June Christy – This Time Of Year (1961/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 29:15 minutes | 319 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

This Time of Year is a 1961 album by American jazz vocalist June Christy, arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo.

Christy’s only Christmas album, it consists entirely of original songs composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
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June Christy – The Misty Miss Christy (1956/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 37:53 minutes | 393 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

Using Anita Day as starting point – but eschewing many of her scat-song histrionics in favor of pure tonal power and melancholic shading – June Christy honed her singing skills with Stan Kenton’s band before going solo in the ’50s. Christy’s relatively accessible vocal approach and blonde good looks eventually helped her gain success with such classic long players as Something Cool and The Misty Miss Christy. Less swinging than Something Cool, The Misty Miss Christy mostly stays on auto-stroll with a wealth of subtle and sophisticated orchestral charts. The jazz-pop environs come courtesy of longtime arranger Pete Rugolo and optimally frame the singer on highlights like “That’s All,” “I Didn’t Know About You,” and “Dearly Beloved.” With West Coast-style brass and reed accents gliding atop the lush strings, Christy also turns in fine renditions of Monk’s “Round Midnight” and Russ Freeman’s expressionistically torchy “The Wind.” Balancing out the predominant autumnal lull, Christy shows her swinging savvy on breezy gems like “Sing Something Simple,” “There’s No You,” and “A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening.” Both an essential Christy title and one of the best vocal albums from the ’50s. – Stephen Cook
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June Christy – Ballads For Night People (1959/2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 34:59 minutes | 346 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RevOla

The music on this album features the popular singer June Christy in a ballad-oriented program. She is backed by trombonist Frank Rosolino, a French horn, a sax section, a rhythm section, and a harp, all arranged by her husband, tenor saxophonist Bob Cooper. One in a long string of Christy’s Capitol recordings, this fine set (highlighted by “Bewitched,” “Do Nothin’ ‘Till You Hear from Me,” “Kissing Bug,” and “My Ship”) holds its own with the singer’s best sets. – Scott Yanow
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