McRae with Clarke and Boland in London
Carmen McRae's voice cuts through the big band arrangement with the ease of someone who has nothing left to prove.
November Girl captures Carmen McRae in 1970, working with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band in London. By this point in her career, McRae had already established herself as one of jazz's most intelligent singers—someone who listened to the harmony, understood the song, and never wasted a phrase. This session finds her in exactly that mode: direct, unhurried, in control.
The Boland big band was known for its European sophistication and tight ensemble playing, and that's what you hear here. The arrangements don't fight McRae; they give her room to move. Her voice—still warm and assured in her fifties—sits comfortably within the sound, and she phrases across the band's rhythms the way a good soloist does, bending time slightly, holding notes where they matter. The piano and horns are locked in, and McRae never sounds like she's working against them. This isn't a showcase where the singer dominates everything. It's a collaboration where everyone knows their job.
The album wasn't released until 1975 on the Black Lion label, which means it sat in the vaults for several years before anyone heard it. That gap doesn't matter much to the listening experience—the recording sounds clean and well-balanced—but it does explain why this record feels slightly removed from McRae's main discography. It's solid and professional, the kind of session where a great singer does what she does best without fuss. Not a peak moment, but a dependable one. If you know McRae's work and want to hear her in a big band setting with European players, this delivers. Otherwise, it's for committed listeners only.
Who's playing
Jimmy Woodebass
Francy Bolandpiano
Benny Baileytrumpet
Art Farmertrumpet
Dusko Goykovichtrumpet
Idrees Suliemantrumpet
Erik van Liertrombone
Nat Pecktrombone
Åke Perssontrombone
Kenny Claredrums
Kenny Clarkedrums
Tony Coereeds
Derek Humblereeds
Billy Mitchellreeds
Ronnie Scottreeds
Sahib Shihabreeds
Dizzy Gillespiesnare drum
Where next?
More by Carmen McRae
Live at Bubba's 1988
By Special Request 1956
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Take Five at Basin Street East 1961
Carmen Sings Monk 1990
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
