worldwide success she obviously merits just has not materialized.
Why? I don't know. Poor management? Maybe. Wrong place at the wrong time? Maybe. Lack of promotion? Maybe.
Whatever, she's still one of America's best-kept secrets after some 25 years of making records and personal appearances, and I'm talking major talent here, folks. Leonard Feather said it as well as anyone when he wrote:
"Sue Raney's style, timbre, phrasing, accompaniment, choice and pace of material are all perfect. She's a stunning, sophisticated lady who radiates sweetness, wit, tenderness and rhythmic sensitivity. What more can you expect from a singer?"
He could also have mentioned that she sings impeccably in tune, can break your heart with a love ballad and understands every nuance of every lyric she sings.
The fact that she is also one of the nicest persons in the whole world makes her even more special. It shows when she sings.
I had the good fortune to produce several albums for Sue in the late '60's when she was just getting a career underway. A couple of them were arranged and conducted by Bill Byers and were gems. Unhappily, as the old saying goes, they weren't released, they escaped. But anyone here who remembers what she and Byers did to make a spectacular ballad performance out of Holiday For Strings knows what I'm talking about.
When, after all these years, I was asked to work with her again on this project, I jumped at the chance ... the chance to offer Sue a challenge by putting her in with some great jazz players and singing some songs she's never done before in a setting that utilized no rigid arrangements, just sketches and routines that left plenty of space for instrumental solos. In short, a jazz album.
So what you've got here is about an hour of music, all of it rewarding, some of it brilliant. You might spot a couple of glitches in the backgrounds along the way; whenever we had to choose between preciseness and feeling we unhesitatingly went to the performances that swung the most and felt the best. To single out any of the soloists would be unfair, but to neglect the contribution of pianist/arranger Alan Broadbent would be criminal. His sureness, his touch, his sensitivity to a singer's needs are beyond reproach.
This is Sue Raney at her very best, a lady who sets extremely high standards for herself and meets every one of them. Her time has come.
Jack Tracy
Albert Marx gave me the opportunity to record again. After my absence from the recording scene for many years, he gave me the chance to sing the kind of music I had always longed to be able to put on record.
In the '60's and '70's when I was recording, vocal jazz wasn't something record executives wanted to take a chance on, especially with newcomers. Until I met Albert, I never thought it would be possible.
He was wonderful to me. He allowed me extra studio time to fix things, if needed. He was supportive of my ideas and always offered a sort of fatherly concern for my well being. He was a stern man Ñ with a Heart of Gold! His life and his love of music as an art reflected quality, integrity and loyalty. He gave many artists the opportunity to perform their craft in an atmosphere of excellence. I am so grateful and honored to have been one them.
I thank him for allowing me the chance to work with Jack Tracy again, and my love and appreciation to Patricia Marx for deciding at this CD be a tribute to her beloved husband Ñ a man I will miss very much.
Sue Raney
Editor's Note: Albert Marx was the founder and guiding spirit behind Discovery and Trend Records from their inception. Many of his personal productions are now legend, including the 1939 milestone recordings of Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall.
Recorded at Sage & Sound Recording Studios
Los Angeles, California, September 24, November 26 & December 11, 1990.
Executive Producer: Albert Marx
Produced by Jack Tracy for Albert Marx Productions
Engineers: Jim Mooney
Assistant Engineer: Jerry Wood
Mastered at Oceanview Digital Mastering.
Cover photo: George Jerman
Package design: Lewis Communications
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