"Mel Tormé (1925-1999) is in typically fine form on this 1992 Concord set; the problem is his musical partner Cleo Laine. Although often classified as a jazz singer, Laine, who has a tremendous range and a lovely voice, seems incapable of improvising. Backed by a 12-piece group led by Laine's husband John Dankworth, the duo perform a variety of mostly superior standards, but nothing unexpected happens -- except for a somewhat disastrous "Two Tune Medley." On the latter, Tormé and Laine sing 20 songs, generally two at a time, in less than five minutes; it is quite annoying. Otherwise, Tormé, who seems to have enjoyed the date, is weighed down and restricted by Cleo Laine's nonswinging style." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Album uit 1995 van de zangeres, met The Duke Ellington Orchestra o.l.v. Mercer Ellington.
Adequaat getitelde verzamelaar uit 1989 met opnamen uit de periode 1957-1971. De zangeres bevindt zich genretechnisch op de rand van jazz-zang en amusementszang. met o.a. haar versies van 'The Lady Sinds The Blues', 'Stormy Weather'.
"Cleo Laine has always had a beautiful voice with a very wide range and she sounds her best in jazz settings. Laine isn't that much of a jazz singer herself since she does not improvise (her scatting passages tend to be played in unison with her husband, John Dankworth) but she swings." (Allmusic.com)
"With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Wordsongs is an ambitious project, geared toward fans who enjoy poetry and are willing to accept concept works that aren't normal fare. Laine did 30 numbers set to poems by such classic writers as Auden, Shakespeare, and Donne. Several had been previously featured in a work titled Shakespeare And All That Jazz. John Dankworth added instrumental accompaniment." (Allmusic)
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