Blue Rose
While the names Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington appear on the cover, the person most responsible for these unusual 1956 recordings was Ellington's regular collaborator, arrangerBilly Strayhorn. When the project developed, Clooney was in the midst of a difficult pregnancy and unable to leave Los Angeles. Strayhorn visited her to work on the arrangements, eventually moving in and becoming nurse as well as orchestrator, picking the material with Clooney and arranging familiar Ellington classics and some of his own songs, like "I'm Checking Out (Goombye)," to suit her voice. The situation eventually required that the band and vocal tracks be recorded separately, the first time the technique had been attempted by major artists, and it's remarkable testimony to Strayhorn's writing and supervision that the natural-sounding results were achieved. Clooney's rich timbre, clear diction, and fine rhythmic sense are well suited to the material, and the Ellington band, as always, was both a fine orchestral instrument and a collection of great soloists. There's also an evocatively exotic instrumental performance of Strayhorn's signature "Passion Flower," withJohnny Hodges's trademark alto saxophone standing out. The recording is an unusual chapter in the Ellington band's history, a showcase for Strayhorn's arrangements and an early chance for Clooney to demonstrate just how good a jazz singer lurked behind her lightweight hits of the day.--Stuart Broomer