Dinah Washington – Swing Era

 

Picture: C-     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Shorts: B

 

 

As a fine companion to the Sarah Vaughan set in the Swing Era series (reviewed elsewhere on this site), Idem Home Video has issued a sister set headlined under the Dinah Washington name.  The “Friends” moniker has been dropped, but the following 22 tracks hare featured here by ten more female vocal greats of the early 20^th Century:

 

Dinah Washington:

1)     Only A Moment Ago

2)     Such A Night

3)     I Don’t Hurt Anymore

4)     My Lean Baby

Martha Davis:

5)     Martha’s Boogie

6)     We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye

7)     Vipity Vip

8)     Goodbye

Ruth Brown:

9)     Oh What A Dream/Raining Teardrops From My Eyes

10)  Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean

11)  Have A Good Time

Faye Adams:

12)  Everyday

13)  Somebody Somewhere

Dorothy Dandridge:

14)  Zoot Suit

15)  A Jig In The Jungle

Sister Rosetta Tharpe:

16)  Lonesome Road

Mabel Lee:

17)  Chicken Shack Shuffle

18)  The Cat Can’t Dance

June Richmond:

19)  Hey Lawdy Mama

20)  Mr. Jackson From Jacksonville

Vanita Smythe:

21)  They Raided the Joint

22)  Taint No Good

 

Certainly more diverse than the companion set noted, Washington was an unbelievable vocalist, up there with Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle.  Davis, like Franklin, was quite the pianist and had strong vocal talents too match.  Long before great albums like Tell Mama or classic singles like At Last, Ruth Brown was a serious up front singer and this was filmed just as she was about to get signed to Atlantic Records and become their best selling act of the 1950s.  This is followed by more forgotten singing greats and Dorothy Dandridge, interest of whom has happened thanks to the Martha Coolidge cable film with Halle Berry in the title role, a Janet Jackson Music Video and other interest.

 

Adams had an R&B career that ran from hits in 1953 to 1957, when she retired from the genre for her faith and because of the young new generation of Rock and newer R&B audiences.  Too bad no one convinced her to try some new material to fit her great voice.  Sister Rosetta Tharpe (aka Rosetta Nubin) was a major guitarist, though the clip here does not offer her playing.  She cut her first record in 1938 and married Ink Spots manager Russell Morrison by 1951.  The more obscure singers are saved for last, but are no less than those preceding them on this set.

 

The full frame image is again varied, with the picture is often degraded form barely surviving, but give Idem credit once again for doing their best to show these as clearly as possible these landmark works.  All are black & white in this case.   The PCM 2.0 Mono is better than Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono from the previous DVD, but it also varies, with background hiss most noticed.  There are no extras, but it is another winner in the Swing Era series worth your time.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo