Recorded during 1962-63 and released for the first time on this CD from Studio West, the set has 20 concise performances taken from The Navy Swings, a series of 15-minute radio programs. Accompanied by either Shelly Manne’s Quintet (with trumpeter Conte Candoli, tenor-saxophonist Richie Kamuca, pianist Russ Freeman and bassist Chuck Berghofer) or the Bobby Troup Sextet (of which the personel is unknown), Sommers sound quite young (she was 21) but shows a great deal of maturity on these high-quality ballads and swingers; her phrasing on “I Concentrate on You” is particularly memorable. Most of the cuts are just around two minutes long and the musicians only get brief solos but Sommers’s very attractive and enthusiastic voice makes this set worth picking up. – Scott Yanow
more »