Now almost forgotten, Belle Gonzalez had an active career as a vocalist in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s, not always in the jazz field, as her interests were wide, but in cabaret, popular music and the folk field.
She made a couple of jazz eps (of which this is one) for the obscure Jupiter label, recorded two tracks with the Al Fairweather group in 1960, one lp under her own name, half a dozen tracks on an lp with others and that was the total of her commercial discography.
She was born to parents of mixed heritage in Italy in the 1930s then moved to The Philippines in 1939, where she first sang in the 1950s and then settled in the UK in the 1960s.
She retired from singing in 1981 and became a piano teacher. As far as I know, she is still alive but not active in music. You can hear her on YouTube in a few of her recordings.
This ep is not, as you might think, poetry set to jazz. It is poetry which has been adapted for, and sung by, Belle with a jazz sextet. The second of her eps will be posted here at a later date.
It is really quite unusual and quite beautiful too.
Belle Gonzalez - vocals
Eddie Blair - trumpet
Al Newman - alto
Leslie Pearson - piano
Ike Isaacs - guitar
Al Burke - bass
Stan Gorman - drums
01 Time Of Roses
02 We'll Go No More A-Roving
03 When I Am Dead, My Dearest
04 My True Love Hath My Heart
Label: Jupiter OC 37
Recorded: c. 1964
Lineage: EP>FLAC
Scans: Front and back covers
Belle Gonzalez web page:
http://www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk/profilebellegonzalez.html
