Nobody But Lou Review by William Ruhlmann
It isn't hard to discern what veteran jazz bandleader Benny Carter had in mind in arranging and conducting Lou Rawls' fourth Capitol album..Carter's conception simply was that the 29-year-old Rawls was a young Joe Williams and should be treated as such. The idea is logical enough; Rawls, a Chicago native like Williams, also possessed a deep, rich voice with a bit of grit at the bottom. Accordingly, Carter wrote arrangements that echoed the blues-jazz style of Count Basie and His Orchestra (for which Williams had sung before going out on his own) and conducted a horn-filled big band to play behind Rawls in swinging style. Although he had actually come out of a gospel, not a jazz, background, Rawls handled the arrangements just fine, swinging lightly and singing warmly...
#lourawls #vocaljazz #swing #jazz #bennycarter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0-4bmJEzf0&list=OLAK5uy_lTflQCIxh5taPYiHG9mmV7-KZlEFTv_50
