I Gotta Right to Swing

Sammy Jr. Davis

Mr. Entertainment as a Singer

The conventional assessment of Sammy Davis Jr. presents him as a Swiss Army knife type of performer—a skilled impressionist, fantastic dancer, and effortless comic whose shows never centered on any one thing, least of all his singing. That's a slight, because though he lived in Sinatra's shadow and released lots of goofy records, Davis (1925–1990) had an innate knack for deepening and personalizing the songs sung by every other saloon singer.

I Gotta Right to Swing is among the best showcases for Davis, and one of the unfairly overlooked gems of the vocal swing era. Recorded with an uncredited Count Basie Orchestra (minus pianist Basie), it finds Davis executing blues, jazz, and R&B (one of the hottest tracks is his version of Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman") with a blithe panache, and an enviable sense of timing. Davis couldn't escape the Sinatra influence—virtually everyone making vocal records from the late '50s forward borrowed something from the Chairman—but here, before entering what might charitably be called his schmaltz phase, Davis swings in his own sweet way. At once coy and exultant, he delivers Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' till You Hear from Me" with a rough-and-tumble sense of rhythm. Though he occasionally panders to the Vegas showroom faction of his audience (check out "The Lady Is a Tramp"), Davis compensates with an agility and exuberance that cranks the already hot band up a few notches. Put this on whenever you want to demolish the argument that swing singing begins and ends with Sinatra.

Genre: Vocals
Released: 1960, Decca/MCA
Key Tracks: "Get on the Right Track, Baby," "I Got a Woman," "Till Then," "This Little Girl of Mine."
Collector's Note: The 1999 reissue includes the 1957 Davis record, It's All Over but the Swingin'.
Catalog Choice: Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays.
Next Stop: Tony Bennett: Basie Swings, Bennett Sings
After That: Dean Martin: This Time I'm Swingin'!
Book Pages: 212–213

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Comments:

#1 from Steven Katten, New York - 02/11/2009 10:10

Davis & the Basie Band guys: the height/zenith/apex of swinging pop mixed with a Big Band jazz sound and arrangements. Tell me which album in this genre tops it?

#2 from tom moon - 04/22/2009 2:48

hmmm…maybe Sinatra at the Sands (w/ Basie)?

and the Catalog Choice record on Sammy Davis Jr. mentioned here—Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays—is a whole nuther perspective on Davis as a singer. very understated! if you like Sammy at all, it’s truly worth hearing…..

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