Artist
Carmen McRae
Carmen McRae is a jazz artist from American. 57 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.
Jazz · American · Best jazz albums
- 57
- Releases
- 1961–2024
- Active years
Discography
56
Most popular
Carmen Sings Monk
2001 · 15 tracks
Birds of a Feather
1989
For Once in My Life
1967
Ballad Essentials
2020
Any Old Time
1988
Dream of Life
1998
Sings Great American Songwriters
1993
Here To Stay
1992
Body & Soul
-
Classics
2024
Great Women Of Song: Carmen McRae
2024
Porgy And Bess
2023
Blue Moon
2022
Priceless Jazz 17: Carmen McRae
2019
Something To Swing About
2019
Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man And Other Billie Holiday Classics
2018
Boy Meets Girl: Sammy Davis Jr. And Carmen McRae On Decca
2018
When You're Away
2018
The Look of Love
2017
Can't Hide Love
2014
I Am Music
2014
At The Great American Music Hall
2014
Carmen For Cool Ones
2013
After Glow
2013
Book Of Ballads
2012
By Special Request
2011
Torchy!
2010
Standards (Great Songs/Great Performances)
2010
At Newport (Expanded Edition)
2007
Fine And Mellow
2006
Carmen McRae For Lovers
2006
Portrait Of Carmen
2005
Boy Meets Girl
2005
The Sound Of Silence
2005
Mad About The Man
2005
Bittersweet
2005
Best Of/20th Century
2004
The Great American Songbook (International Release)
2004
The Great American Songbook
2004
Just A Little Lovin'
2004
Book of Balads
2003
Diva
2003
- Blues in My Heart
Blues in My Heart
2002
Sound of Silence / Portrait of Carmen
2001
A Whole Lot of Human Feeling
2001
Carmen McRae’s Finest Hour
2000
Sings Lover Man and Other Billie Holiday Classics
1997
The Carmen McRae - Betty Carter Duets (Live At The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco / 1987)
1996
I'll Be Seeing You: A Tribute To Carmen McRae
1995
For Lady Day, Volume 1
1995
Sarah - Dedicated to You
1991
Fine and Mellow (live at Birdland West)
1988
Heat Wave
1982
Two For The Road
1980
Ms Magic
1971
Take Five at Basin Street East
1961
Popular tracks
Trending this week
Singles & EPs
1
Appears on
1Releases by other artists featuring Carmen McRae.
Featured tracks
3Collaborators
1
Community
More about Carmen McRae
About
Carmen McRae always had a nice voice (if not on the impossible level of an Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan) but it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretations of lyrics that made her most memorable. She studied piano early on and had her first important job singing with Benny Carter's big band (1944), but it would be another decade before her career had really gained much momentum. McRae married and divorced Kenny Clarke in the '40s, worked with Count Basie (briefly) and Mercer Ellington (1946-1947), and became the intermission singer and pianist at several New York clubs. In 1954 she began to record as a leader' and by then she had absorbed the influences of Billie Holiday and bebop into her own style. McRae would record pretty steadily up to 1989 and, although her voice was higher in the '50s and her phrasing would be even more laid-back in later years, her general style and approach did not change much through the decades. Championed in the '50s by Ralph Gleason, McRae was fairly popular throughout her career.
Read moreRead less
Among her most interesting recording projects were participating in Dave Brubeck's the Real Ambassadors with Louis Armstrong, cutting an album of live duets with Betty Carter, being accompanied by Dave Brubeck and George Shearing, and closing her career with brilliant tributes to Thelonious Monk and Sarah Vaughan. Carmen McRae, who refused to quit smoking, was forced to retire in 1991 due to emphysema. She recorded for many labels including Bethlehem, Decca (1954-1958), Kapp, Columbia, Mainstream, Focus, Atlantic (1967-1970), Black Lion, Groove Merchant, Catalyst, Blue Note, Buddah, Concord, and Novus.
Carmen McRae in brief
- How many Carmen McRae releases are on Riffiter?
- 57 releases are catalogued, spanning 1961 to 2024.
- What genre is Carmen McRae?
- Carmen McRae is catalogued under Jazz.
- What is the most recent Carmen McRae release on Riffiter?
- Classics, released in 2024.