DAKOTA STATON - The Complete Early Years 1955-58
ACROBAT ADDCD3306
Dakota Staton (v) with orchestras led by Howard Biggs; Nelson Riddle; Jesse Stone; Van Alexander; Sid Feller; George Shearing Quintet
Recorded 1955-1959
As the recent series of records of ‘The Best Singers Time Forgot’ demonstrated so well, there were literally dozens of first- class female jazz singers that never made it past 1961 when Rock ‘N’ Roll burst onto the scene. Dakota Staton never had such troubles, she fitted easily into any number of musical niches and performed in them to a high standard. This collection billed on the front cover as from 1955-58 but in reality, stretching from ’54 to’59 catches some of the very best of Dakota in her early years. She sounds quite happy and more than competent on several R&B tracks and some that tip over onto the early rock and roll tracks. The first fourteen selections on disc 1 demonstrate that effectively but sandwiched in between she rips through How High The Moon in lively jazz mode and also proves to be a fine ballad singer on A Little You and Don’t Leave Me Now. Jazz singing suited her very well though, no doubt about that when you listen to The Late, Late Show, Broadway and Blues In My Heart. That last one also shows how good a blues singer she was too as do many other selections here. On Misty she becomes a warm and lyrical ballad singer, so it seems there was little if any limit to her talents.
There are 55 tracks on this 2 CD collection and plenty of examples of Ms Staton in all of her various guises. Disc 2 has more of the jazz singer with big orchestra although the pieces with George shearing’s combo are equally impressive. At one point, following a sturdy, improvised trombone solo from an unidentified soloist, she breaks into some wild, crazy scat singing that would give Ella Fitzgerald a run for her money. But Dakota was not a straight- ahead jazz singer primarily; she could and did belt them out and her voice was powerful in all registers. She was close to Dinah Washington stylistically, but different in that she could change at will to a soft and gentle ballad singer and adopt a cute, little girl voice at times. Unlike the female jazz singers that time forgot, Dakota Staton went on to perform and record into the late 1990s before suffering a stroke in 1999 and spending her last years in a nursing home where she died in 2007. It is reported though that she was flamboyant and full of show biz glitz to the end, dressed in a spangly, silver dress, white feather boa, silver high heels and singing with a voice that sounded the same as in the 1950s, as late as 1995.
If you like good vocal jazz, blues and a lacing of R&B you should find plenty to enjoy on this expansive 2 CD set.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
ACROBAT ADDCD3306
Dakota Staton (v) with orchestras led by Howard Biggs; Nelson Riddle; Jesse Stone; Van Alexander; Sid Feller; George Shearing Quintet
Recorded 1955-1959
As the recent series of records of ‘The Best Singers Time Forgot’ demonstrated so well, there were literally dozens of first- class female jazz singers that never made it past 1961 when Rock ‘N’ Roll burst onto the scene. Dakota Staton never had such troubles, she fitted easily into any number of musical niches and performed in them to a high standard. This collection billed on the front cover as from 1955-58 but in reality, stretching from ’54 to’59 catches some of the very best of Dakota in her early years. She sounds quite happy and more than competent on several R&B tracks and some that tip over onto the early rock and roll tracks. The first fourteen selections on disc 1 demonstrate that effectively but sandwiched in between she rips through How High The Moon in lively jazz mode and also proves to be a fine ballad singer on A Little You and Don’t Leave Me Now. Jazz singing suited her very well though, no doubt about that when you listen to The Late, Late Show, Broadway and Blues In My Heart. That last one also shows how good a blues singer she was too as do many other selections here. On Misty she becomes a warm and lyrical ballad singer, so it seems there was little if any limit to her talents.
There are 55 tracks on this 2 CD collection and plenty of examples of Ms Staton in all of her various guises. Disc 2 has more of the jazz singer with big orchestra although the pieces with George shearing’s combo are equally impressive. At one point, following a sturdy, improvised trombone solo from an unidentified soloist, she breaks into some wild, crazy scat singing that would give Ella Fitzgerald a run for her money. But Dakota was not a straight- ahead jazz singer primarily; she could and did belt them out and her voice was powerful in all registers. She was close to Dinah Washington stylistically, but different in that she could change at will to a soft and gentle ballad singer and adopt a cute, little girl voice at times. Unlike the female jazz singers that time forgot, Dakota Staton went on to perform and record into the late 1990s before suffering a stroke in 1999 and spending her last years in a nursing home where she died in 2007. It is reported though that she was flamboyant and full of show biz glitz to the end, dressed in a spangly, silver dress, white feather boa, silver high heels and singing with a voice that sounded the same as in the 1950s, as late as 1995.
If you like good vocal jazz, blues and a lacing of R&B you should find plenty to enjoy on this expansive 2 CD set.
Reviewed by Derek Ansell
