Teresa Brewer & Mercer Ellington - The Cotton Connection

Those of you who remember Teresa Brewer for her high-pitched pop hits (like Music! Music! Music!) in the 1950s may be surprised (pleasantly, I hope) by her later jazz recordings.

Some may be put off by her slightly nasal tone, but she does a more than creditable job on The Cotton Connection, a 1985 album for the Doctor Jazz label where the band is led by Mercer Ellington.

Her re-emergence as a jazz singer came after her 1972 marriage to record producer Bob Thiele and she had a string of albums for Doctor Jazz, as well as Thiele's other labels, Red Baron and Signature.

From The Cotton Connection comes All of Me. The MP3 is taken from a cassette copy of the album.

All of Me

Here's the YouTube take on All of Me.

The Cotton Connection is readily available, paired with The Songs of Bessie Smith (backing by Count Basie), on a 2-for-1 CD from the Collectables label at a bargain price.