{"id":2174,"date":"2024-11-21T19:00:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T18:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maryblengino.it\/?p=2174"},"modified":"2025-03-24T12:04:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T11:04:29","slug":"lorez-alexandria-some-curiosities-and-her-final-recordings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maryblengino.it\/en\/lorez-alexandria-some-curiosities-and-her-final-recordings\/","title":{"rendered":"Lorez Alexandria: some curiosities and her final recordings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two more masterpieces appear under her contract with King Records: The Band Swings, Lorez Sings<\/em> and Singing Songs That Everyone Knows<\/em> (also titled Standards with a Slight Touch of Jazz<\/em>). In the first of these, her voice stands out over an orchestral backdrop, marking her first collaboration with an orchestra. Her ability to swing, scat, and paraphrase lyrical lines makes her comparable to vocalists like Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lorez\u2019s storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked to describe what made her singing so special, she stated that she saw herself as a storyteller<\/em>. She emphasized the importance of working meticulously on diction so that the lyrics could be clearly understood by the listener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1960s, Lorez moved to Los Angeles, where she continued to grow as a leading jazz vocalist, performing in venues like The Parisian Room<\/em> and Marla\u2019s Memory Lane<\/em>. During this period, she began collaborating with Impulse! Records<\/em>, a label known for its recordings of John Coltrane. With them, she released memorable albums such as Alexandria the Great<\/em> (1964) and More of the Great Lorez Alexandria<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interesting insight comes from an interview she gave to DownBeat<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Gospelizing or use of so-called \u2018soul\u2019 singing \u2013 that sort of thing \u2013 has become very large in the business. [But] I\u2019m not a shouter, and I\u2019m not a Gospel singer. I wasn\u2019t a Gospel singer when I was singing in the church. I can\u2019t yell; I can\u2019t do this other thing. But I was effective\u2026 Anybody can sing spiritually without being labeled a Gospel singer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Her final work, Star Eyes<\/em>, was released in 1996 by Muse Records<\/em>. The album features My One and Only Love<\/em> once again, a song she had already delivered with brilliance and finesse on Alexandria the Great<\/em>. The musicians accompanying her include Houston Person on tenor sax, Bruce Forman on guitar, Stan Hope on piano, Peter Weiss on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums. Here, Lorez takes on the role of painting the musical canvas, adding all the embellishments, flourishes, and melodic nuances she desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this artistic triumph, Lorez suffered a stroke in the mid-1990s, which forced her to retire from the music scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years later, in 2001, Alexandria passed away in Gardena, a city in Los Angeles County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics have described her as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now, let\u2019s listen to her sublime rendition of Lush Life (Billy Strayhorn) from the album Standards with a Slight Touch of Jazz:<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n