''Della'' is an album by singer and actress

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

, her first for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, after she left

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the company ...

in 1959. The album, produced by

Hugo & Luigi Hugo & Luigi were an American record producing team, made up of songwriters and producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, who shared an office in New York's Brill Building. Besides their working relationship, they were cousins. Background First ...

, was one of her most successful. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

in 1961. ''Della'' was recorded at RCA Victor studios in New York City during three weeks in October 1959, with Reese backed by a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

conducted and arranged by

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for ''The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in his ...

. Prior to the full band sessions, Reese was asked to record and rehearse the songs in front of her producers Luigi Creatore and Hugo Peretti, with George Butcher accompanying Reese on piano. (Butcher was a veteran of

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

's orchestra.) During the rehearsal, Reese decided against singing "

I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" is a popular song published in 1929, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz. Camp song It originally was a summer camp song titled "I Love to Lie Awake in Bed," with Schwartz's music set to l ...

" because the male-perspective lyric was too difficult to change into a female perspective. For the song "And the Angels Sing", Reese created her own arrangement by opening with a

vocalese Vocalese is a style of jazz singing in which words are added to an instrumental soloist's improvisation. Definition Vocalese uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental solos, as opposed to scat singing, which uses nonsen ...

rendition of

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

's "Bird of Paradise" saxophone solo, then by injecting bits of melody from "

I Hear Music "I Hear Music" is a popular song composed by Burton Lane, with lyrics by Frank Loesser for the Paramount Pictures movie ''Dancing on a Dime'' (1940). In the film it was performed by Robert Paige, Peter Lind Hayes, Frank Jenks and Eddie Quillan. No ...

". Reese's additions were later incorporated by Hefti into the big band arrangement, such that the band quoted portions of "I Hear Music", and even more of "Bird of Paradise" than just the solo. Hefti's big band arrangement of "

You're Driving Me Crazy "You’re Driving Me Crazy" is an American popular song composed (music and lyrics) by Walter Donaldson in 1930 and recorded the same year by Lee Morse, Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees and Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (with vocal b ...

" used a figure from

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

's recent recording of "

Moten Swing Moten is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Bennie Moten (1894–1935), American jazz pianist and band leader born in Kansas City, Missouri *Benny Moten (1916–1977), American jazz bassist *Eddie Moten (born 1981), American footbal ...

". RCA released an expanded edition of the album in 2002, with a second disc containing the rehearsal sessions of all of the songs performed by Reese backed by Butcher. Reese can be heard speaking to her producers.

Track listing

# " The Lady Is a Tramp" (Hart, Rodgers) 2:39 # "

If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight) "If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)" is a popular song. The music was written by James P. Johnson, the lyrics by Henry Creamer. The song was published in 1926 and first recorded by Clarence Williams' Blue Five with vocalist Eva Taylor in 1 ...

" (Johnson) 2:50 # "

Let's Get Away from It All "Let's Get Away from It All" is a popular song with music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Tom Adair, published in 1941. The song is most commonly associated with Frank Sinatra (who had a hit with it as a member of The Pied Pipers while he was a part ...

" (Adair, Dennis) 2:29 # "

Thou Swell "Thou Swell" is a show tune, a popular song and a jazz standard written in 1927. History The music was written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart, for the 1927 musical '' A Connecticut Yankee''. The lyric is notable, as indicated b ...

" (Hart, Rodgers) 2:27 # "

" (Donaldson) 2:30 # "

Goody Goody "Goody Goody" is a 1936 popular song composed by Matty Malneck, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. First recording of the song was by Ted Wallace and His Swing Kings (vocal refrain by male trio) luebird, B-6252-B, 1936 The song is referenced several ...

" (Malneck, Mercer) 3:46 # "And the Angels Sing" (Elman, Mercer) 2:42 # "

Baby Won't You Please Come Home "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" is a blues song written by Charles Warfield and Clarence Williams in 1919. The song's authorship is disputed; Warfield claims that he was the sole composer of the song. The song has been covered by many musicia ...

?" (Warfield, Williams) 3:11 # "

I'm Beginning to See the Light "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a popular song and jazz standard, with music written by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James and lyrics by Don George and published in 1944. 1945 recordings *Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots featu ...

" (Ellington, George, Hodges, James) 2:27 # "

I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk. The song was published in 1928. Versions by Nick Lucas, Aileen Stanley and, most successfully, Ruth Etting, all charted in America in 1929 ...

" (Ahlert, Turk) 2:38 # " Blue Skies" (Berlin) 1:49 # "

Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" is a popular song published in 1944 by Jimmie Hodges. The song became a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers. Background In April 1951, Hugh O. Starr, an inventor from Steubenville, Ohio ...

" (Hodges) 5:16

Personnel

– vocals *

– arranger, conductor * George Butcher – piano (rehearsal sessions)

Charts

Album Single

References

{{Authority control Della Reese albums 1960 albums Swing albums RCA Victor albums Albums arranged by Neal Hefti Albums conducted by Neal Hefti Albums produced by Hugo & Luigi