OPEN POST: Manor Music Monday With Irene Kral And Her "Cool School" Sound!

Welcome, music sloots, to another edition of Manor Music Monday, today with a swingin' sister to kick you into the New Year with a big smile on your face - and these days, we need something to smile about, don't we? Please make sure and join DJ Li'l Scratch tonight at the Manor's exclusive after hours joint, "Liquor in the Front!" There, he'll be spinning tunes from a performer who started out as part of the "Cool School" sound on the West Coast in the 1940s and 50s, which was yet another movement that acted as a counterpart to bebop. If bebop was "hot-hot-hot" - being loud and fast (and competitive) - Cool Jazz was its "cool" counterpart, or chill, understated and sometimes intellectually detached.

You know them when you hear them: Chet Baker with his fragile, whispered delivery; Peggy Lee with her minimalist singing, doing as much as possible with the teensiest amount of volume; and Chris Connor, famed for her vibrato-less vocals and unexpected rhythms. Similarly, the gal DJ Li'l Scratch is playing tonight was known for her perfect diction, her absence of vocal tricks and her laser beam focus on the emotion of a lyric. She was called "anti-showbiz," which in this arena was high praise. 

Yes, it's Irene Kral, a jazz singer who released several gorgeous jazz vocal LPs in the late 1950's and early 60's, vanished from the scene to raise her family, then returned in 1974 with a collection of spare ballads in "Where Is Love?" The LP is now considered a classic, and once you give it a listen, you'll know why, because few singers display such heart-stopping delicacy. Born in Chicago to Czechoslovakian parents, Irene grew up in a musical household where she was influenced by her older brother, Roy, who later found fame in his own right as part of the bebop duo, Jackie and Roy.

As for Irene, she was already singing professionally as a teenager, and shortly after in the 1950s, she was snapped up by several big bands, including those led by Woody Herman, Chubby Jackson, and Stan Kenton. Along the way, she fell for sizzling jazz trumpeter Joe Burnett (as one does), whom she later married. By the time the 60s and early 70s rolled around, her solo career was in full bloom, which included several acclaimed LPs, TV appearances - she was a regular on "The Steve Allen Show" - even more touring and two Grammy nominations. 

Despite her success, she brought everything to a halt after marrying Joe and raising her children. But not for long. She returned - and her acclaim only seemed to increase. 

Her approach to a song is difficult to achieve, I think, and I haven't heard anyone do it this well; she goes right for the heated jugular of a song, yet her singing is remarkably subtle and uncomplicated. This comes across especially well in the quietly moving "Never Let Me Go," a musical standard which seems newly invented in her hands. Give a listen: 

You can hear the rest of Irene's "cool" LP by clicking through to the playlist below, or by going to Spotify. I know you want to.

What are you listening to this week? DJ Li'l Scratch wants to know.
Till next time...purr, bitches, purr! 🐾

Photo Credits: K. Abe, Shinko Music/Getty Images