Dinah Washington

The amazing Dinah Washington was often at her best performing with musicians long after the concert or recording sessions ended. This 1953 set was the first to try to capture that after-hours jam session vibe, and it succeeds, letting the big-voiced Miss D relax in an intimate setting led by trumpet great Clark Terry (with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and the Lester Young disciple Paul Quinichette on tenor saxophones). Top honors go to the opening cut, "Blue Skies," which is up there with Ella's Verve songbook version of the tune with Paul Weston's band.