Lena Horne: Stormy Weather (1957) ... plus

'Stormy Weather,' Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's 1933 standard, was written for Cab Calloway, introduced by Arlen himself on a hit recording, and sung on-stage at the Cotton Club by Ethel Waters. But it became the signature song of a teenager who was in the club's chorus line in those days, Lena Horne, when she sang it a decade later in the movie musical of the same name. It was 14 years later that Horne would use the song as the title track of her first full-length studio LP. She had made a comeback with Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria and followed it with this superb collection of favorites. On these sessions - conducted by either her husband Lennie Hayton, or Marty Paich - Horne's vibrant vocals hold their own against the top-notch backing band, which includes guitarist Kenny Burrell and trumpeters Doc Severinsen and Harry "Sweets" Edison, among others. Horne's exuberance is palpable on every track; even on typically downbeat tunes such as 'Summertime' - here given a slinky, sensual rendition - the strikingly beautiful vocalist charms with her bold, vital performances. Other highlights include a disarmingly boisterous version of the title track, 'Mad About the Boy,' 'Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,' and a bright, swinging take on the carefree 'Just One of Those Things.' This reissue adds 10 bonus tracks to the original 11, including a previously unreleased earlier version of 'Stormy Weather' employing a full string section, another unreleased track, 'Come Runnin',' and period recordings drawn from singles and EPs, among them such show tune standards as Cole Porter's 'From This Moment On,' Lerner & Loewe's 'Wouldn't It Be Lovely,' and Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'A Cock-Eyed Optimist,' 'I Have Dreamed,' and 'The Surrey With the Fringe on Top.' The result is a superlative augmentation of the original release. Note that the title Stormy Weather is confusingly overused in hundreds of Horne releases, but don't be fooled: this is the original 1957 album. http://www.artistdirect.com/

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Here's a performance taken from the 1943 film Stormy Weather, where the great Lena Horne delivers a sizzling performance of her signature song:

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Lena Horne singing 'From This Moment On', possibly in the late '60s:

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