Alice Babs Tribute

Here is a wordless song ("Stoona"), written (and performed) by Duke Ellington, typical of the range and style of the great Alice Babs.
Alice Babs (born Hildur Alice Nilsson in 1924) is a Swedish singer and actor. While she has worked in a wide number of genres, she is best known internationally as a jazz singer. Making her breakthrough in "Swing it magistern!" ("Swing It, Teacher!") (1940), she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish language-films. Despite playing the well-behaved, good-hearted, cheerful girl, the youth culture forming with Alice Babs as its icon caused outrage among members of the older generation. A vicar called the Alice Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease to cultural life".
In 1958, she was the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 4th place with the song Lilla stjärna (Little Star). The same year, she formed "Swe-Danes" with Ulrik Neumann and Svend Asmussen. The group would later tour the United States together, before dissolving in 1961. A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington started in 1963. Among other works, Alice Babs performed his second and third Sacred Concerts that were originally written for her. Her voice has an extreme range; Duke Ellington has said that when she did not sing the parts that he wrote for her, he had to use three different singers. He said also: «Alice Babs is a composer's dream, for with her he can forget all the limitations and just write his heart out.»
Enjoy Alice's wonderland!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Alice
• Babs
• Yma
• Sumac

[supwis]

what album is this tract on?

[johnxxx20000]

@supwis

"Serenade to Sweden", with Duke Ellington, recorded in 1963 and released on the Reprise label in 1966.

[johnnycchops]

Alice Babs - incredible Jazz contralto.

[Kallestina]

Alice Babs was a top vocalist from the very beginnng, starting with sensational jazz recordings as a teen-ager. Her feeling for music and voice usage as well as her exquisite artistry made her loved by the audience.

[Ecdysiast69]

i like this

[signjay]

This makes me proud to be a Swedish-American, and I'm happy to have heard Alice so much courtesy of Leigh Kammand on Minnesota Public Radio, for so many years.

[ramsenacka]

Snyggt! - bra gjort!

[purplesop]

Incredible indeed, but she is most certainly not a contralto. She is a soprano. The opposite.

[jazzfanjohn]

A fabulous discovery - thanks a million, John

[Trasigask]

I just want to correct you, "Swing it magistern" doesn't mean "Swing it, teacher" it means "swing it professor" :P

[Dufos1]

Alice babs är bra