Search - Ivy Benson :: Ivy Benson and Her All Girl Band

+1/2 From the hidden history of female jazz players

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/13/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The rise of "all-girl" bands in WWII-era America is pretty well documented, with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm being the iconic band of the genre. Less well-known are their British contemporaries, who also took up the slack in the homefront nightclub scene, as the the menfolk went off to war. Bandleader Ivy Benson was one of the most successful female musicians of her time, leading a pretty solid band right up through the 1960s, well after the big band era had collapsed back in the States. These recordings, from 1943-49 singles and radio broadcasts, are not the most dazzling or top-flight dance band material, but they are charming and nostalgic, and capture a nice slice of sweet band history, which would otherwise have slid from memory long, long ago. Certainly worth checking out."