JERI SOUTHERN: The very thought of you

JERI SOUTHERN
JERI foi mais uma estrela de uma constelação de cantoras de jazz, brancas (Anita O´Day, Annie Ross, Chris Connor, Peggy Lee, Helen Merrill,  June Christy, Jo Stafford e - principalmente - Blossom Dearie, cujo timbre lembra muito o de Jeri), que brilharam nos anos 50. Além de cantora, classuda e elegante que só ela, Jeri também era uma talentosa pianista e compositora. Os motivos pelos quais Jeri brilhou menos que algumas das suas colegas foram a sua timidez e aversão aos palcos e luzes da ribalta. Tanto assim, que aos 36 anos e em plena forma, parou de cantar, para dedicar-se tão somente a escrever e ensinar música.

(*) Este trecho, excerto de sua biografia, explica melhor que eu:

"Despite her vocal talents, Southern had the misfortune of completely lacking the personality required to be a pop singer: she was extremely shy and was often afflicted with stage fright. She also became discouraged as record companies increasingly tried to foist poor, commercially-oriented material on her. After several unhappy years she retired at the age of 36; she continued to play, teach and compose privately (even writing a string quartet) but never returned to public performance".
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JERI SOUTHERN
Genevieve Lillian Hering, known by her stage name Jeri Southern, (August 5, 1926 - August 4, 1991 was an American jazz pianist and singer. Born in Royal, Nebraska, Hering began playing piano at age three, and at age six started formal study in classical piano.she studied classical piano and voice at Sacred Heart in Omaha, Nebraska, where she became interested in jazz. After beginning her career at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha she joined  United States Navy recruiting tour during World War II. In the late 1940s she worked in Chicago clubs where she once played piano for Anita O'Day. She became known for what are known as torch songs. She signed with Decca Records in 1951 and became known both for pop and jazz. The 1950s saw her at the height of her career. In 1955 her recording of "An Occasional Man", reached #89 in the Billboard pop chart.In that decade she sang in a few films and in 1957 she had a Top 30 hit with "Fire Down Below." After her switch to Capitol Records she had success doing interpretations of Cole Porter with Billy May arranging some of the more humorous examples. In the 1960s she gave up the music industry to teach and later moved to Hollywood, California to work on film composing with Hugo Friedhofer. She also wrote Interpreting Popular Music At The Keyboard during her final years. She died in Los Angeles of pneumonia in 1991, at the age of 64.
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ALBUM REVIEW
Whether Jeri Southern was a jazz singer or simply a jazz-influenced pop singer has been debated. To be sure, many of her '50s recordings were heavily arranged and devoid of improvisation — and if you believe that improvisation is a key element of jazz, you have to believe that much of her output was essentially pop. But however you categorize her, Southern was among the finest female singers of her era. This 21-song collection, which came out in 1999, underscores the excellence of her '50s output for Decca. Southern's accompaniment ranges from lush string orchestras to the trio of guitarist Dave Barbour (who was best known for his work with Peggy Lee), and on some selections, she is heard on piano. You could argue that Southern's piano solo on "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" is a jazz solo, but on most of these recordings, pop considerations prevail over jazz considerations. Blessed with a smoky, warm voice, she brings a great deal of charm and vulnerability to "The Very Thought of You," "My Ship," "I Remember You" and other standards. It's such a shame that Southern chose to retire from recording and performing in the early '60s, when she was only 36 — quite possibly, she could have continued to record first-class pop for another 20 or 25 years. But thankfully, listeners still have fine collections like The Very Thought of You to savor.    ”
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MINHA OPINIÃO:
Com uma classe e elegância extraordinárias, JERI SOUTHERN nos brinda com um repertório que é um "colar-de-pérolas". Os acompanhamentos são variados: orquestra (com arranjos de Camarata e Ralph Burns), trio (do guitarrista Dave Barbour, acompanhante habitual de Peggy Lee, com quem foi casado)  e um "combo" - liderado por ela mesma, ao piano - emolduram com perfeição a voz "warm & sultry" de Jeri. Um luxo!  
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JERI SOUTHERN: The very thought of you

PERSONNEL:
Jeri Southern (vocals, piano)
Camarata, Ralph Burns (arranger, conductor)
E.J. Roland (guitar)
Cliff Hills (bass)
Lloyd Morales (drums, percussion)
Dave Barbour Trio.

TRACKS/FAIXAS
1. You Better Go Now
2. The Very Thought Of You
3. It's De-Lovely
4. Dancing On The Ceiling
5. All In Fun
6. When I Fall In Love
7. I Hadn't Anyone Till You
8. Remind Me
9. I Don't Know Where To Turn
10. He Was Too Good To Me
11. If I Had You
12. I Remember You
13. Everytime We Say Goodbye
14. My Ship
15. An Occasional Man
16. Someone To Watch Over Me
17. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
18. Close As Pages In A Book
19. No Moon At All
20. You're Nearer
21. Nobody's Heart