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Billy Eckstine shows up in many jazz histories as the leader of a great, cutting-edge big band of the 1940s that included, at various times, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, and Fats Navarro. (Unfortunately, Parker’s stay was during the 1942-44 recording ban, and so far no airshots have surfaced that feature him with Eckstine’s orchestra.) But Eckstine should be remembered for being an amazing jazz vocalist as well, with a richly-nuanced baritone voice that was perfect for the blues and ballads that he favored, and a suave, sensually elegant quality that catapulted him to great popularity in the 1940s and 50s.
This week’s Afterglow program, Billy Eckstine: the Roulette Years covers the singer’s brief but compelling stay on the Roulette label circa 1960 with music from his standards LP with arranger Billy May, his blues outing with Count Basie, and a great live performance in Las Vegas.
For more early-1960s Roulette jazz vocals, check out the previous Night Lights show about Dinah Washington’s stint on the label: The Late Miss D
Watch Billy Eckstine singing and playing valve trombone on “You Better Believe It” from a performance at the Playboy Club:
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