1968 · Album
Live at Century Plaza
Recorded Late December 1968, Century Plaza Hotel, Hong Kong Bar, Los Angeles · Original label information not verified · Produced by Producer information not verified
Carmen McRae in the Hong Kong Bar
McRae's voice cuts through the late-night jazz with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what she's doing.
Late December 1968 found Carmen McRae in Los Angeles at the Century Plaza Hotel's Hong Kong Bar, a small room that suited her intimate style perfectly. The setting was right for what she did best — the kind of close-quarters performance where you could hear every choice she made. Working with pianist Norman Simmons, drummer Frank Severino, and bassist Chuck Domanico, McRae had a tight trio that knew how to follow her lead without getting in the way.
What makes this recording worth your time is that it catches her doing exactly what she'd spent years perfecting. Her voice had lost none of its flexibility or sharpness. She could phrase a lyric three different ways in as many bars, bending the melody to fit whatever mood she wanted. The trio stayed out of her way, which is harder than it sounds — Simmons had to comp without cluttering things up, and Severino and Domanico had to keep the pulse steady but unobtrusive. The result sounds like a conversation between musicians who trusted each other, not a performance for an audience.
If you already know McRae's studio work, this is a solid addition to her catalog but not essential. She made better albums, and she made albums that showed more range. But if you want to hear her in her element on a specific night, with a good trio and no tricks, this delivers. It's the kind of live recording that makes sense — real people playing real jazz in a room. Nothing more, nothing less.
