Hotcha! Edie Adams was no shrinking violet in her day (just like you and me now). One of the first performers who was both a genuine sexpot and played it for laughs - as well as a talented actress, singer and Broadway star - she was, above all, a delightful comedian. And she held her own with her husband, legendary funny man Ernie Kovacs.
"Edie Adams Sings?" - a Giggly Edie Cheerful Exclusive! - is a 1959 LP which features Edie mixing comedy into her vocals (which is just a polite way of saying that sometimes on this LP she sounds like a strangled cat - wonderfully so). In collaboration with Henry Mancini, she performs in her own flighty fashion on ditties like "Indian Love Call," "Singin' In The Rain," and "Tip Toe Through The Tulips," to name just a few. It's just about irresistible.
Meanwhile, can Tammi Terrell look any more perky (or dare I say, cheerful)? She's practically shooting rainbows and kittens out of her eyes.
A reader of this blog was kind enough to share this terrific 2-disc retrospective of Tammi's solo career - one cut short by a brain tumor. Following eight grueling operations, she died in 1970 at age twenty-four.
Despite her brief life, Tammi's output was fairly extensive, from her hugely popular duets with Marvin Gaye, to her early recordings as Tammi Montgomery, and on to her solo efforts at Motown, which include "Come On And See Me," "I Can't Believe You Love Me," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (the latter recorded well before Diana Ross' version). She had a loving, sibling-like relationship with Marvin Gaye, and his LP "What's Going On" is reputed to be a tribute to her. But for me, her own voice is the best tribute of all.
"Vince Guaraldi again?" you ask. "But I already have all of his stuff." Mmm, maybe not. This Cheerful Blockhead Exclusive! may have a lil' somethin' somethin' you've been missing.
Get this. In 2008 or so, Vince's son was puttering around his father's effects and, lo and behold, wouldn't you know, he stumbled upon never-before-released, live studio recordings made in 1974 by Vince and his trio. I know, right? Couldn't you just? The gifts of a jazz great just keep on giving.
Oh, and these are no "reject" efforts, by the way, but gorgeously recorded tracks with Vince in his prime. There's even a so-insane-it-works mash-up of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Linus And Lucy." So dance a little dance, Guaraldi-heads, Vince is back, and he sounds better than ever.
Alert the press! The Secret Song File is back to lounging on top of her desk. "Why?" you ask. Because she looks oh-so-fine doing it, silly (#obviously). She's also listening to the spanking new CD by a severely underrated American songstress whom some have compared to Bjork and Kate Bush.
Yet that's so short-sighted, really, since she's definitely got her own "thang" going on, as the kids say (do they really still say that?) (God, I hope not). Besides, her father's a member of the Blue Man Group, her mother's a New Wave vanguard - and, sheesh, something had to come of that mix, don't you think? Luckily, it's something good.
But please, don't ever mix bleach and vinegar 'cause it'll make chlorine gas and you'll die (why do I know these things?).
Mix it up in the comments, if you like. I swear it's safe (ish).
