Carmen McRae: Ms. Jazz

Credit: Tom Copi- Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images

 

When Carmen McRae died on November 10, 1994, she was remembered as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. "With [Ella] Fitzgerald and the late [Sarah] Vaughan, Miss McRae formed the troika of female American jazz singers," the Los Angeles Times reported. She wasn't as well known as her two counterparts, but she was adored worldwide by her legion of dedicated fans. The jazz critic Ralph J. Gleason described her style this way: "Carmen McRae sings the lyrics like Laurence Olivier delivers Shakespeare."

 

 

For Ms. McRae singing was an immersive experience. "Every word is very important to me," she said. "Lyrics come first, then the melody. The lyric of a song I might decide to sing must have something that I can convince you with. It's like an actress who selects a role that contains something she wants to portray."

 

Ms. McRae recorded over 35 albums full of elegant, magisterial singing. In her Los Angeles Times obituary, Ms. McRae was quoted as telling friends, "I don't want a funeral. I don't want flowers. All I want to be remembered for is my music."