Album Covers: Alberta Hunter's comeback recordings

Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) was one of the best American blues singers as well as a songwriter and nurse. Her career had started back in the early 1920s, and from there on, she became a successful jazz and blues recording artist, being critically acclaimed to the ranks of Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith. In the 1950s, she retired from performing and entered the medical field, only to successfully resume her singing career when in her 80s.

In this week's show, there is a track from each of the five albums she recorded between 1978 and 1983.

Playlist: 26 Jan 2013

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. Try Matty's - Aretha Franklin: Spirit in the Dark

2. Dancing on a Dime - Maxine Sullivan: Sings The Music of Burton Lane

3. Worried Life Blues - Ray Charles: single

4. Nobody Knows That - Kat Edmonson: Way Down Low

5. Stardust - Nat King Cole: Love Is the Thing

6. Some Sweet Day - Alberta Hunter: Remember My Name

7. Some of These Days - Alberta Hunter: The Glory of Alberta Hunter

8. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - Alberta Hunter: Amtrak Blues

9. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Alberta Hunter: Look for the Silver Lining

10. Two-Fisted (Double-Jointed, Rough and Ready Man) - Alberta Hunter: Live at The Cookery

11. I Fall in Love Too Easily - Tony Bennett: Perfectly Frank

12. You're Getting to be a Habit with Me - Dolores Gray: Warm Brandy

13. The Windmills of Your Mind - Frank Sinatra Jr: Spice

14. These Boots Are Made for Walkin' - Ella Fitzgerald & The Duke Ellington Orchestra: single

15. Don't Cry Baby - Billy Eckstine & Count Basie: Basie/Eckstine Incorporated

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Playlist: 19 Jan 2013

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. Love Me or Leave Me - Sammy Davis Jr: Forget-Me-Nots for First-Nighters

2. Ain't No Cure for Love - Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

3. Seems Like Old Times/I Remember You/Remember - Betty Carter: Finally

4. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Johnny Hartman: I've Been There

5. That's My Style - Claire Martin & Richard Rodney Bennett: Withcraft - The Songs of Cy Coleman

6. Sometimes You're Lonely - Claire Martin & Richard Rodney Bennett: Withcraft - The Songs of Cy Coleman

7. Everybody Today Is Turning On - Claire Martin & Richard Rodney Bennett: Withcraft - The Songs of Cy Coleman

8. Once I Loved - Shirley Horn: Close Enough for Love

9. The Girl from Ipanema - Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim 

10. Bossa Nova Potpourri (The Gift, One Note Samba, How Insensitive) - Mel Tormé & Marty Paich Dek-Tette: Reunion

11. Starting Over - Kat Edmonson: Take to the Sky

12. Should I - Frank Sinatra: Sinatra's Swingin' Session!

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Playlist: 12 Jan 2013

MEDLEYS

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. Gershwin Medley (But Not for Me, Love Is Here to Stay, Embraceable You, Someone to Watch Over Me) - Sarah Vaughan: Ronnie Scott's Presents Sarah Vaughan Live - Vol 2

2. West Side Story Medley (Jet Song, Something's Coming, Cool, Tonight, A-Me-Ri-Ca, Gee, Office Krupke, Maria) - Sammy Davis Jr: At The Cocoanut Grove

3. Ray Charles Tribute (Hallelujah! I Love Him So, I Got a Man, Just for a Thrill, Yes Indeed!) - Peggy Lee: Peggy at Basin Street East

4. Unthemed Medley (That Old Black Magic, Cheek to Cheek, Jersey Bounce, Sweet Georgia Brown, Lucky In Love, Hit The Road To Dreamland, For Me And My Gal) - Mark Murphy: This Could Be the Start of Something

5. Al Jolson Medley: Sonny Boy, My Mammy, Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody) - Cher: Bittersweet White Light

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea

Album Cover: Hotel (Soundtrack)

The OST album for the film, Hotel, which featured a rare acting role for Carmen McRae. Fittingly, she portrayed the role of the hotel/nightclub singer. One of the songs written especially for the movie, This Year, is included in this week's programme.

Playlist: 5 Jan 2013

ANOTHER NEW YEAR. LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD...

Intro: If You Could Read My Mind - Todd Gordon & Jacqui Dankworth: Ballads from the Midnight Hotel

1. Longings for a Simpler Time - Peggy Lee: Mirrors 

2. This Year's Kisses - Jackie Paris: The Jackie Paris Sound

3. It Was a Very Good Year - Lou Rawls: Soulin'

4. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year - Lee Wiley: Back Home Again

5. Once Upon a Time - Frank Sinatra: September of My Years

6. Gonna Build a Mountain - Bing Crosby & Count Basie: Bing 'n Basie

7. The Boy Next Door - Clare Fischer: Voices... And Sometimes Instruments

8. I Should Care - Clare Fischer: Voices... And Sometimes Instruments

9. A Lot of Livin' to Do - Sammy Davis Jr: Belts The Best of Broadway

10. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? - Johnny Mathis: Love Story

11. This Year - Carmen McRae: Hotel (Soundtrack)

12. A Hundred Years from Today - Dean Martin: Cha Cha de Amor

13. All My Tomorrows - Tony Bennett: If I Ruled the World (Songs for the Jet Set)

14. Bidin' My Time - Johnny Hartman: Unforgettable

15. When the World was Young - Mel Tormé: Dejavu Retro Gold Collection

16. Yesterdays - Billie Holiday: The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945-1959 (Disc 8)

Outro: Holding On - Todd Gordon: Made in Korea