Singer Carmen McRae made a string of albums for the Decca label in the 1950s, and one of the most interesting ones teamed her up with the rather offbeat jazz musician and arranger Fred Katz, who recorded her in three different contexts-with strings, with woodwinds, and with a percussion section. We feature that LP, Carmen For Cool Ones, on this edition of Afterglow, along with music from Cassandra Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Kurt Elling, Bill Evans, and more--all as part of our standard mix of jazz, ballads, and American popular song.
