I Can't Help It (1958-1960)

 
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Personnel:

Album Info:
Richard Wess Orchestra3 GRP Impulse GRD-114
Ray Copeland1,2, Kenny Dorham2 - trumpets
Melba Liston1,2 - trombone
Jerome Richardson1 - tenor saxophone, flute, bass clarinet
Gigi Gryce2, Jimmy Powell2 - alto saxophones
Benny Golson2 - tenor saxophone
Sahib Shihab2 - baritone saxophone
Wynton Kelly1,2 - piano
Peck Morrison1, Sam Jones2 - bass
Specs Wright1,2 - drums

 

Songs:
I Can't Help It [Carter]1 2:44
By the Bend of the River [Edwards]1 2:07
Babe's Blues [Weston/Hendricks]1 2:49
You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me [Warren/Dubin]1 2:30
But Beautiful [Van Heusen/Burke]1 3:58
All I've Got [Cole]1 2:15
You're Driving Me Crazy [Donaldson]2 1:45
Foul Play [Mapp]2 2:21
On the Isle of May [David/Kostelanetz]2 2:02
Make it Last [Paxton/Haynes]2 4:30
The Blue Bird of Happiness [Heyman/Harman]2 1:30
Something Wonderful [Rogers/Hammerstein]2 3:37
For You [Dubin/Burke]3 2:20
What a Little Moonlight Can Do [Woods]3 2:04
Remember [Berlin]3 2:24
At Sundown [Donaldson]3 2:42
Mean to Me [Turk/Ahlert]3 2:04
I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire [Marcus/Benjamin/Seiler/Durham]3 2:22
On the Alamo [Kahn/Jones]3 1:55
Jazz (Ain't Nothin' But Soul) [Mapp]3 1:56
There's No You [Adair/Hopper/Durgom]3 3:08
Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time) [Arlen/Koehler]3 3:21
My Reverie [Clinton]3 2:47
Don't Weep for the Lady [Singh]3 3:00

 

 

Production Notes:

 1 and 2 were originally issued together on the Peacock label (PLP 90).   Both sessions were recorded in New York in February, 1958, although details are sketchy on the two sessions.  The titles of the two albums were I Can't Help It (borrowed here for the reissue) and Out There.
3 was released originally by ABC-Paramount (S 363) under the title The Modern Sound of Betty Carter.
According to the liner notes, there are 3 lost tracks that were recorded for ABC on November 14, 1961 but never issued.
The whole collection of 1, 2 and 3 was reissued by ABC-Impulse in 1976 under the title What A Little Moonlight Can Do (ASH 9321/2).

 

Reviews:

  • 8 - Excellent ... though she later matured into the most adventurous jazz singer of her generation, here Carter is testing, just beginning to stretch herself with some confidence... - Vox, 12/92
  • This recording, in relation to other Betty Carter material, is not her best, although there are moments.  However, even with some of the string backing, the poor choice of material, the occasional intonation problems, and a pretentiousness (abandoned later), I can still enjoy this recording. - Cadence
  • Beautifully arranged sessions... - Penguin Guide to Jazz, 1994 ed.
  • These relatively early recordings... display a typical mixture or standards and obscure material, with Carter going boldly beyond Sarah Vaughn. - Jazz - The Rough Guide

 

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