Love Is A Necessary Evil (+ 6 Bonus Tracks)

1 LP + 6 BONUS
STEREO / MONO
24 BIT
DIGITALLY REMASTERED
Irma Curry was an aspiring blues and jazz singer from Baltimore who landed the vocalist spot with Lionel Hampton and his orchestra in 1950. She soon revealed herself as an impressive singer, with a vocal personality that was her own The Little Mite with the Big Voice .
On her 1962 album Love Is a Necessary Evil, she was accompanied by a very swinging band assembled by Don Elliott to play Al Cohn s freshly conceived arrangements, which form an excellent frame for her voice. All the lyrics are by Jack Segal, who wrote them in collaboration with four composers, among them George Handy, who contributed with Forgetful and Leavin Town. Elliott played vibes, mellophone, and did some scat singing on the main title, while the group is completed by altoist Hal McKusick, guitarists Barry Galbraith and Chuck Wayne, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Jo Jones.
One side of the bonus single is A Heart Must Learn to Cry, Dimitri Tiomkin s love theme for the 1965 film 36 hours, arranged by Benny Carter, who composed and arranged the other, We Were In Love. The remaining tracks are four ballads from 1950-1951, beautifully delivered by the singer while she was with Hampton s band. Driven by clear diction and imaginative phrasing and a fine range, her voice has an insinuating, slightly nasal and sensuous edge. Comfortable at any tempo, she was quality personified.