Song:Evil Gal Blues
Album:Vocal Blues & Jazz Vol. 4: 1938-1949
Albinia Jones mostly sang with big bands in the 40s. She recorded a few songs as a leader in the late 40s but then was forced to retire in the 50s due to health problems. She was born Nov. 29, 1914 in Gulfport, MS and grew up singing in church. She moved to New York in 1932 and sang in clubs for the next two decades. She first recorded in 1945 with legendary sax player Don Byas. This recording of the blues standard Evil Gal Blues is from those sessions. Evil Gal Blues was written by Leonard Feather and Lionel Hampton. The most interesting thing about this recording is that Dizzy Gillespie plays trumpet on it. The band was called Don Byas' Swing Seven. Other musicians are Gene Sedric on clarinet, Sammy Price on piano, Leonard Ware on guitar, Oscar Smith on bass and Harold "Doc" West on drums. Albinia Jones also toured with Blanche Calloway, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Erskine Hawkins. In the late 40s, she recorded for Decca Records backed by a band led by Sammy Price. You can get all of Albinia's recordings on this CD from Document Records. They have topped it up with other singers because they didn't have enough Albinia Jones recordings to fill a CD. In the early 50s, Albinia was injured when she fell on stage and was forced to retire from music. It's too bad because it's clear that guys like Gillespie liked working with her. Albinia Jones died of leukemia on June 24, 1989 at age 74. Here's a video for Evil Gal Blues by Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven.
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