This is Vol. 2 of a trip to the recording studio
June Christy made with the
Johnny Guarnieri Quintet in 1949.
Stan Kenton had disbanded his group the previous year, and
Christy was on the road performing when NBC decided to pair her with the enigmatic pianist
Johnny Guarnieri. (He was enigmatic in the sense that one was never quite sure whose playing would show up on his next musical outing: his or somebody else's.)
Christy's voice is better adapted to big-band backing than to the smaller group. While she delivers several poignant ballads, the voice doesn't have the same vivaciousness and bounce that she showed with
Kenton (and was to show in a few years on those wonderful recordings with
Pete Rugolo).
Guarnieri's group is nothing extraordinary, but provides a solid backdrop for
Christy's still maturing voice. On "Talk of the Town,"
Guarnieri shows his
classical background with a chamber music approach. "Yesterdays" has
Johnny's brother
Leo Guarnieri doing bowed bass.
Christy apparently had a soft spot for "I'm Thrilled." She recorded it in 1946 with
the Kentones and recorded it again in 1955 with
Rugolo. The quintet accommodates
Christy's up-tempo version of "Little White Lies" with
Guarnieri playing some
Teddy Wilson-like piano.
Charlie DiMaggio does yeoman's work on saxophone, flute, and clarinet, especially on "Don't Worry 'Bout Me," where his tenor takes on a mournful hue.
George Walters' pleasant but undistinguished trumpet fills up some space on "Love Is Just Around the Corner." There's uncertainty as to the identity of the drummer on this session (possibly
Morey Feld or
Frank Garisto). This is not quite vintage
June Christy -- that was yet to come. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
