Lorez Alexandria

Lorez Alexandria (born Dolorez Alexandria Turner; August 14, 1929 – May 22, 2001) was an American jazz singer, described as "one of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century". She became established in the Midwest before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. Jazz critics have compared her to Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Early life Dolorez Alexandria Turner was born on August 14, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up she began singing gospel music in church choirs and traveled throughout the Midwest with a traveling Baptist a cappella group. Later, when she entered the Chicago club circuit, she became a regular performer at venues like the Brass Rail and the Cloister Inn.

In Chicago, Alexandria became a local favorite and recorded for the first time for several independent local labels such as King Records, and later Argo Records. During this early part of her career, she was closely connected with the Chicago pianist, composer, and bandleader Walter "King" Fleming who provided the accompaniment on her debut album This is Lorez.

Career King Records In 1957, Alexandria was signed to King Records. That year saw the release of her first album This is Lorez with the King Fleming Quartet, followed by Lorez Sings Pres: A Tribute to Lester Young, which was an homage to the tenor saxophonist. Featured on the LP were trumpet players Paul Serrano and Cy Touff, with King Fleming providing the accompaniment. The album featured tunes from the songbook of Billie Holiday, a close friend of Lester Young. On the track "No Eyes Blues" Alexandria effortlessly scats with the ease of Ella Fitzgerald, as Serrano and Toff jump into accent her rich melodic line.

Impulse! Records In 1964 Alexandria moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of further opportunities to perform in clubs and record, quickly becoming a featured vocalist at venues including the Parisian Room and Marla's Memory Lane. She signed to Impulse!, a jazz label, was anticipated to be her jump onto the national stage after seven years of working with independent labels at King and Argo.

Alexandria's 1964 album Alexandria the Great, her first on Impulse!, was produced by Bob Thiele. Pianist Wynton Kelly accompanied her, with Paul Horn and Bud Shank alternating on flute, Victor Feldman on vibraphone, Ray Crawford on guitar, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Her rhythmic and melodic interpretation of the lyric on "Over the Rainbow" redefined the texture of the composition and reflected her ability to make well-known songs her own.

Her second album on Impulse!, More of the Great Lorez Alexandria, was released later in 1964 and produced by Tutti Camarata. Shortly thereafter, though, her relationship with the label ended in the midst of a decision by the headquarters of ABC Records that vocal music should be housed on the pop side of the company. In the mid-1960s while being interviewed for a piece in the jazz magazine DownBeat, she said that:"I tried actually to divorce myself from singing with religious overtones or aspects...Maybe it's because I had this kind of background. The Gospelizing or use of so-called "soul" singing – that sort of thing – has become very large in the business. [But] I'm not a shouter and I'm not a Gospel singer. I wasn't a Gospel singer when I was singing in the church. I can't yell; I can't do this other thing. But I was effective... Anybody can sing spiritually without being labeled a Gospel singer."

When asked what made her singing style unique, she once said "my feeling for a lyric, I'm a storyteller and I try to have excellent diction so you don't have to guess what I'm saying. Some people listen to a song for years and don't know what the lyric is."

Discography This Is Lorez! (King, 1957) Lorez Sings Pres (Federal, 1958) The Band Swings - Lorez Sings (King, 1959) Standards with a Slight Touch of Jazz [AKA Singing Songs Everybody Knows] (King, 1960) Early in the Morning (Argo, 1960) – with Ramsey Lewis Trio Sing No Sad Songs for Me (Argo, 1961) Deep Roots (Argo, 1962) For Swingers Only (Argo, 1963) Alexandria the Great (Impulse!, 1964) More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse!, 1964) Didn't We (Pzazz, 1968) In a Different Bag (Pzazz, 1969) From Broadway to Hollywood (Trio [Japan], 1977) How Will I Remember You? (Discovery, 1978) A Woman Knows (Trend, 1979) Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer, Vol. 1 (Discovery, 1981) – with Mike Wofford Quartet Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer, Vol. II: Harlem Butterfly (Discovery, 1984) – with Gildo Mahones Quartet Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer, Vol. III: Tangerine (Trend, 1985) – with Gildo Mahones Quartet Dear to My Heart (Trend, 1987) My One and Only Love (CBS/Sony [Japan], 1987) May I Come in (Muse, 1991) I'll Never Stop Loving You (Muse, 1993) Talk About Cozy (Hindsight, 1995) Star Eyes (Muse, 1996)