The Quarantined Jazz Voyager

A simple statement: You know what to do to remain safe and healthy. The fat lady hasn’t begun to warm up because it’s not over.

This week I am featuring an album by an understated vocalist who recorded some two dozen albums. I’ve selected from the library. I Just Dropped By To Say Hello is a studio album by jazz vocalist Johnny Hartman, released on Impulse! Records. It was his second and next-to-last album on the label, after his highly successful collaboration with John Coltrane which produced John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, recorded a few months earlier.

Tracks 1 & 6 were recorded on October 9, 1963 and the balance of the songs were recorded on October 17, 1963 at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was produced by Bob Thiele, The album was mastered at Longwear Plating and released in 1964. Tracks 1~6 were on the A side of the album and 7~11, the B side of the original album.

1. Charade (from Charade) (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) ~ 2:38
2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (Bob Hilliard, David Mann) ~ 2:49
3. A Sleepin’ Bee (Harold Arlen, Truman Capote) ~ 2:15
4. Don’t You Know I Care (Or Don’t You Care To Know) (Mack David, Duke Ellington) ~ 4:14
5. Kiss & Run (Rene Denoncin, William Engvick, Jack Ledru) ~ 3:35
6. If I’m Lucky (Eddie DeLange, Josef Myrow) ~ 2:52
7. I Just Dropped by to Say Hello (Sid Feller, Rick Ward) ~ 4:10
8. Stairway to the Stars (Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli) ~ 3:09
9. Our Time (Stanley Glick, Johnny Hartman) ~ 3:00
10. Don’t Call It Love (Ronnell Bright) ~ 2:07
11. How Sweet It Is to Be in Love (George Cardini, Danny DiMinno) ~ 2:20

• Johnny Hartman ~ vocals
• Illinois Jacquet ~ tenor saxophone
• Kenny Burrell ~ guitar (tracks 2-5, 7-11)
• Jim Hall ~ guitar (tracks 1, 6)
• Hank Jones ~ piano
• Milt Hinton ~ double bass
• Elvin Jones ~ drums

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