Sharon Paige broke into show business in her teens as a singing and dancing chorus girl and moved quickly to featured roles. She has traveled throughout the United States and Canada, performing in the national companies of Broadway and Off Broadway musicals. Sharon has also toured the summer-tent, dinner-theater and nightclub circuits. In 2008, she and Keith Ingham released their Ned Washington tribute album, Love Is the Thing; Burke Beautiful is their second collaboration. Sharon currently resides and sings in New York City. Keith Ingham has recorded extensively and worked with Benny Goodman and other bands. He wrote the arrangements and led an all-star group of musicians on three notable Maxine Sullivan recordings for Harbinger Records. The first, “Maxine Sullivan Sings Great Songs from the Cotton Club by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler,” was nominated for a Grammy Award. He and Maxine also collaborate on Harbinger albums devoted to the music of Jule Styne and burton Lane. Keith was also arranger and leader on the classic Peggy Lee recording, “Love Held Lightly,” also for Harbinger Records. Johnny Burke was one of America’s greatest composer/lyricists. He enjoyed a long collaboration with James V. Monaco and then Jimmy McHugh writing songs for films, shows, and such singers as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
Back for the first time in more than 25 years, MAXINE SULLIVAN: Great Songs From the Cotton Club by Arlen & Koehler this award winning album has already been Grammy nominated and has won the NAIRD award for Best Female Jazz Vocalist. This album was carried on many top ten lists, and brought Maxine Sullivan’s five decade career to a climax. Maxine Sullivan and her husband John Kirby became the first African American jazz stars to have a regular radio program. After her retirement, Maxine formed The House That Jazz Built in the South Bronx, which supports jazz education programs for children.
The concept of this album was to get away from the contemporary stereotype where jazz is promoted as either "mood music" or "raw authenticity" - emphasis has been given to melody & a somewhat esoteric tune selection; Ingham's piano & celeste are accompanied by a loose, swinging rhythm section, plus trumpet & clarinet.
Trio whose playing reaches back to the earliest days of jazz. 1900-1920 were considered "the Mauve Decades," so on this Sackville CD, pianist Keith Ingham (in a trio with clarinetist Bobby Gordon and clarinetist Bobby Gordon) performs 17 songs written during that period. Although one might think that the music would be ragtime-oriented, in reality many of the songs retained their popularity into the 1920s and beyond, including "Glow Worm," "Ida," "My Gal Sal," "Some of These Days" and "Love Nest." The interpretations, which are a little reminiscent of the Benny Goodman Trio, fall into mainstream jazz, between swing and Dixieland. Everyone plays up to par, making this a good acquisition for pre-bop collectors.
