Isn’t It Romantic – 1961

Carmen McRae

The vocalist early in her career singing a heartfelt ballad

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Carmen McRae (1920-94) was a major jazz singer for nearly 40 years.

Although she did not have the range of Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan, she made the most of what she had, gave a jazz sensibility to everything she sang, and carved out her own musical legacy, becoming an influential singer.

This is one of her earliest appearances on film with Carmen McRae being featured on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1961 with an unseen orchestra and background singers, singing a slow and quietly sensuous version of “Isn’t It Romantic.”

-Scott Yanow

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