Vocalists, Mary Ellen Desmond and Meg Clifton recently released a CD Tribute on Peggy Lee and Rosemary Clooney, two extraordinary pop/jazz greats. Some of the songs performed by Mary Ellen and Meg are the classics such as Tenderly, Fever, It’s a Good Day, Hey There, Black Coffee and many more of their hits. Peggy and Rosemary opened their careers with the Big Bands of the 40’s and later on with smaller units. There is great empathy with this music for Mary Ellen and Meg since both performed in bands that highlighted music from the Swing Era and smaller group settings. In September 2003, Mary Ellen and Meg opened for Linda Ronstadt and her 42 piece orchestra at the Rosemary Clooney Festival in Kentucky. They were a tremendous success.
All About Jazz/ Victor I. Schermer “There was bound to be a Peggy Lee-Rosemary Clooney Tribute”, and we are lucky that two truly artistic vocalists, Mary Ellen Desmond and Meg Clifton, have done the honors, rather than, say, a couple of popular singers from the Broadway stage.
Sunday’s The Philadelphia Inquirer/ Michael Harrington Hip times two
Cadence Magazine/ Ken Weiss Mary Ellen Desmond and Meg Clifton “Thrilled the standing room only crowd at Chris’ Jazz Café”.
Trenton/The Times Curt Yeske says “There’s not a shortage of Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee recordings, but this recording has a niche in that inventory”.
The Philadelphia Metro’s True Van Deusen calls “Meg Clifton an incredibly gifted young singer and Mary Ellen Desmond creates her own wave of excitement” during the sold out show for the Peggy Lee /Rosemary Clooney Tribute at Chris’ Jazz Café.
Read more...