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This rare Inner City recording features jazz vocalist Teddi King with piano great Dave McKenna. King enjoyed a succesful career, having played with the likes of McKenna and George Shearing, and has amassed a bit of a cult following with her singing in the style of greats Lee Wiley, Mildred Bailey and Mabel Mercer. Here, King and McKenna perform 13 selections from Ira Gerswhin's classic catalog.
"The mood is relaxed, and McKenna perfectly supports the chanteuse on the tunes, as well as performs a handful of cabaret style solo pieces on “I Can’t Get Started” and “Soon,” among others. Definitely for the intimate apparel department."
-George Harris, jazzweekly.com
"Any album with Teddi is an event. This one is no exception. The title song is sung with great reverence. It's a flawless emotional uncommon vocal performance. Just wait till you hear "But Not For Me"... On it Ms. King travels the entire musical scale. She sings out, gets under, then over this well-known classic. You owe it to yourself to grab this one before it's long gone. It should remain in the catalogue forever."
-Dan Singer, In Tune International
One of the best singers to emerge in the late 1940s, Teddi King spent her last seven years suffering from Lupus, a disease that can go into remission but at other times can be fatal. In 1977 she was near the end of a comeback, recording a set of duets with the great pianist Dave McKenna. 29 days after completing her part of this CD (which is subtitled This Is New), she passed away.
Born in 1929, Teddi King was originally an actress in musical theater and played classical piano. But after winning a prestigious Dinah Shore talent contest as a vocalist, she became a jazz singer, working and recording with the Nat Pierce band in 1949. She toured with the George Shearing Quintet during 1952-54, being the only singer that Shearing ever employed. King worked as a soloist much of the rest of her life which included singing at the Playboy clubs in the 1960s. After she was diagnosed with Lupus in 1970, Teddy King slowed down quite a bit, but she became more active near the end of her life, singing at a birthday party for Richard Rodgers just five days before her death.
Dave McKenna was a perfect choice to accompany Teddy King. A brilliant swing pianist whose bass lines at faster tempos can be quite infectious, he was also a sympathetic player behind singers. He had picked up experience playing with Charlie Ventura, Woody Herman (1950-51), Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Bobby Hackett. At this point in 1977, McKenna was starting to gain recognition as one of jazz's top solo pianists
Review
"Sings Ira Gershwin features the duo on eight duets, with Teddy King sounding very expressive throughout on the Gershwin lyrics. The emphasis is on ballads and her versions of such songs as “Isn't It A Pity,” “But Not For Me” and “Here's What I'm Here For” are particularly touching. After the singer's death, Dave McKenna went back into the studio to perform solo piano versions of the five songs that she had planned to record. His playing on “Soon,” “One Life To Live,” “I Can't Get Started” and two other tunes are a wonderful and perfectly fitting tribute to the now-legendary Teddy King."-Scott Yanow
"A top jazz singer who first came to prominence in the late 1940s, Teddi King toured with George Shearing during part of the 1950s and sang at Playboy clubs in the 1960s. 1977’s Sings Ira Gershwin was her last recording and was cut just a month before her death. For this special project, Teddi King performs eight duets with pianist Dave McKenna, and McKenna takes the five remaining songs as solos. The ballad-oriented date features Teddi King (who was still in good voice) at her most expressive with some of the performances being quite touching."-Scott Yanow
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