Carmen McRae - Birds of a Feather ft. Ben Webster (Decca 1958)

Yes, there's a concept on the loose here -- all the songs are about birds. Fortunately, there are plenty of good songs on the subject, and it's not so narrow that all the focus hinges on birds themselves. Add horn men Ben Webster and Al Cohn to McRae's enigmatic, dark contralto voice and you get the general idea.

1. Skylark
2. Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?)
3. Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, A
4. Mister Meadowlark
5. Bye Bye Blackbird
6. Flamingo
7. The Eagle and Me
8. Baltimore Oriole
9. When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along
10. Chicken Today and Feathers Tomorrow
11. When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
12. His Eye Is on the Sparrow


Personnel: Carmen McRae (vocals); Barry Galbraith, Mundell Lowe (guitar); Al Cohn, Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Irwin "Marky" Markowitz (trumpet); Dick Berg, Fred Klein, Donald Corrado (French horn); Don Abney (piano); Don Lamond, Todd Sommer, Nick Stabulas (drums).

Liner Note Author: Burt Korall.

Recording information: New York, NY (08/04/1958-08/08/1958).

Director: Ralph Burns.

Arrangers: Milt Gabler; Ralph Burns.